[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 249 (Friday, December 28, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Page 76491]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-31287]
[[Page 76491]]
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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Office of the Secretary
Findings of Research Misconduct
AGENCY: Office of the Secretary, HHS.
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that the Office of Research Integrity
(ORI) has taken final action in the following case:
Shuang-Qing Zhang, Ph.D., Texas Tech University Health Sciences
Center: Based on the report of an investigation conducted by the Texas
Tech University Health Sciences Center (TTUHSC) and additional analysis
conducted by ORI in its oversight review, ORI found that Dr. Shuang-
Qing Zhang, former Postdoctoral Researcher, Department of
Pharmaceutical Sciences, TTUHSC, engaged in research misconduct in
research supported by National Institute of General Medical Sciences
(NIGMS), National Institutes of Health (NIH), grant R01 GM069869.
ORI found that Respondent engaged in research misconduct by the
falsification and fabrication of plagiarized data that were included in
the publication: Zhang, S.Q. & Mehavr, R. ``Determination of dextra-
methylprednisolone conjugate with glycine linker in rat plasma and
liver by high-performance liquid chromatography and its application in
pharmacokinetics.'' Biomed. Chromatogr. 24(4):351-357, 2010 (hereafter
the ``BC 2010 article''). Specifically, ORI found that the Respondent:
Falsified Figures 2(c) and 3(c) of the BC 2010 article by
misrepresenting HPLC data that he had plagiarized, originally generated
prior to the Respondent's arrival in the laboratory by a former
postdoctoral researcher; in Figure 2(c), the Respondent claimed that
the HPLC chromatogram was of a ``plasma sample obtained 12 h after
intravenous injection of DMP to rats at a single dose of 5 mg/kg,''
while the actual chromatogram was of a calibration test of 1 [mu]g/ml
of DMP added to rat plasma, and similarly in Figure 3(c), the
Respondent claimed that the HPLC chromatogram was of a ``liver
homogenate obtained 3 h after intravenous dose of DMP at a dose of 5
mg/kg,'' while the actual chromatogram was of a calibration test of 2
[mu]g/ml DMP added to rat liver homogenate.
Falsified and fabricated Figure 4 of the BC 2010 article;
in the top panel, the Respondent reported the measurement of DMP
concentrations in plasma samples of three rats after a single injection
of 5 mg/kg DMP while the actual data that he had plagiarized,
originally generated prior to the Respondent's arrival in the
laboratory by a former postdoctoral researcher, was from a single rat.
In the bottom panel, the Respondent reported the measurement of DMP
concentrations in liver samples obtained from three rats at 1, 30, 90,
180, 300, and 720 minutes after a single injection of 5 mg/kg DMP,
requiring a total of 18 rats, while the actual data that he had
plagiarized, originally generated prior to the Respondent's arrival in
the laboratory by a former postdoctoral researcher, was from plasma
samples from a single rat, and the error bars for both panels were
fabricated.
Dr. Zhang has entered into a Voluntary Settlement Agreement and has
voluntarily agreed:
(1) To have his research supervised for a period of three (3)
years; Respondent voluntarily agrees that within sixty (60) days of the
effective date of the Agreement, any institution that submits an
application for PHS support for a research project on which the
Respondent's participation is proposed or that uses the Respondent in
any capacity on PHS supported research, or that submits a report of
PHS-funded research in which the Respondent is involved, must
concurrently submit a plan for supervision of the Respondent's research
to ORI for approval; Respondent agrees that he will not participate in
any PHS-supported research after sixty (60) days from the effective
date of the Agreement until an appropriate supervision plan is
submitted to ORI; the supervision plan must be designed to ensure the
scientific integrity of the Respondent's research contribution; and
(2) to exclude himself voluntarily from serving in any advisory
capacity to PHS including, but not limited to, service on any PHS
advisory committee, board, and/or peer review committee, or as a
consultant for a period of three (3) years, beginning on December 4,
2012.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Director, Office of Research
Integrity, 1101 Wootton Parkway, Suite 750, Rockville, MD 20852,(240)
453-8800.
David E. Wright,
Director, Office of Research Integrity.
[FR Doc. 2012-31287 Filed 12-27-12; 8:45 am]
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