Int J Oncol 46: [Related article:] 981-988, 2015; DOI:
10.3892/ijo.2015.2819
Following the publication of the above paper, it was
drawn to the Editor's attention by a concerned reader that the
control β-actin blots shown in Fig. 3A for the H460 cell line were
strikingly similar to the β-actin blots shown in Fig. 2B for the
A549 cell line. In addition, the p16 protein blots shown for the
A549 cell line in Fig. 3A were strikingly similar to blots shown
for the protein OPN in a paper published subsequently by different
authors in the journal Cell & Bioscience. Finally, an
independently performed software analysis of the data in this paper
undertaken by the Editorial Office revealed that two protein bands
positioned adjacent to each other in Fig. 3A (the Cyclin-D1 blots
in the first two lanes for the H460 cell line) were potentially
matching, suggesting that the data in this figure may have been
handled inappropriately.
Given the problems identified with the assembly of
data in Fig. 3, and the fact that some of the data in this paper
have appeared elsewhere in the scientific literature, the Editor of
International Journal of Oncology has decided that it should
be retracted from the Journal on account of a lack of confidence in
the presented data. The authors were asked for an explanation to
account for these concerns, but the Editorial Office did not
receive a reply. The Editor apologizes to the readership for any
inconvenience caused.
