Retraction

Retraction : “MicroRNA-1271 functions as a potential tumor suppressor in hepatitis B virus–associated hepatocellular carcinoma through the AMPK signaling pathway by binding to CCNA1 ” by Yang Chen, Zhen-Xian Zhao, Fei Huang, Xiao-Wei Yuan, Liang Deng, and Di Tang, J Cell Physiol. 2019; 3555-3569: The above article, published online on 22 November 2018 in Wiley Online Library ( https://doi.org/10.1002/jcp.26955 ), has been retracted by agreement between the authors, the journal's Editor-in-Chief, Prof Dr Gregg Fields, and Wiley Periodicals LLC. The retraction has been agreed following an investigation based on allegations raised by a third party concerning similarities to images in a published article by different authors in another journal. The authors asked to retract their article and stated that unintentional errors occurred during the collation of the figures for publication. As a consequence, the editors consider the conclusions to be invalid.     

Cardioprotective effect of resveratrol via HO-1 expression involves p38 map kinase and PI-3-kinase signaling,but does not involve NFkB

Free Radical Research, October 2006; 40(10): 1066–1075

(Received 30 March 2006)

The Editor, Editorial Board and Publisher of Free Radical Research hereby retract the following article from publication in the journal:

SAMARJIT DAS, CESAR G. FRAGA & DIPAK K. DAS. 2006. Cardioprotective effect of resveratrol via HO-1 expression involves p38 map kinase and PI-3-kinase signaling, but does not involve NFkB. Free Radical Research, October 2006; 40(10): 1066–1075.

This article has been found to contain fabricated data during a research misconduct investigation by the University of Connecticut Health Center. Specifically, the institution has determined that images appearing in Figure 4 of that paper contain instances of data fabrication.

As a consequence, and as per accepted best practice, the article is withdrawn from all print and electronic editions.

Michael Davies (Editor in Chief)

Joris Roulleau (Managing Editor, Informa Healthcare)     

Retracted Manuscript: The WNT-5a derived peptide,Foxy-5, possesses dual properties that impair progression of ERα negative breast cancer

Retraction for: “The WNT-5a derived peptide, Foxy-5, possesses dual properties that impair progression of ERa negative breast cancer,” by Caroline E. Ford, Elin J. Ekström, Jillian Howlin and Tommy Andersson, which appeared in the June 15, 2009 issue of Cell Cycle (Ford CE, et al. Cell Cycle 2009; 8:1838-1842; 10.4161/cc.8.12.8863). The authors wish to note the following: “Recently a paper, on which I was the senior author and that was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences titled “Wnt-5a signaling restores tamoxifen sensitivity in estrogen receptor-negative breast cancer cells” (Ford CE, Ekström EJ, Andersson T. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 2009; 106:3919-24) was retracted. The fact that this paper was the direct reason for our review article in the Cell Cycle journal makes it logical that I also retract the cited review article published in the Cell Cycle journal, the other authors approve this retraction. We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused.”     

A degradative detour for mutant TP53

Accumulation of mutant TP53 proteins in cancer cells has been recognized as an important factor that promotes cancer progression and metastasis. Thus, strategies that promote the degradation of mutant TP53 might be beneficial for the treatment of cancers. In a recent issue of Genes & Development, we demonstrated that blocking macroautophagy under nutritional stress condition leads to the degradation of mutant TP53 through activating the chaperone-mediated autophagy (CMA) pathway in nonproliferating cancer cells. We propose CMA as a new degradative mechanism for mutant TP53 and the possibility of activating CMA as a new treatment for cancers with mutant TP53.     

RETRACTED ARTICLE: Comment on Anthropology: Why it Matters

We, the Editors and Publisher of Anthropological Forum, have retracted the following article:

Maurice Godelier (2019) Comment on Anthropology: Why it Matters, Anthropological Forum, DOI:10.1080/00664677.2019.1615255

Due to some communication issues, another version of this review has been published elsewhere. Accordingly, this version of the review has been retracted from publication.

We have been informed in our decision-making by our policy on publishing ethics and integrity and the COPE guidelines on retractions.

The retracted article will remain online to maintain the scholarly record, but it will be digitally watermarked on each page as “Retracted”.     

Retraction

These articles have been retracted at the request of the authors.Reason: In July of 2002, Mechanisms of Development started publishing its section Gene Expression Patterns (until then included under the Mechanisms of Development title) under the separate title Gene Expression Patterns, as a separate section of Mechanisms of Development.This change was clearly communicated at the time in the journal and on the journal’s web site. The Editors also informed the authors about this. Early 2003, it came to our attention that a mistake was made during the split with regard to a number of Gene Expression Patterns articles in the pipeline (between initial submission and final acceptance). Due to a miscommunication for which the publisher accepts the responsibility, not all the editors used the same cut-off date for the split. As a result, some articles have been published under the Gene Expression Patterns title that should have been published in the main section of Mechanisms of Development. The publisher is very much aware of the serious nature of this mistake and we apologise to the authors, readers and editors of the journal.In the first months of 2003, we consulted with a number of the authors involved to discuss possible options to remedy the situation, and at the request of the authors, we agreed to retract the articles of the authors concerned, who requested this. We also agreed to offer this opportunity to those authors who were notified by the editors, but who misunderstood the message due to the fact that the proofs of their article still had the MoD logo and title on the opening page. The articles are re-published in supplement 1 to Vol. 119 under the Mechanisms of Development title.The Publisher     

Polycomb group genes are targets of aberrant DNA methylation in renal cell carcinoma

The combined effects of genetic and epigenetic aberrations are well recognized as causal in tumorigenesis. Here, we defined profiles of DNA methylation in primary renal cell carcinomas (RCC) and assessed the association of these profiles with the expression of genes required for the establishment and maintenance of epigenetic marks. A bead-based methylation array platform was used to measure methylation of 1,413 CpG loci in ~800 cancer-associated genes and three methylation classes were derived by unsupervised clustering of tumors using recursively partitioned mixture modeling (RPMM). Quantitative RT-PCR was performed on all tumor samples to determine the expression of DNMT1, DNMT3B, VEZF1 and EZH2. Additionally, methylation at LINE-1 and AluYb8 repetitive elements was measured using bisulfite pyrosequencing. Associations between methylation class and tumor stage (p = 0.05), LINE-1 (p < 0.0001) and AluYb8 (p < 0.0001) methylation, as well as EZH2 expression (p < 0.0001) were noted following univariate analyses. A multinomial logistic regression model controlling for potential confounders revealed that AluYb8 (p < 0.003) methylation and EZH2 expression (p < 0.008) were significantly associated with methylation class membership. Because EZH2 is a member of the Polycomb repressive complex 2 (PRC2), we next analyzed the distribution of Polycomb group (PcG) targets among methylation classes derived by clustering the 1,413 array CpG loci using RPMM. PcG target genes were significantly enriched (p < 0.0001) in methylation classes with greater differential methylation between RCC and non-diseased kidney tissue. This work contributes to our understanding of how repressive marks on DNA and chromatin are dysregulated in carcinogenesis, knowledge that might aid the development of therapies or preventive strategies for human malignancies.     

To avoid or deter: interactions among defensive and escape strategies in sabellid worms

Numerous studies demonstrate how sessile marine organisms utilize chemical, structural, and nutritional deterrents to persist in predator-rich environments. Little is known, however, about how mobile, more behaviorally complex species minimize predation by integrating avoidance and deterrence strategies. We investigated this using sabellid polychaete worms from the Caribbean and temperate western Atlantic. Sabellids extend their feather-like radioles beyond their protective tubes for feeding and respiration; the body remains inside the tube and the radioles retract when threatened. We used co-occurring consumers to determine the palatability of radioles and bodies for each of the eight species tested. In addition, we examined chemical or structural traits affecting palatability and evaluated predator escape traits, such as tube strength, speed of radiole retraction, completeness of retraction, and sensitivity to a nearby disturbance. All species had unpalatable radioles that were chemically or structurally defended, but only two species had unpalatable bodies. Thus, most species allocated defenses to tissues that were most exposed to predation. The two species with chemically defended bodies, Bispira brunnea and Bispira variegata, relied less on behavioral escapes than the other species. Their tubes were weak, they did not retract until disturbances were very close, and B. brunnea retracted slowly and incompletely even when touched. Other species generally had stronger tubes and/or retracted when disturbances were farther away. This trade-off of deterrence versus escape even occurred within a single species when populations differed in palatability. Populations of B.variegata from North Carolina and Georgia were chemically deterrent to both temperate and tropical consumers, while populations from Panama and Florida were palatable. The more palatable Panama population retracted in response to distant movement, while the unpalatable North Carolina population did not retract until nearly touched. Thus, most species utilize a combination of predator avoidance and deterrence strategies, but more deterrent populations of species utilized avoidance less.     

广西石灰岩地区苦苣苔科植物一新种——北流报春苣苔

报道了广西石灰岩地区苦苣苔科报春苣苔属(Primulina Hance)1新种——北流报春苣苔(P. beiliuensis B. Pan & S. X. Huang)。该新种在形态上与黄花牛耳朵[P. lutea(Yan Liu & Y. G. Wei)Mich. Möller & A. Weber]较近,但叶宽卵形,叶基部近心形,叶缘具浅钝齿或呈浅波状齿,花冠紫色,花冠、花序梗、花梗、苞片及花萼均被紫色短柔毛而区别与后者; 分子生物学证据表明,在系统发育上与桂林小花苣苔[P. repanda var. guilinensis(W. T. Wang)Mich. Möller & A. Weber]近缘,但两者在形态学上相差较远。     

The secreted Alzheimer-related amyloid precursor protein fragment has an essential role in C. elegans

Mutations in the gene encoding the amyloid precursor protein (APP) or the enzymes that process APP are correlated with familial Alzheimer disease. Alzheimer disease is also associated with insulin resistance (type 2 diabetes). In our recently published study,¹ Ewald CY, Raps DA, Li C. APL-1, the Alzheimer’s Amyloid precursor protein in Caenorhabditis elegans, modulates multiple metabolic pathways throughout development. Genetics 2012; 191:493 - 507; http://dx.doi.org/10.1534/genetics.112.138768; PMID: 22466039 [Crossref], [PubMed], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar] we obtained genetic evidence that the extracellular fragment of APL-1, the C. elegans ortholog of human APP, may act as a signaling molecule to modulate insulin and nuclear hormone pathways in C. elegans development. In addition, independent of insulin and nuclear hormone signaling, high levels of the extracellular fragment of APL-1 (sAPL-1) leads to a temperature-sensitive embryonic lethality, which is dependent on activity of a predicted receptor protein tyrosine phosphatase (MOA-1/R155.2). Furthermore, this embryonic lethality is enhanced by knockdown of a predicted prion-like protein (pqn-29). The precise molecular mechanisms underlying these processes remain to be determined. Here, we present hypothetical models as to how sAPL-1 signaling influences metabolic and developmental pathways. Together, with previous findings in mammals that the extracellular domain of mammalian APP (sAPP) binds to a death-receptor,² Nikolaev A, McLaughlin T, O’Leary DD, Tessier-Lavigne M. APP binds DR6 to trigger axon pruning and neuron death via distinct caspases. Nature 2009; 457:981 - 9; http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nature07767; PMID: 19225519 [Crossref], [PubMed], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar] our findings support the model that sAPP signaling affects critical biological processes.     

Side by side: two remarkable new species of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Encholirium</Emphasis> Mart. ex Schult. &; Schult. f. (Bromeliaceae) found in the Cadeia do Espinhaço,Minas Gerais,Brazil

A few years after the publication of the revision of Encholirium by the first author, two new species have been found in neighbouring municipalities on the west side of the Serra do Cipó, Cadeia do Espinha?o, in Minas Gerais. Both have a quite restricted habitat, growing on quartzitic/arenitic rocks above 1000 m alt., within 10 – 12 km of each other. Encholirium agavoides Forzza & Zappi has striking silvery leaves and a small, agave-like habit while Encholirium ctenophyllum Forzza & Zappi also has small rosettes that can be distinguished by their narrow, strongly pectinate and reflexed leaves. A key for the species in the region is presented.     

Retracted: Nrf2: a novel therapeutic target in fragile X syndrome is modulated by NNZ2566

Retraction : “Nrf2: a novel therapeutic target in fragile X syndrome is modulated by NNZ2566” by R. M. J. Deacon, M. J. Hurley, C. M. Rebolledo, M. Snape, F. J. Altimiras, L. Farías, M. Pino, R. Biekofsky, L. Glass and P. Cogram. The above article, from Genes, Brain and Behavior, published online on 12th May 2017 in Wiley Online Library ( wileyonlinelibrary.com ), has been retracted by agreement between the journal Editor in Chief, Andrew Holmes and John Wiley & Sons Ltd. The retraction has been agreed as all authors cannot agree on a revised author order, and at least one author continues to dispute the original order. In this case, the original article is being retracted on the grounds that the journal does not have permission to publish. Reference: Deacon, R. M. J., Hurley, M. J., Rebolledo, C. M., Snape, M., Altimiras, F. J., Farías, L., Pino, M., Biekofsky, R., Glass, L. and Cogram, P. (2017), Nrf2: a novel therapeutic target in fragile X syndrome is modulated by NNZ2566. Genes, Brain and Behavior. doi:10.1111/gbb.12373.     

Cancer and aging: More puzzles,more promises?

In this issue of Cell Cycle, a new paper shows that metformin, an oral antidiabetic drug that activates AMP-activated protein kinase, prolongs both mean and maximal life span and prevents reproductive aging of female mice. Unexpectedly, metformin did not decrease the incidence of cancer in this mice strain. Here, we discuss the relationship between aging and cancer, the mechanism of metformin action, and the prospects of using this compound for life span extension in humans.     

Retracted: Bauhinia saksuwaniae sp. nov. (Leguminosae–Caesalpinioideae) from Thailand

The following article from the Nordic Journal of Botany , ‘Bauhinia saksuwaniae sp. nov. (Leguminosae‐Caesalpinioideae) from Thailand.’ by Sawai Mattapha, Pranom Chantaranothai and Somran Suddee, published online on 11 December 2013 in Wiley Online Library ( wileyonlinelibrary.com ), has been retracted by agreement between the authors, the journal Editor in Chief, Torbjörn Tyler and John Wiley & Sons Ltd. The retraction has been agreed due to the publication of a species under the name B. nakhonpranomensis, prior to the publication of this article.     

Why Has the Number of Scientific Retractions Increased?

Background

The number of retracted scientific publications has risen sharply, but it is unclear whether this reflects an increase in publication of flawed articles or an increase in the rate at which flawed articles are withdrawn.

Methods and Findings

We examined the interval between publication and retraction for 2,047 retracted articles indexed in PubMed. Time-to-retraction (from publication of article to publication of retraction) averaged 32.91 months. Among 714 retracted articles published in or before 2002, retraction required 49.82 months; among 1,333 retracted articles published after 2002, retraction required 23.82 months (p<0.0001). This suggests that journals are retracting papers more quickly than in the past, although recent articles requiring retraction may not have been recognized yet. To test the hypothesis that time-to-retraction is shorter for articles that receive careful scrutiny, time-to-retraction was correlated with journal impact factor (IF). Time-to-retraction was significantly shorter for high-IF journals, but only ∼1% of the variance in time-to-retraction was explained by increased scrutiny. The first article retracted for plagiarism was published in 1979 and the first for duplicate publication in 1990, showing that articles are now retracted for reasons not cited in the past. The proportional impact of authors with multiple retractions was greater in 1972–1992 than in the current era (p<0.001). From 1972–1992, 46.0% of retracted papers were written by authors with a single retraction; from 1993 to 2012, 63.1% of retracted papers were written by single-retraction authors (p<0.001).

Conclusions

The increase in retracted articles appears to reflect changes in the behavior of both authors and institutions. Lower barriers to publication of flawed articles are seen in the increase in number and proportion of retractions by authors with a single retraction. Lower barriers to retraction are apparent in an increase in retraction for “new” offenses such as plagiarism and a decrease in the time-to-retraction of flawed work.     

RETRACTED ARTICLE: A review of 45 candidate genes: Association of single nucleotide polymorphism to schizophrenia Risk

The following article has been retracted from publication in the Taylor & Francis journal New Genetics and Society. I. Priya, S. Sharma, I. Sharma, R. Mahajan and N. Kapoor, A review of 45 candidate genes: association of single nucleotide polymorphism to schizophrenia risk, New Genetics and Society https://doi.org/10.1080/14636778.2018.1481740. Version of Record published online 13 July 2018.

The editorial office of the journal inadvertently processed the paper through the online submission system without proper peer review or requisite checks. This has now been remedied and the journal and publishers apologise to the authors that this occurred. Journal processes and checks have now been reviewed and updated so that all best efforts are made to ensure this does not occur again.

© Taylor & Francis/Journal owner