‘Bank Robbers Love It’: What We Heard This Week

“Bank robbers love it when you put them in the bank as a security guard, but I don’t think that’s a good idea.” — Ivan Oransky, MD, co-founder of Retraction Watch, discussing how a medical journal can be compromised in the wake of a high-profile batch of study retractions.

“A mentor of mine says that science stands on two legs: the weak leg is peer review, and the strong leg is replication.” — David Mandell, ScD, of the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine in Philadelphia, discussing new research about prenatal acetaminophen exposure and autism risk.

“At the end of the day, I don’t think you’ll have any miracles from it.” — Raman Madan, MD, of Northwell Health in Glen Cove, New York, on supposed benefits from red light therapy masks.

“Personally, I would be in favor of that, but potentially [there should also be] incentives for those with lower rates.” — Joseph Dov Bruch, PhD, of the University of Chicago, when asked whether insurers who continually issue denials of health insurance claims that are overturned should face penalties.

“The most likely explanation is exposure to environmental contaminants in drinking water — such as pesticides or industrial chemicals — that can damage dopamine-producing neurons in the brain.” — Brittany Krzyzanowski, PhD, of Atria Research Institute in New York City, on findings linking groundwater characteristics to Parkinson’s disease.

“I frankly didn’t believe these data myself initially.” — Edward Jones-López, MD, of the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, on unexpected findings of a high tuberculosis prevalence in some U.S.-born patients.

“If we don’t take care of ourselves, then we can’t take better care of our loved ones.” — Nishant Shah, MD, of Duke University Medical Center in Durham, North Carolina, discussing a study showing that parents of kids with neurodevelopmental disorders had an increased risk of cardiovascular disease.