RETRACTION: An MSC Bone-Homing Compound, Rab001, Increases Bone Mass and Reduces the Incidence of Osteonecrosis in a Glucocorticoid-Induced Osteonecrosis Mouse Model

RETRACTION: M. Jiang, L. Liu, X. Xiang, R. Liang, X. Qin, J. Zhao, and Q. Wei, “ An MSC Bone-Homing Compound, Rab001, Increases Bone Mass and Reduces the Incidence of Osteonecrosis in a Glucocorticoid-Induced Osteonecrosis Mouse Model,” Clinical and Experimental Pharmacology and Physiology 48, no. 5 (2020): 770–781, https://doi.org/10.1111/1440-1681.13441.

The above article, published online on 15 December 2020 in Wiley Online Library (wileyonlinelibrary.com), has been retracted by agreement between the journal Editor-in-Chief, Yang Yang; and John Wiley & Sons Australia Ltd. A third party reported concerns regarding the misreporting of Chi-square test results in this article, which originally lead to the conclusion that Rab001 significantly reduces ON incidence in GC-treated rats. The third party also indicated that the article includes several methodological issues that put into question the validity of the reported results. The authors responded to an inquiry by the publisher and provided further statistical analysis and explanations for the potential methodological shortcomings. The authors acknowledged that the statistical significance in the title, abstract, and results was overstated and proposed an erratum to update all statements which reference the significance of Rab001 reducing the incidence of ON. Upon review of the authors' proposed erratum, the journal found that the proposed modifications were extensive and would significantly impact the core findings of the article. The retraction has been agreed to because the misreported statistical significance of the findings constitutes a major error, which compromises the conclusions of the article. The authors agree with the retraction.