Mol Med Rep 20: [Related article:] 495–504, 2019; DOI:
10.3892/mmr.2019.10299
Following the publication of the above paper, it was
drawn to the Editor's attention by a concerned reader that certain
of the MMP-9 western blot data shown in Fig. 5B on p. 501 had
already appeared previously in an article written by different
authors at different research institutes in the journal
Molecular Medicine Reports, but which has since been
retracted, and also that a pair of the data panels in Fig. 2C and D
on p. 499 showing the results of immunofluorescence experiments
were duplicates of each other. Furthermore, upon performing an
independent analysis of the data in this paper, it came to light
that Fig. 2C and D contained a series of internally duplicated
groupings/repeated patternings of cells within various of the
panels that could not be easily attributed to coincidence
Owing to the fact that the contentious data in the
above article had already been published prior to its submission to
Molecular Medicine Reports, the Editor has decided that this
paper should be retracted from the Journal. The authors were asked
for an explanation to account for these concerns, but the Editorial
Office did not receive a satisfactory reply. The Editor apologizes
to the readership for any inconvenience caused.
