RETRACTION
Volume 49, no. 9, p. 3358–3360, 2011. We are retracting our manuscript at the request of the Ethics Committee of the National Sanatorium Oku-Komyo-En.
Our study was initiated in August 2005. Dr. Masanao Makino, the president of the Sanatorium and coauthor of our studies, requested analysis of formalin-stored autopsy material. In September 2006, Dr. Makino further tasked our group to sample internal organs from a total of 14 fetuses for histological and histochemical evaluation. The Hansen's Disease Study Council of March 2005 allowed for the pathological examination of autopsied material upon receipt of permission from the President of the Sanatorium. Thus, we are confident that our research complied with the regulations in place at that time.
Following a presentation at the 85th Meeting of the Japanese Leprosy Association, the Patients' Council became aware that fetal material had been examined in addition to adult autopsy materials. The President and Vice President of the Patient's Council reviewed the manuscripts and stated that no permission had been provided by the Patients' Council for the use of fetal tissues. Subsequently, in April 2014, the Patients' Council requested that we halt our research and return all materials, including more than 800 adult specimens, to the Sanatorium. The Ethics Committee of the National Sanatorium Oku-Komyo-En convened in January 2015 and canceled the previous approval of our research. The cancelation of the approval is considered retroactive, and we were strongly advised to retract this publication.
Thus, we regretfully retract our article, although we stand by the science and importance of the paper. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience to the readers.