Zhu F, Li Q, Yang Y, Wang L, Wang J. Onco Targets Ther. 2019;12:10129–10138.
The Editor and Publisher of OncoTargets and Therapy wish to retract the published article. It came to the journal’s attention that several images with the article appeared to be duplicated, specifically:
Figure 4B panel MKN45 Control appears to be duplicated with an image from Figure 5A panel NC and Figure 5B panel miR-152 inhibitor from Lu et al: MicroRNA-152 inhibits tumor cell growth while inducing apoptosis via the transcriptional repression of cathepsin L in gastrointestinal stromal tumor (DOI: 10.3233/CBM-170809).
Figure 4B panel MKN45 Propofol+miR-140-5p inhibitor appears to be duplicated with an image from Figure 2E panel Migration P10 from Liu et al: Propofol Reduces Epithelial to Mesenchymal Transition, Invasion and Migration of Gastric Cancer Cells through the MicroRNA-195-5p/Snail Axis (https://www.medscimonit.com/abstract/index/idArt/920981).
The authors were unable to provide a satisfactory explanation for the alleged duplication nor were they able to provide the original images for the study. The Editor has determined the findings of the study are no longer valid and requested for the article to be retracted.
Our decision-making was informed by our policy on publishing ethics and integrity and the COPE guidelines on retraction.
The retracted article will remain online to maintain the scholarly record, but it will be digitally watermarked on each page as “Retracted”.