RETRACTED: LncRNA MALAT1 regulates sepsis-induced cardiac inflammation and dysfunction via interaction with miR-125b and p38 MAPK/NFŒ∫B
Authors: Xiaoli Cheng
Xiaoyun Wang
Wenzhong Zheng
Hu Chen
Xianghu He
Xuetao Yan
Journal: International Immunopharmacology (2018)
Discipline: PHARMACOLOGY & TOXICOLOGY
Keywords: Cardiac dysfunction; MALAT1; Sepsis; miR-125b; p38 MAPK/NFŒ∫B.
Affiliations: Department of Anesthesiology, Shenzhen Bao'an Maternity and Child Health Hospital, Shenzhen 518100, China., Department of Anesthesiology, Shenzhen Bao'an Maternity and Child Health Hospital, Shenzhen 518100, China. Electronic address: ., Department of Anesthesiology, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei 430071, China.

Abstract:  This article has been retracted: please see Elsevier Policy on Article Withdrawal (https://www.elsevier.com/about/our-business/policies/article-withdrawal). This article has been retracted at the request of the Editor-in-Chief as there are concerns about the reliability of the results included in the article. The journal was initially contacted by the corresponding author to request the retraction of the article. Given the comments of Dr Elisabeth Bik regarding this article ‚ÄúThis paper belongs to a set of over 400 papers (as per February 2020) that share very similar Western blots with tadpole-like shaped bands, the same background pattern ‚Ä¶‚Ä? the journal requested the author to provide the raw data. However, the author was not able to fulfil this request. 

Retracted: Yes

PubPeer comments:
 I have been examining a group of five papers, characterised by their distinctive Western Blots, which have a number of unifying features not in evidence elsewhere. The protein blobs have a distinctive appearance, vaguely resembling dog-bones or sometimes old-style telephone handpieces. Within each band the blobs are drawn from the same  morphological gamut , with no sense of development from one band to the next as the proteins migrate across an electrophoresis gel. The spaces between the lanes also remain constant from band to band, while the bands remain in perfect horizontal alignment, with no curvature or slant as they migrate (allowing for compactness when composing each Figure). Within a lane, there is no continuity from one band to the next, or between a protein and its phosphorylated form. I am not trying to show all of each paper s blots here, only a representative sample. 1. [Chen et al. (2018)] . Fig 5A:  2. [Li et al. (2019)] . Figs 5D, E, I, J.  3. [Lv et al (2019)] . Figs 4F, 4H.  4. [Yi et al. (2019)] . Figs 3D, 3G, 4B, 4C.  5. [Wan et al. (2020)] . Fig 7D:  4 and 5 also display some FACS plots (measuring cell apoptosis) of a distinctive (unique) appearance, described elsewhere as  The Death Star down in each frame s quadrant Q3 is shooting out bolts of planet-smashing energy to the right through Quadrant Q4, while disciplined flotillas of Rebel Alliance X-Wing starfighters are swooping down through Q1 and Q2 . These Death Star blots are also found in association with [a style of  leaping sardine Western blots] , and it may be that these airbrushed dog-bones are derived from the sardines.   To me it seems unlikely that these images were generated by five unrelated groups of authors, and I am more inclined to believe that they were the work of a single uncredited workshop. , 
 This paper belongs to a set of over 400 papers (as per February 2020) that share very similar Western blots with tadpole-like shaped bands, the same background pattern, and striking similarities in title structures, paper layout, bar graph design, and - in a subset - flow cytometry panels. Despite these similarities, these papers are authored by researchers from different departments and institutes, with almost no overlap in authors. The list of these papers is available here: https: docs.google.com spreadsheets d 1KXqTAyl4j-jVorFPMD2XRpr76LcIKJ0CVyIvRj0exYQ edit?usp=sharing A more detailed description of this set of papers, suspected to all be generated by a common source, a paper mill , can be found here: * https: forbetterscience.com 2020 01 24 the-full-service-paper-mill-and-its-chinese-customers (January 2020) * https: scienceintegritydigest.com 2020 02 21 the-tadpole-paper-mill (February 2020) The same paper mill has been described in these papers: * Jana Christopher - Systematic fabrication of scientific images revealed - FEBS Letters (2018) - https: febs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com doi full 10.1002 1873-3468.13201 * Jennifer A Byrne and Jana Christopher - Digital magic, or the dark arts of the 21st centuryu2014how can journals and peer reviewers detect manuscripts and publications from paper mills? - FEBS Letters (2020) - https: febs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com doi full 10.1002 1873-3468.13747 , 
 Retracted. [August 2021] . ----------------------------- This article has been retracted at the request of the Editor-in-Chief as there are concerns about the reliability of the results included in the article. The journal was initially contacted by the corresponding author to request the retraction of the article. Given the comments of Dr Elisabeth Bik regarding this article u201cThis paper belongs to a set of over 400 papers (as per February 2020) that share very similar Western blots with tadpole-like shaped bands, the same background pattern u2026u201d, the journal requested the author to provide the raw data. However, the author was not able to fulfil this request. ,