Retraction Note: Effects of Vitamin D3 level on the gene expression of Immune checkpoint Cytotoxic T-lymphocytes antigen-4 in Iraqi patients with rheumatoid arthritis

Abstract

This retracts "Effects of Vitamin D3 level on the gene expression of Immune checkpoint Cytotoxic T-lymphocytes antigen-4 in Iraqi patients with rheumatoid arthritis." Adv. Life Sci. 2023 Oct;10S(1):90–94. doi: 10.62940/als.v10i0.2079.

Following the publication of this article, an internal audit — conducted in response to quality concerns raised by Web of Science — identified suspected plagiarism. Upon initial investigation, the similarity detected (25%) was determined to be attributable to commonly used scientific terminology and phrases in funding/acknowledgement sections, and the Editorial Expression of Concern was accordingly revoked on 24 June 2025. However, upon further scrutiny, critical scientific deficiencies were identified, leading the Editor-in-Chief to retract this article on 24 September 2025. Specifically: (1) the paper marks key findings as statistically significant where the p-values provided in the very same tables exceed 0.05, constituting a direct misrepresentation of statistical results and a false scientific claim; (2) the manuscript contains pervasive internal contradictions that render the entire dataset unreliable — the total number of patients is stated as 100 in the text but consistently appears as 55 in the data, the number of male and female control subjects is reported with two completely different sets of figures, and three conflicting correlation coefficients are presented for the same primary relationship under investigation; and (3) the combination of these errors with a confusing study design, unprofessional typographical errors, and severe grammatical issues collectively demonstrate a lack of scholarly rigor. The authors do not agree to this retraction.

The Advancements in Life Sciences Editorial Office regrets that these issues were not identified prior to publication.

History of the retraction process

Editorial Expression of Concern

20 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 Note

24 June 2025: Similar usage sequence of commonly used scientific terms and phrases in funding/acknowledgement sections have been found as major source of total verbatim similarity (25%). Therefore, it may not be considered as plagiarism. Hence, the Editorial Expression of Concern is revoked.

Retraction Note

24 Sept 2025: The Editor-in-Chief has retracted this article due to the below mentioned scientific deficiencies.

1. The paper marks key findings as statistically significant when the p-values provided in the very same table are greater than 0.05. This is a direct misrepresentation of the statistical results and amounts to making a false scientific claim.

2. The manuscript has contradictions that make the entire dataset unreliable.

• The total number of patients is stated as 100 in the text but is consistently 55 in the data.
• The number of male and female control subjects is reported with two completely different sets of numbers.
• The paper presents three different, conflicting correlation coefficients for the same primary relationship it is investigating.

It is impossible for a reader to know which, if any, of the reported numbers are correct.

1. The combination of the above errors with a confusing study design, unprofessional typos ("deceptively healthy"), and severe grammatical issues that impede comprehension demonstrates a lack of scholarly rigor.

The authors do not agree to this retraction.