The effects of vitamin D and probiotic co-supplementation on mental health parameters and metabolic status in type 2 diabetic patients with coronary heart disease: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial
Assessed by RV005 · Statistician
Assessed on 11 Nov 2025
OverallReviewer's overall integrity assessment, derived from all research questions Serious concerns
DOI 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2018.02.007 (opens in new tab)
Resource ripekg:research-integrity-assessment/RIPEA9FB7C0468A11295E
5 Research Questions · 46 Evidence Items
Q1.1 — Does the study have an associated retraction?
Rationale: No but references papers that have been retracted with authors based in the same department as the current list of authors. Potential red flag purely on this.
Supporting Evidence (2)
Retraction NoticeSource: Retraction Watch database
Clinical and metabolic response to probiotic supplementation in patients with multiple sclerosis: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial
10.1016/j.clnu.2025.08.011 (opens in new tab)RetractionWatch ID:Record identifier in the Retraction Watch database 67435
Rationale: Concerns/Issues About Data;Concerns/Issues about Results and/or Conclusions;Investigation by Journal/Publisher;Investigation by Third Party;Objections by Author(s);Unreliable Results and/or Conclusions
About Authors: Omid Tamtaji, Zatollah Asemi, Maryam Tajabadi-Ebrahimi, Elmira Akbari, Ebrahim Kouchaki, Fereshteh Bahmani
Retraction NoticeSource: Retraction Watch database
Long-Term Vitamin D Supplementation Affects Metabolic Status in Vitamin D-Deficient Type 2 Diabetic Patients with Coronary Artery Disease
10.1093/jn/nxab073 (opens in new tab)RetractionWatch ID:Record identifier in the Retraction Watch database 28369
Rationale: Concerns/Issues About Data;Investigation by Journal/Publisher;Upgrade/Update of Prior Notice(s)
About Authors: Fariba Raygan, Hamid Talari, Ahmad Esmaillzadeh, Fereshteh Bahmani
Q1.2 — Does the study have an associated expression of concern or other relevant post-publication notice?
Rationale: Concern made by Andrew Gray
Supporting Evidence (1)
PubPeer ThreadSource: PubPeer.com — post-publication peer review comments
https://pubpeer.com/publications/E9B113E4C658DF585761F8317E1A82 (opens in new tab)PubPeer CommentSource: PubPeer.com — a platform for post-publication peer review
There are many concerns about the integrity of 172 publications by this research group, including this one. Some of the concerns are published 1. Anaesthesia 2020;75:1683–92, see Supplementary data. This paper is A160 2. Account Res 2020;28:149-61. 3. J Clin Epidemiol 2021;131:22-29. Journals and publishers were notified of these concerns in July 2019. 18 publications have an expression of concern, and 6 have been retracted. To our knowledge there has been no public response about any of the concerns. We think these publications are unreliable
Thread: https://pubpeer.com/publications/E9B113E4C658DF585761F8317E1A82 (opens in new tab)
Q1.3 — Do other studies by the research team highlight causes for concern?
Rationale: All authors are red-flagged
Supporting Evidence (41)
Retraction NoticeSource: Retraction Watch database
Calcium plus vitamin D supplementation influences biomarkers of inflammation and oxidative stress in overweight and vitamin D-deficient women with polycystic ovary syndrome: A randomized double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trial
10.1111/cen.14892 (opens in new tab)RetractionWatch ID:Record identifier in the Retraction Watch database 43979
Rationale: Investigation by Third Party
About Authors: Fatemeh Foroozanfard, Mehri Jamilian, Teibeh Hashemi, Ahmad Esmaillzadeh, Fereshteh Bahmani
Retraction NoticeSource: Retraction Watch database
Comparison of myo-inositol and metformin on clinical, metabolic and genetic parameters in polycystic ovary syndrome: A randomized controlled clinical trial
10.1111/cen.14889 (opens in new tab)RetractionWatch ID:Record identifier in the Retraction Watch database 43984
Rationale: Investigation by Third Party
About Authors: Fatemeh Foroozanfard, Mehri Jamilian, Fereshteh Bahmani, Hamidreza Jamilian, Esmat Aghadavod, Faraneh Afshar Ebrahimi
Retraction NoticeSource: Retraction Watch database
Comparison of myo-inositol and metformin on mental health parameters and biomarkers of oxidative stress in women with polycystic ovary syndrome: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial
10.1080/0167482x.2024.2346385 (opens in new tab)RetractionWatch ID:Record identifier in the Retraction Watch database 53693
Rationale: Concerns/Issues About Data;Concerns/Issues about Results and/or Conclusions;Investigation by Journal/Publisher;Investigation by Third Party;Objections by Author(s);Unreliable Results and/or Conclusions;Upgrade/Update of Prior Notice(s)
About Authors: Fatemeh Foroozanfard, Mehri Jamilian, Fereshteh Bahmani, Hamidreza Jamilian, Faraneh Afshar Ebrahimi
Q2.2 — Are there concerns relating to the timing or absence of study registration?
Rationale: While 60 participants is feasible it is unclear whether managing to recruit alll 60 and follow them up for 12 weeks was possible. There is no mention of the number of sites involved in the study and for how long recruitment took place compared to follow up.
Supporting Evidence (2)
Clinical Trial RegistrationSource: Clinical trial registry (e.g. ClinicalTrials.gov, ISRCTN)
Registration ID: IRCT2017073033941N4
Registry: IRCT
Registry Link: https://trialsearch.who.int/Trial2.aspx?TrialID=IRCT2017073033941N4 (opens in new tab)
Registration Date: 28 Aug 2017
Prospective:Whether the trial was registered before participant recruitment began Yes
Assessment Rationale:How INSPECT-AI determined the prospective registration status by comparing dates Comparison performed at month level. Registration: 2017-08, LLM Recruitment Start: 2017-08. Deemed prospective at month level.
Study Design EvidenceDates and timelines extracted by INSPECT-AI from the publication text
Recruitment Start: 08-2017
Recruitment Start Rationale:INSPECT-AI's reasoning for how it identified the recruitment start date Methods: 'conducted from August 2017 and November 2017'; no specific FPI elsewhere.
Recruitment End: 11-2017
Recruitment End Rationale:INSPECT-AI's reasoning for how it identified the recruitment end date Methods: 'conducted from August 2017 and November 2017'; no direct LPI.
Study End: 11-2017
Study End Rationale:INSPECT-AI's reasoning for how it identified the study end date Methods: 'conducted from August 2017 and November 2017'; no specific completion date.
Overall — What is the overall integrity assessment of the study?
Rationale: Would not trust the results.