Editorial Expression of Concern: Decreased levels of baseline and drug-induced tubulin polymerisation are hallmarks of resistance to taxanes in ovarian cancer cells and are associated with epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition.

BackgroundAn editorial expression of concern (EEoC) is issued by editors or publishers to draw attention to potential problems in a publication, without itself constituting a retraction or correction.MethodsWe searched PubMed, PubMed Central (PMC), and Google Scholar to identify EEoCs issued for publications in PubMed and PMC up to 22 August 2016. We also searched the archives of the Retraction Watch blog, some journal and publisher websites, and studies of EEoCs. In addition, we searched for retractions of EEoCs and affected articles in PubMed up to 8 December 2016. We analyzed overall historical trends, as well as reported reasons and subsequent editorial actions related to EEoCs issued between August 2014 and August 2016.ResultsAfter screening 5076 records, we identified 230 EEoCs that affect 300 publications indexed in PubMed, the earliest issued in 1985. Half of the primary EEoCs were issued between 2014 and 2016 (52%). We found evidence of some EEoCs that had been removed by the publisher without leaving a record, and some were not submitted for PubMed or PMC indexing. A minority of publications affected by EEoCs had been retracted by early December 2016 (25%). For the subset of 92 EEoCs issued between August 2014 and August 2016, affecting 99 publications, the rate of retraction was similar (29%). The majority of EEoCs were issued because of concerns with validity of data, methods, or interpretation of the publication (68%), and 31% of cases remained open. Issues with images were raised in 40% of affected publications. Ongoing monitoring after the study identified another 17 EEoCs to year’s end in 2016, increasing the number of EEoCs to 247 and publications in PubMed known to be affected by EEoCs to 320 at the end of 2016.ConclusionsEEoCs have been rare publishing events in the biomedical literature, but their use has been increasing. Most have not led to retractions, and many remain unresolved. Lack of prominence and inconsistencies in management of EEoCs reduce the ability of these notices to alert the scientific community to potentially serious problems in publications. EEoCs will be made identifiable in PubMed in 2017.

Adenoviral vectors with E1A regulated by tumor-specific promoters are selectively cytolytic for breast cancer and melanoma.

1P Comprehensive assessment of gene mutations revealed overlapping responses for PARPi and chemotherapy in ovarian cancer cells

Objective: To investigate the cytotoxic effects of induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells of anti-mesothelin (MSLN)-chimeric antigen receptor natural killer (CAR-NK) cells (anti-MSLN-iCAR-NK cells) on ovarian epithelial cancer cells. Methods: Twenty cases of ovarian cancer patients who underwent surgical treatment at Henan Provincial People's Hospital from September 2020 to September 2021 were collected, and 20 cases of normal ovarian tissues resected during the same period due to other benign diseases were also collected. (1) Immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence were used to verify the expression of MSLN protein in ovarian cancer tissues. (2) Fresh ovarian cancer tissues were extracted and cultured to obtain primary ovarian cancer cells. Recombinant lentiviral vectors targeting anti-MSLN-CAR-CD244 were constructed and co-cultured with iPS cells to obtain anti-MSLN-iCAR cells. These cells were differentiated into anti-MSLN-iCAR-NK cells using cytokine-induced differentiation method. The cell experiments were divided into three groups: anti-MSLN-iCAR-NK cell group, natural killer (NK) cell group, and control group. (3) Flow cytometry and live cell staining experiment were used to detect the apoptosis of ovarian cancer cells in the three groups. (4) Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to measure the expression levels of interferon-γ (IFN-γ), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), granzyme B (GZMB), perforin 1 (PRF1), interleukin (IL)-6, and IL-10 in the three groups of ovarian cancer cells. Results: (1) Immunohistochemistry analysis showed that a positive expression rate of MSLN protein in ovarian cancer tissues of 65% (13/20), while normal ovarian tissues had a positive rate of 30% (6/20). The comparison between the two groups was statistically significant (χ2=4.912, P=0.027). Immunofluorescence analysis revealed that the positive expression rate of MSLN protein in ovarian cancer tissues was 70% (14/20), while normal ovarian tissues had a positive rate of 30% (6/20). The comparison between the two groups was statistically significant (χ2=6.400, P=0.011). (2) Flow cytometry analysis showed that the apoptotic rate of ovarian cancer cells in the anti-MSLN-iCAR-NK cell group was (29.27±0.85)%, while in the NK cell group and control group were (8.44±0.34)% and (6.83±0.26)% respectively. There were statistically significant differences in the comparisons between the three groups (all P<0.01). Live cell staining experiment showed that the ratio of dead cells to live cells in the anti-MSLN-iCAR-NK cell group was (36.3±8.3)%, while in the NK cell group and control group were (5.4±1.4)% and (2.0±1.3)% respectively. There were statistically significant differences in the comparisons between the three groups (all P<0.001). (3) ELISA analysis revealed that the expression levels of IFN-γ, TNF-α, GZMB, PRF1, IL-6, and IL-10 in ovarian cancer cells of the anti-MSLN-iCAR-NK cell group were significantly higher than those in the NK cell group and the control group (all P<0.05). Conclusion: The anti-MSLN-iCAR-NK cells exhibit a strong killing ability against ovarian cancer cells, indicating their potential as a novel immunotherapy approach for ovarian cancer.

Background: Nucleoporins (Nups) constitute a large group of proteins that are structurally arranged at the nuclear envelope and facilitate the bidirectional movement of molecules across the nuclear membrane. In addition to regulating the shuttling of ribonucleoprotein complexes, RNAs and proteins, various Nups interact with chromatin either directly or indirectly, thus regulating gene expression. Any mutations or expression anomalies of Nups may lead to abnormal localization of critical molecules, or dysregulated expression of genes that they interact with. A comprehensive genomic study encompassing all Nup genes in relation to breast cancer is lacking.Methods: We used genomic and transcriptomic datasets from Pan-Cancer TCGA (The Cancer Genome Atlas), Genotype-Tissue Expression (GTEx) and microarray platforms and conducted in silico analysis of all the genes encoding nucleoporins that are associated with the Nuclear Pore Complexes (NPCs). For mutation detection, we used cBioportal; for expression analysis, we used Xena and for patient survival plots, KMPlot was utilized.Results: The genetic and molecular profile of nucleoporin genes identified multiple mutations and detected aberrant expression in breast cancer. Interestingly, NUP133, AHCTF1, TPR, Nup121L showed simultaneous gene amplification in nearly 10% of breast cancer patients. In addition, deregulated expression of some of the nucleoporins, namely, NUP62, NUP 93, NUP98, NUP155, POM121L12, RAE1, SEC13, TPR were correlated with patient prognosis.Conclusion: The current study is the first one that unravels a comprehensive molecular and genetic profile of nucleoporins genes in breast cancer and underscores the critical roles of various nucleoporins in cancer progression. The identified molecules may advance our understanding of the etiology of the disease and serve as possible targets for novel therapeutic strategies in cancer.Keywords: Nuclear Pore Complexes (NPCs); Nucleoporins; Breast cancer; BioinformaticsEditorial Expression of Concern20 June 2025: Following publication of this paper, the internal audit (consequent to concerns on quality raised by Web of Science) notified Advancements in Life Sciences about suspected plagiarism. By this Editorial Expression of Concern, we alert the scientific community of the errors as we reconcile the records.Editorial Note25 June 2025: While rerunning the Turnitin originality analysis, similarity index of 8% from a single source was found for this article (out of a total of 17%). Editorial board of Advancements in Life Sciences has started the process of retracting this article due to the above post-publication findings. The process shall be concluded after registering responses from the authors. Meanwhile, full text of the article shall remain unavailable for citations (this notice has been updated following insights derived from relevant COPE cases and the industry standards). Show of cause notice has also been issued to the concerned editorial team member.Rescinded: Editorial Expression of Concern27 July 2025: Editorial expression of concern issued on 20 June 2025 is hereby rescinded on account of editorial review of the found similarity in light of COPE guidelines. Since the total similarity index is within the permissible limit i.e., &lt;20%, and the source of the extraordinary similarity of 8% in Introduction and Methods sections is an article published previously by authors of this study. Therefore, in light of the Text Recycling guidelines of COPE, the Chief Editor is rescinding editorial expression of concern seeing details of the similarity between both articles (this one and the article published in 2021).The board has decided to keep the contents of this article unchanged.

Background: Streptococcus mutans and Streptococcus sanguinis are two species of bacteria belonging to the Streptococcus genus. Both S. mutans and S. sanguinis are part of the natural oral microbiota, but their roles and impacts on oral health differ. While S. mutans is associated with tooth decay, S. sanguinis helps maintain oral health by preventing the colonization of harmful bacteria.Methods: Two species of Streptococcus which are S. mutans and S. Sanguinis and the genus Porphyromonas gingivalis were evaluated for their adherence and viability in vitro on Titanium, zirconium and dental implant surfaces, in addition to their individual screw. Two research groups were designed; 3 anvils of titanium included in group 1 and 3 anvils of zirconium included in group 2. The above groups were filtered into tubes containing cultures of bacteria, S. mutans and S. sanguinis, as well as P. gingivalis separately . The incubation time under anaerobic and anaerobic conditions was set at 37 °C for 24 hr. The adjustment in the number of colony-forming units of bacteria was tested for bacterial adherence (CFU). colorimetric test (Methylene blue test) was used for bacterial viability evaluation. For S. mutans, bacterial adhesion was greater in the titanium abutments (185.5 CFU/mL) and higher viability for P. gingivalis were published (71 % ).Results: The results showed that S. mutans recorded the best overall adherence (330 CFU/mL), while the best overall viability recorded with S sanguinis, was demonstrated in the zirconium abutment community (36.4 % ). The greatest adhesion of S. sanguinis was demonstrated by the titanium screws (140.2 CFU/mL) . In contrast with the zirconium fixation screws, the greatest adhesion (144.3 CFU/mL) was observed for S. mutans. S. mutans recorded higher viability in both titanium and zirconium screws.Conclusion: We may infer from this research that bacteria can bind to and thrive in both titanium and zirconium implants, as well as in fixation screws. S mutans demonstrated the strongest adherence to titanium and zirconium surfaces and fastening screws. In comparison, titanium abutments with P. gingivalis have greater bacterial viability than zirconium abutments with S. sanguinis. In both cases, as far as fixation screws are concerned, the feasibility of S. mutans was higher than the other bacteria. In titanium abutments greatest bacterial viability was recorded, while less bacterial adherence.Keywords: S. mutans; S. Sanguinis; Porphyromonas gingivalis; Titanium abutments; Zirconium abutmentsEditorial Expression of Concern20 June 2025: Following publication of this paper, the internal audit (consequent to concerns on quality raised by Web of Science) notified Advancements in Life Sciences about insufficient peer review. By this Editorial Expression of Concern, we alert the scientific community of this incidence as we asses if the reported scientific findings are reliable.Editorial Note26 June 2025: Post-publication review of this paper by a member of the editorial board has highlighted significant limitations related to the sample size and the absence of statistical analysis of the reported results. However, as the authors have acknowledged this limitation in the Discussion section, and the previous editorial and peer review process classified this paper as a 'Short Communication', it will remain published. Nonetheless, readers are advised to interpret and use the findings with due consideration of the above comments. The Editorial Expression of Concern is revoked.

Background: Toxoplasmosis is a disease caused by an obligate intracellular protozoan parasite Toxoplasma gondii that infects birds and mammals as an intermediate host while infecting cats as a definitive host. Diabetes mellitus is a global metabolic disorder that appeared due to inappropriate hyperglycemia. Interleukin-10 is an immunoregulatory cytokine that plays a main role in modulating inflammation, it’s considered as main inhibitory cytokine against the action of inflammatory cytokines such as IL-12. The main aim of this study is to assess the levels of IL-10 in Iraqi diabetic type 2 infected with toxoplasmosis.Methods: This study concluded 109 cases of Iraqi diabetic type 2 patients and 80 samples of healthy individuals collected from private lab in Baghdad, Iraq, during period from March to June 2022 with age mean 49.9 ± 1.29.Results: The results showed that the group of diabetes has the highest level of glucose in diabetes diagnostic tests 7.9 ± 0.178 HbA1C, 174.55 ± 3.96 mg/dl FBS and 216.89 ± 4.96 mg/dl RBS respectively. Moreover, 51/109 samples of diabetic patients have highest level of IgG anti-Toxoplasma 34.95 ± 7.5 UI/mL in CMIA followed by 30/80 samples of healthy individuals have seropositive for the same antibody 32.7 ± 8.45 UI/mL in the same assay with significant differences While, all samples were seronegative for IgM anti-Toxoplasma. The group of healthy control has the highest levels of IL-10 in ELISA 320.43 ± 17.64 pg/ml followed by the group of diabetic patients 138.38 ± 5.69 pg/ml. Also, the concentration of this interleukin was in the group of toxoplasmosis patients which considered as a control positive 115.45 ± 4.44 pg/ml. While, the group of diabetic patients with toxoplasmosis has the lowest concentration of the interleukin 102.3 ± 7.05 pg/ml with highly significant differences.Conclusion: The conclusion of this study is the IL-10 has been shown highest levels in healthy control in comparison with other study groups.Keywords: Toxoplasmosis; DMT2; IgM; IgG; IL-10Editorial Expression of Concern20 June 2025: Following publication of this paper, the internal audit (consequent to concerns on quality raised by Web of Science) notified Advancements in Life Sciences about suspected plagiarism. By this Editorial Expression of Concern, we alert the scientific community of the errors as we reconcile the records.Editorial Note25 June 2025: Mention of reference values and similar usage sequence of commonly used parts of phrases have been found as major sources of total verbatim similarity (27%). Therefore, it may not be considered as plagiarism. Hence, the Editorial Expression of Concern is revoked.

On occasion, following the publication of a paper, serious concerns might be raised, either about the study, the author(s), or background processes. When editors-in-chief (EiCs) have sufficient evidence in the case of a serious ethical offense or methodological errors that may invalidate the paper’s findings or ethical standing, they can retract the paper rapidly. However, in the interim period between receiving a report and seeking a solution, several weeks, months or even years might pass, and readers need to be alerted to its potential unreliability. In such an instance, the current alternative (but not corrective) document takes the form of an editorial expression of concern (EoC). However, a case might be unresolved for a long time, with an EoC attached to it, so EiCs are encouraged to seek a resolution as promptly as possible because there are academics who might need to cite and/or rely on that paper. Curiously, even though a comprehensive debate is provided by COPE ethics guidelines and ICMJE recommendations, which refer to EoCs, guidance is not entirely clear. This paper makes an attempt to improve guidelines that editors could consider when faced with the dilemma of whether to issue an EoC, or not.

Background: Many plants are a rich source of secondary metabolites with potential antimicrobial and antioxidant properties. Amongst the customary plant herbs used as a phytomedicine in Hail province, which has been selected for the current study, Kehail plant, Arnebia decumbens (A. decumbens). Therefore, this study sought to assess the antimicrobial and antioxidant activities against high-risk bacteria and yeasts.Methods: The cup plate agar diffusion methods and Microdilution assays were adopted with minor modifications to assess the antibacterial activity. The Qualitative and quantitative tests were employed to assess the Kehail antioxidant activities by determining its phytochemicals, 2, 2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), ABTS(2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid), and β-carotene in vitro assays.Results: The results indicated that methanolic Kehail extract (M.K.E.) exhibited antibacterial activity against pathogenic bacteria, including Staphylococcus epidermidis (M13), Enterobacter cloacae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli ATCC 10536 and Klebsiella pneumoniae, while the mean inhibition zone was 10.66 ± 0.57 mm, 10.77 ± 0.57735 mm, 10.33 ± 0.57 mm, and 9.55 ± 0.57 mm, respectively. Furthermore, the antimicrobial activity increased in a concentration-dependent manner. Indeed, E. cloacae were the plant extract most inhibited bacteria. The plant extract has vigorous antifungal activity against Candida albicans ATCC 10231 and C. tropicalis ATCC 9362, whereas the mean inhibition zone was 12.77 ± 0.57 and 13.11 ± 1.52 mm, respectively. The extract of A. decumbens plant was also proven to be efficient as a source of antioxidants saponins, terpenes, polyphenols, and flavonoids.Conclusion: The acquired outcomes uncover promising antioxidant activities of the tested Kehail methanolic extract. The study encourages the separation of active components and the development of new medications from the Kehail plant.Keywords: Arnebia decumbens; Methanolic extract; Disk diffusion assay; Microdilution assay; Antioxidant activities Editorial Expression of Concern20 June 2025: Following publication of this paper, the internal audit (consequent to concerns on quality raised by Web of Science) notified Advancements in Life Sciences about suspected plagiarism. By this Editorial Expression of Concern, we alert the scientific community of the errors as we reconcile the records.Editorial Note26 June 2025: Similar usage sequence of commonly used scientific terms, names of species and chemicals have been found as major sources of total verbatim similarity (23%). Therefore, it may not be considered as plagiarism. High incidence of plagiarism reported earlier was false as it took content published after publication of this article into account when calculating similarity index during re-analysis. Hence, the Editorial Expression of Concern is revoked.

Last week, Science published online an "Editorial Expression of Concern" noting that "serious questions have been raised about the methods and data presented" in the description of a newly developed research tool called a reactome array, which was published in the 9 October issue of Science .

This corrects the article DOI: 10.1038/nature22062.

An Editorial Expression of Concern: to this paper has been published: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13105-021-00805-0

Recent data have revealed that genetic variation could be attributed to overdominance, or heterozygote advantage. However, genomic survey showed that only a small number of genes that have polymorphisms maintained by overdominance which is consistent with many published papers. Google Web, Google scholar, NCBI Databases and OMIC Tools were used to obtain data for this review paper. Different key words were used to retrieve the required research articles and bioinformatics-based information, such as “overdominance’’ and “overdominance in animals’’. Research papers used for this review were published over the last 10 to 15 years and information regarding overdominance in livestock was considered for current review. It is hoped that in the future, more loci with overdominance will be discovered. In this review, we will illustrate eight examples of overdominance in livestock. We also want to emphasize that given a low number of reported cases in overdominance, it does not reflect the unimportance of heterozygote advantage in adaptive functions.Keywords: Genomic survey; Polymorphisms; Livestock breeding Editorial Expression of Concern20 June 2025: Following publication of this paper, the internal audit (consequent to concerns on quality raised by Web of Science) notified Advancements in Life Sciences about errors in metadata. By this Editorial Expression of Concern, we alert the scientific community of this incidence as we do the required corrections.Editorial Note24 June 2025: You are viewing the latest version of this article having correction in article info (metadata) section. The editorial expression of concern is hereby revoked.

Background: Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) is a metabolic disorder defined via elevated blood glucose caused by insufficiency of insulin-sensitive tissues to respond to insulin or defective insulin production by pancreatic β-cells due to environmental and genetic factors. Megalin is a glycoprotein that is mostly found in the proximal tubular cells, major role is to reabsorb albumin and other proteins that the glomerulus has filtered in the proximal tubules.Methods: The purpose of research measure the concentration of megalin and Neutrophil Gelatinase Associated Lipocalin (NGAL) in type 2 patients, in the period from December 2022 to March 2023 at the Baghdad Teaching Hospital120 participants aged(30-60) years, the measured concentration of Megalin, NGAL, and fasting blood glucose in serum and whole blood estimated for glycated hemoglobin (HbA1C).Results: The result indicates blood glucose concentration in patients with T2DM (344.975±63.68mg/dl) was significantly higher than control(106.62±12.59mg/dl), HbA1C (13.40±10.35%) in T2DM patients was significantly higher than control (4.310±0.336%), Megalin levels revealed for T2DM patients (220.70±42.47pg/ml) significantly higher than control (120.42±29.33pg/ml), NGAL(447.68±62.76pg/ml) in T2DM patients higher than control(264.93±51.79 pg/ml).Conclusion: According to the results NGAL and Megalin levels were significantly higher in T2DM patients as compared to controls play a role in diabetes pathogenesis and as biomarkers for the early identification of diabetic nephropathy.Keywords: Type 2 diabetes; Megalin; Neutrophil Gelatinase; Associated LipocalinEditorial Expression of Concern20 June 2025: Following publication of this paper, the internal audit (consequent to concerns on quality raised by Web of Science) notified Advancements in Life Sciences about insufficient peer review. By this Editorial Expression of Concern, we alert the scientific community of this incidence as we asses if the reported scientific findings are reliable.Editorial Note26 June 2025: Post-publication review of this paper by a member of the editorial board has highlighted significant limitations related to the rationale of the methodology, p-value formatting, and language usage. The authors have been requested to make post-publication corrections. Nonetheless, readers are advised to interpret and use the findings with due consideration of the above comments. The Editorial Expression of Concern will be revoked upon completion of the necessary corrections by the authors.

CELL BIOLOGY. EDITORIAL EXPRESSION OF CONCERN: The editors express a note of concern regarding the article “Preferential repair of ionizing radiation-induced damage in the transcribed strand of an active human gene is defective in Cockayne syndrome,” by Steven A. Leadon and Priscilla K. Cooper, which appeared in issue 22, November 15, 1993, of Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA ( 90, 10499–10503). An ad hoc committee at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) has …