A 2015 paper on how proteins work to reduce inflammation in cow cells has been retracted by the authors “because of inappropriate statistical analysis and inability to reproduce some of the results.”
The journal Inflammation posted the retraction in August, just six months after it was published in February. It has only been cited once, according to Thomson Scientific’s Web of Knowledge.
Here’s the full retraction notice:
The authors hereby retract the article entitled “Inhibition of Lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-Induced Inflammatory Responses by Selenium in Bovine Mammary Epithelial Cells in Primary Culture” (Wei et al. 2014) published in Inflammation, Volume 38 / Issue 1 (February 2015) because of inappropriate statistical analysis and inability to reproduce some of the results.
The study was authored by veterinary researchers at Jilin University in Changchun, China and the Guangdong Haid Institute of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary in Guangdong, China, who examined the anti-inflammatory properties and mechanisms of selenium.
The journal’s editor-in-chief Bruce Cronstein declined to comment further on the retraction:
I have nothing to add to the statement that accompanied the retraction.
We’ve contacted corresponding author Xiaosheng Feng and we’ll update with any reply.
Hat Tip: Rolf Degen
Like Retraction Watch? Consider making a tax-deductible contribution to support our growth. You can also follow us on Twitter, like us on Facebook, add us to your RSS reader, and sign up on our homepage for an email every time there’s a new post. Click here to review our Comments Policy.