In January 2013, Diabetes retracted the above-listed article at the authors’ request. The original retraction statement appears below:
The authors have formally requested to retract the above-titled paper, which was published online on 19 November 2012. The authors cite concerns that portions of Fig. 4 were submitted without knowledge of inherent errors or abnormalities that they recognized in retrospect after submission. Therefore, the article has been retracted so the authors can readdress the work and submit it for publication at a later time.
The corresponding author requests to update this statement in order to clarify the specific problems with the data reported in the article: The β-actin immunoblot analyses for “Internal Capsule/Thalamus” and “Cortex” in Fig. 4A are the same (but of different exposures), as is that for “Hippocampus,” which has been inverted horizontally. This same β-actin immunoblot analysis has also been reproduced and reoriented for the “Cortex” in Fig. 5A. Portions of the top left and middle left panel images in Fig. 4B are duplicated albeit at different exposures, and the right “Luxol Fast Blue” images have been reproduced and reoriented from a previous publication (Brain 2008;131:3311–3334; Fig. 4A–C). Segments of the left panel image in Fig. 4G are copied within the same image. Moreover, portions of the images in Fig. 4G are reproduced and reoriented from images in a prior publication (Neurobiology of Disease 2011;44:161–173, Fig. 4C and D and Fig. 5D and E). In Fig. 6A, the β-actin immunoblot analyses of “Hippocampus” for “RAGE-/- Non-Diabetic” and “Wildtype Diabetic sRAGE” are identical. Likewise, the β-actin immunoblot analysis of “Cortex” for “RAGE-/- Diabetic” is the same reoriented image for the “RAGE-/- Non-Diabetic” analysis.
In the supplementary data, Fig. S1B images 1 and 5 (numbering left to right) are identical, albeit with altered contrast, saturation, and/or brightness, as well as resizing of the image. Likewise images 2 and 4 in Fig. S1B are the same despite similar adjustments made. Moreover, the image 2/4 in Fig. S1B has been replicated from two previous publications (Neurobiology of Disease 2011;44:161–73, Fig. 2C and Brain 2008;131:3311–3334, Fig. 3A). In Fig. S1D, images 2–5 have also been replicated from a prior publication (Neurobiology of Disease 2011;44:161–73, Fig. 1D), albeit again with altered contrast, saturation, and/or brightness, as well as resizing of the image.
The corresponding author apologizes to the readers of the journal for any inconvenience these issues may have caused.