Evaluate the collective function of references cited together in a given text segment.
Classify their combined role into one of the following categories: 'method', 'background', or 'result'.

Text:We hypothesize that suppression of these genes is required for enhancement of M1-promoting pathways such as Akt2 [51] and Notch1 signaling [56,57], as well as inflammatory cytokine production.
Category: