title: RETRACTED: Antenatal corticosteroid administration before elective caesarean section at term to prevent neonatal respiratory morbidity: a randomized controlled trial.
abstract: This article has been retracted: please see Elsevier Policy on Article Withdrawal (http://www.elsevier.com/locate/withdrawalpolicy).
  
  This article has been retracted at the request of the Editor-in-Chief.
  
  The editorial board has raised concerns regarding the integrity of this paper and remaining in the public domain. It is by far the largest trial of corticosteroids for this indication, overwhelming other similar trials in Cochrane and other systematic reviews and is likely leading to widespread prescription of this drug, which may have serious side effects on fetal brain development. If the data is unreliable, women and babies are being harmed.
  
  As we have not received the original dataset or a satisfactory response from Dr Nada for an explanation regarding our concerns after giving them a month to respond, we have decided to retract this paper.
authors.affiliation: Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt. Electronic address: adel.nada29@gmail.com.
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Nada
authors.affiliation: National Research Centre, Cairo, Egypt.
authors.forename: M M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Shafeek
authors.affiliation: Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt.
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: El Maraghy
authors.affiliation: Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt.
authors.forename: A H
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Nageeb
authors.affiliation: Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt.
authors.forename: A S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Salah El Din
authors.affiliation: Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt.
authors.forename: M H
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Awad
mesh_terms: D000305:Adrenal Cortex Hormones / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000328:Adult; D002585:Cesarean Section / Q000379:methods*; D003907:Dexamethasone / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D017558:Elective Surgical Procedures / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007363:Intensive Care Units, Neonatal; D012127:Respiratory Distress Syndrome, Newborn / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D047929:Term Birth; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000305:Adrenal Cortex Hormones; D003907:Dexamethasone
keywords: Antenatal corticosteroids; Dexamethasone; Respiratory distress syndrome