JerMa88/BMC_Gastroenterology_Peer_Reviews huggingface dataset:
Review for 10.1186/s12876-023-02997-9 (2023)

Title: Sex- and reproductive status-specific relationships between body composition and non-
alcoholic fatty liver disease
Version: 1 Date: 14 Aug 2023
Reviewer's report:
NAFLD, is actually the most prevalent chronic liver disease, and most of the success in
controlling the disease, relies on an early identification of in risk individuals. That knowledge
is also decisive, to implement any preventive strategy, paying more attention to the risk groups.
In this work, the authors tried to evaluate the correlation between, liver steatosis, liver fibrosis,
sex and menopause status, in women.
The article is meritorious, the methodology is reproductible, and contributes to elucidate the
correlation of fat, fat distribution, and the physiopathology of NAFLD.
However, there are a few points, that should be addressed.
1) About methodology:
- Although apparently a population-based study, the sample is more a convenience one,
constituted by hospital patients. The authors use both words, “patients” and “participants”,
indistinctly in the text, what we suggest to be uniformized.
- Being hospital patients, with a considerable prevalence of diabetes and dyslipidemia, are there
anyone of them with a previous liver disease diagnostic (NAFLD or other)?
- The authors state that they exclude participants who took “hormonal drugs”. Can they be more
specific of what kind of drugs?
- As the patients were recruited in an “Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine”, did anyone of
them was taking any other drug that could influence fat deposition, in liver or subcutaneously?
- The authors use BIA to evaluate fat, and fat distribution. As BIA can be influenced by other
factors or conditions, like body water retention, being the study sample recruited in a hospital,
did any of the participants had diseases that could affect the BIA results?
2) Sample:
From “Additional files”, we notice that 87.7% of the patients, were in the 3th or 4th decades of
live, between 31 and 49 years in men (meddle age 39), and between 28 and 38 years (meddle
age of 33 years), in women. Is there any explanation to that imbalance of ages in the sample,
with a clear prevalence of relatively young people? Could it influence the results?
Also, +/- 65% of men and +/- 56.5% of the pre-menopausal women, had high grade liver steatosis
(S3 and S4). Is there any explanation to that?
3) Results:
Because economical, logistic and side effects reasons, BIA is more appropriate to use in
epidemiologic studies, although not so precise, than other tools, like CT, MR, or dual-energy
X-ray absorptiometry. Also, the present work was made, presumably with the vast majority of
patients of only one ethnicity, if not all of them. Combining the two conditions, the results should
be interpreted with cautious, and that should be stressed in the discussion. We can speculate that,
different populations, with different genetic inheritance, could have different results.
4) Correction required:
In “Additional files”, in tables S3 and S4, “Unjusted”, should be corrected to Unadjusted.
Review for 10.1186/s12876-023-02997-9 (2023)

Title: Sex- and reproductive status-specific relationships between body composition and non-
alcoholic fatty liver disease
Version: 5 Date: 10 Sep 2023
Reviewer's report:
The authors attended to the major suggestions of the reviewers, revised the article and corrected
the major issues, improving his value.
There are still a few minor details that could be corrected:
- in Page 17, line 9 “analysed” should be corrected to “analyzed”
- Concerning the figures, it’s suggested that the legends appear bellow the image, and not
between the tittle and the image.
Review for 10.1186/s12876-023-02997-9 (2023)

Title: Sex- and reproductive status-specific relationships between body composition and non-
alcoholic fatty liver disease
Version: 5 Date: 18 Sep 2023
Reviewer's report:
The authors have answered some, but not all of my queries, and at times did not make the changes
in text. For example, Point 1 about menopause; the choice of covariates. This information is
important to the text.
By adjusting for BMI and body fat - you are adjusting for the thing in the model - fatness. Why
not adjust for fat mass and Height instead to avoid colinearity?
For the normalisation of the data (using Z-scores) - I think you misunderstood my suggestion.
One can use Z-scores to compare (using the same units of measurement), the contribution of
different body composition measures to the outcome. You will not 'lose the unique information
carried by the previous data' as this will be reflected in the variability.
I still believe that it is appropriate to test the interactions (with sex and then menopause
separately) to see if the sub-group analysis is appropriate and if the relationship do indeed differ
between groups.
The authors have added 'progression' to the description of steatosis. However, this would assume
a longitudinal design. I would suggest changing this to reflect the cross-sectional design of the
study.
There is still no power calculation analysis included.
Review for 10.1186/s12876-023-02995-x (2023)

Title: A novel imaging index for predicting adverse progression in acute-on-chronic liver failure
related to hepatitis B virus: the low erector spine index
Version: 1 Date: 29 Jun 2023
Reviewer's report:
I have reviewed the manuscript “A novel imaging index for predicting adverse progression in
acute-on-chronic liver failure related to Hepatitis B virus: the lower spine index” by Zhou et al.
This is a retrospective study with some interesting findings; however, there are some major and
minor issues that need to be addressed.
Major comments:
• The sarcopenia assessment should be more widely explained, including details about the
software used, the Hounsfield unit threshold for muscle demarcation, and interobserver variation
among the observers. These aspects should be informed and reported in the manuscript.
Minor comments:
Introduction section
• In the first line, consider mentioning the prevalence of sarcopenia in patients with cirrhosis.
• Regarding the second line, the sentence that assumes sarcopenia is lethal should be revised.
Sarcopenia is not lethal by itself.
• Also in the second line, the authors should refer to studies that have found an association
between sarcopenia and ACLF, rather than referring to reviews.
Materials and Methods section
• In the second paragraph, the authors should mention the diagnostic criteria for ACLF according
to APASL.
• In the first paragraph of the subsection on Image acquisition, it would be useful to mention the
median time between CT-scan and hospitalization by ACLF.
Results section
• The outcomes should not be included in the “General characteristics at baseline” table.
Consider using a separate table for this purpose.
• In the first paragraph of subsection 3.4 “ESI and kidney dysfunction,” the sentence in the
second line is incorrect. It should state “43.5% patients with low ESI and 23.2% patients with
high ESI developed kidney dysfunction”.
Discussion section
• In the first paragraph, consider changing the first line, “Sarcopenia is considered a clinical
phenotype of malnutrition in cirrhosis”, as the authors mention below in the discussion
sarcopenia is a more complex scenario where myotoxicity, dysbiosis, and other factors have
been associated.
• In the third paragraph, consider changing the sentence “The reversal of sarcopenia also reduces
the risk of death” to “could reduce the risk of death”, as this has not been thoroughly investigated.
Review for 10.1186/s12876-023-02995-x (2023)

Title: A novel imaging index for predicting adverse progression in acute-on-chronic liver failure
related to hepatitis B virus: the low erector spine index
Version: 1 Date: 10 Jul 2023
Reviewer's report:
A novel imaging index for predicting adverse progression in acute-on-chronic liver failure
related to hepatitis B virus: the low erector spine index Running Head: Impact of erector spine
mass on the prognosis of HBV-ACLF. This is an interesting study, but there are limitations in
the analysis. My comments are as follows:
1. Write details of inclusion and criteria in the methods section
2. How many patients had HCC at baseline?
3. What was the basis of taking the ESI cut-off 12.05 in the present study?
4. How were patients with HBV-ACLF managed? What was their drug compliance?
5. What fraction of patients were on antiviral drugs before the onset of ACLF?
6. What were the acute precipitants in this cohort of patients?
7. What fraction of patients had diabetes? Was diabetes adjusted in the analysis?
8. What were the causes of mortality?
9. A very high proportion of patients had in-hospital infections. What were the sites of infections?
How were the infections managed? Was a higher infection rate (MDR organisms) responsible
for deaths? What were the differences in the drug-resistant organisms between the 2 groups?
10. At baseline, what were the infection rates between the 2 groups?
11. Write details of tests used for the correlation of ESI with SMI in the statistical analysis section
12. Table 3 needs to provide details of all mortality-related factors. It is unclear why mortality
is shown in a row and what it predicts. Take a statistician's help to present the factors associated
with mortality.
Review for 10.1186/s12876-023-02995-x (2023)

Title: A novel imaging index for predicting adverse progression in acute-on-chronic liver failure
related to hepatitis B virus: the low erector spine index
Version: 3 Date: 02 Aug 2023
Reviewer's report:
I have read the manuscript “A novel imaging index for predicting adverse progression in acute-
on-chronic liver failure related to hepatitis B virus: the low erector spine index Running Head:
Impact of erector spine mass on the prognosis of HBV-ACLF” by Zhou et al. After considering
the information regarding previous observations, I have serious concerns about the results
presented in this study.
1.- The authors used a different Hounsfield Unit (HU) threshold for skeletal muscle demarcation
compared to the specific thresholds established in the literature, which are -29 to 150 HU instead
of 35 to 50 HU (see “J Appl Physiol 1998; 85:115–122”). This is a major concern because the
results of this study are based on this variable.
2.- The categorization of erector spine index using the median as a reference is inappropriate.
It is recommendable to seek assistance from a professional in biostatics. This, like the previous
observation, is a major concern since this categorization forms the basis of the results of this
study.
Review for 10.1186/s12876-023-02995-x (2023)

Title: A novel imaging index for predicting adverse progression in acute-on-chronic liver failure
related to hepatitis B virus: the low erector spine index
Version: 4 Date: 30 Aug 2023
Reviewer:  Liyan Dong
Reviewer's report:
The authors should add some pathogenesis of the erector spine index affecting the progression
of HBV-ACLF in the “Discussion” section.
As you said, the patients in this study were treated with different antiviral drugs, which may
effect the outcomes of the HBV-ACLF, how to adjust such confounding factor?
The authors should check the data carefully. For example, in the “RESULTS” part of
“ABSTRACT” section, the authors said “patients with a low ESI (#12.05 cm2/m2) had higher
mortality than those with a high ESI (>12.05 cm2/m2)”, but in the following tables, the patients
with a low ESI was defined as ESI<12.05 cm2/m2, and the patients with a high ESI was defined
as ESI#12.05 cm2/m2.
The authors should check the data in “Table 2”.
The authors should carefully check the use of abbreviations in the manuscript. Use the full
name at its first occurrence, and then use its abbreviation. For example, in the “General
patient characteristics” part of “RESULTS” section, the authors said “The in-hospital infections
primarily included spontaneous bacterial peritonitis (SBP)…”, where the words “spontaneous
bacterial peritonitis (SBP)” should be revised as “SBP”. The same mistakes can be easily seen.
In the “ DISCUSSION” section, the authors said “In addition, it also impacted mortality related
to treatment in patients with HCC, significant liver fibrosis and, and adverse posttransplant
outcomes”, where the first “and” should be deleted.
Review for 10.1186/s12876-023-02995-x (2023)

Title: A novel imaging index for predicting adverse progression in acute-on-chronic liver failure
related to hepatitis B virus: the low erector spine index
Version: 5 Date: 12 Sep 2023
Reviewer:  Liyan Dong
Reviewer's report:
The authors should carefully check the manuscript to avoid some simple grammatical mistakes.
For example, in the “General patient characteristics” part of “RESULTS” section, the authors
said “Laboratory parameters, such as serum albumin, bilirubin, creatinine, international
normalized ratio, and white blood cell count, are shown in detail in Table 1”, where the word
“are” should be revised as “were”.
The authors need to check the abbreviations again, for example, in the “Correlation of ESI with
baseline characteristics” part of “RESULTS” section, the authors said “The cut-off value of
ESI calculated through receiver operating characteristic curve was 12.06 cm2/m2…”, where the
words “receiver operating characteristic” should be revised as “ROC”.
Review for 10.1186/s12876-023-03002-z (2023)

Title: Alcohol increases treatment failure for Helicobacter pylori eradication in Asian
populations
Version: 1 Date: 01 Feb 2023
Reviewer's report:
Dear Dr. Wang,
Thank you for your efforts in the field of the relationship between alcohol consumption and the
failure of H. pylori eradication. The results of this meta-analysis are interesting. My comments
for this article were listed below
1. Among 7 studies in the subgroup analysis, table 3, the amount of ethanol drinking
was to define the alcohol consumption. Therefore, the interpretation of the meta-analysis might
be incorrect. In the three studies that defined alcohol consumption as >80g of ethanol drinking,
the failure of H. pylori eradication was associated with alcohol consumption. On the other hand,
in the rest four studies that defined alcohol consumption as < 40g of ethanol drinking, the
eradication rate was not affected by ethanol. However, we could not make the conclusion that
higher alcohol consumption would be associated with lower efficacy of eradication.
2. English editing is suggested due to some typos are found.
Review for 10.1186/s12876-023-03002-z (2023)

Title: Alcohol increases treatment failure for Helicobacter pylori eradication in Asian
populations
Version: 1 Date: 26 Sep 2023
Reviewer:  Kenta Watanabe
Reviewer's report:
This meta-analysis demonstrated an increased risk of H. pylori eradication failure due to alcohol
consumption in Asian populations. Appropriate subgroup and sensitivity analyses, interpretation
of results, and limitations are mentioned. The writing is convincing and professional. However,
there are some concerns.
1. In the Asian studies, there were seven studies that had data on alcohol intake. In the
case of non-Asian studies, was there any applicable study? If relevant studies exist, the
association between increased alcohol consumption and H. pylori eradication failure in non-
Asian populations should be investigated.
2. In the Asian populations, a >7 days treatment was associated with higher risk of eradication
failure. It seems a little strange that the risk of eradication failure is greater in long-term treatment
than in short. Is there any rationale you can provide regarding this fact?
Review for 10.1186/s12876-023-03002-z (2023)

Title: Alcohol increases treatment failure for Helicobacter pylori eradication in Asian
populations
Version: 2 Date: 16 Oct 2023
Reviewer:  Kenta Watanabe
Reviewer's report:
Thank you for your persuasive feedback.  Although it cannot necessarily be concluded from the
current limited evidence whether or not the answer to my comment 2 is true, this study certainly
provides meaningful suggestions for the field of gastroenterology.
Review for 10.1186/s12876-023-02991-1 (2023)

Title: Development and validation of prognostic nomograms for early-onset colon cancer in
different tumor locations: a population-based study
Version: 2 Date: 04 Aug 2023
Reviewer:  Giorgio Lisi
Reviewer's report:
Dear Authors,
I appreciated what you wrote. The prevalence of early-onset colon cancer (EOCC) among
individuals below the age of 50 has shown a marked upward trend in recent years. This theme
deserves more attention from everyone: surgeons, oncologists, and biologists.
It's a well design study, good statistical analysis.
Concerning the radiotherapy, you assumed that the more radiotherapy patients undergone the
more poor outcome they have. Several studies have shown the benefits of radiotherapy, maybe
those patients have advanced colon cancer compared to patients that do not undergo RT and it
could justified the poor outcome. Please explain in the text, cite and comment more studies.
You should discuss: - different type of surgery during those years - different chemotherapy. All
these topics are needed to create prognostic nomograms.
Kindly Regards
Review for 10.1186/s12876-023-02991-1 (2023)

Title: Development and validation of prognostic nomograms for early-onset colon cancer in
different tumor locations: a population-based study
Version: 2 Date: 19 Aug 2023
Reviewer's report:
Dear Authors,
It is a statistically well-designed study. In view of incidence and mortality, the study on colon
cancer continues to be of great interest.
Overall survival of colon cancer that requires a multidisciplinary attitude is influenced not only
by the non-modifiable variables alone but also by treatment options of single sites in the colon.
As you reported the SEER database does not include supplementary details regarding specific
surgical procedures, chemotherapy regimens etc. which can helpful for accurate results.
Kindly Regards
Review for 10.1186/s12876-023-02991-1 (2023)

Title: Development and validation of prognostic nomograms for early-onset colon cancer in
different tumor locations: a population-based study
Version: 4 Date: 29 Sep 2023
Reviewer's report:
PEER REVIEWER ASSESSMENTS:
OBJECTIVE - Full research articles: is there a clear objective that addresses one or several
testable research questions? (Brief or other article types: is there a clear objective?)
Yes - there is a clear objective
DESIGN - Is the current approach (including controls and analysis protocols) appropriate for
the objective?
Yes - the approach is appropriate
EXECUTION - Are the experiments and analyses performed with sufficient technical rigor to
allow confidence in the results?
Yes - experiments and analyses were performed appropriately
STATISTICS - Is the use of statistics in the manuscript appropriate?
Yes - appropriate statistical analyses have been used in the study
INTERPRETATION - Is the current interpretation/discussion of the results reasonable and not
overstated?
Yes - the author's interpretation is reasonable
OVERALL MANUSCRIPT POTENTIAL - Has the author addressed your concerns sufficiently
for you to now recommend the work as a technically sound contribution? If not, can further
revisions be made to make the work technically sound?
Yes - current version is technically sound
PEER REVIEWER COMMENTS:
GENERAL COMMENTS: The authors have been very responsive to my concerns. I appreciate
their attention to detail. The manuscript has been improved, and changes have been incorporated
into the manuscript. I have no further comments.
ADDITIONAL REQUESTS/SUGGESTIONS:
I have no further comments.
Review for 10.1186/s12876-023-02998-8 (2023)

Title: The utility of self-expanding metal stents in benign biliary strictures- a retrospective case
series
Version: 1 Date: 26 Jul 2023
Reviewer's report:
Thank you for the opportunity to review this manuscript.
In this study, the authors retrospectively examined cases in which self-expandable metal stent
(SEMS) was placed in the benign biliary stricture (BBS).
A high frequency of complications was observed, and whether SEMS placement in the BBS was
effective and safe is unclear. This manuscript seems to be not suitable for publication.
#Why are baseline patient characteristics not shown in this manuscript? There are 31 enrolled
patients, and a table of characteristics may be shown. Moreover, if the results are statistically
analyzed, they should be presented in tables.
#Despite stent migration occurring in 20.9% of patients, the authors concluded that SEMS
placement in the BBS is safe. A stray metallic stent is difficult to remove, and metallic stent
placement in the BBS is not safe.
#To demonstrate the effectiveness and safety of metallic stents for BBS, it should be compared
with a group in which a plastic stent was implanted.
#Retrograde infection in the bile duct is considered to be a major cause of cholangitis. Retrograde
cholangitis is more likely to occur if the stent protrudes from the papilla. Therefore, stent
placement has a significant impact on the study results; what was the stent’s position?
Review for 10.1186/s12876-023-02998-8 (2023)

Title: The utility of self-expanding metal stents in benign biliary strictures- a retrospective case
series
Version: 1 Date: 02 Aug 2023
Reviewer:  Bhaskar Kante
Reviewer's report:
Congratulations to the authors for the great work on retrospectives series about outcomes of
SEMS in benign biliary stricture.  I have few constructive comments to make for a better
manuscript.
1.  Define the outcomes in detail such as stricture resolution, clinical outcomes and recurrence
2. Elaborate on the protocols used at your institute about how do manage patients with benign
biliary stricture of liver transplantation and chronic pancreatitis
3.  Discussion needs to be rewritten with focussing on outcomes and comparison with other
studies on effectiveness of SEMS in patients with liver transplantation and  chronic pancreatitis
4. Mention about the SEMS details ,  company name origin
5.  Predominant population in this study is post liver anastomotic stricture, better focus on this
population while revising the manuscript,
chronic pancreatitis population is too low to derive the conclusions
6. Details about the liver cirrhosis ,etiologies, indications and type of liver transplant (live related
or dead)
7. Rewrite the title, better not to write in question format
Review for 10.1186/s12876-023-02979-x (2023)

Title: Colonic distribution of FMT by different enema procedures compared to colonoscopy –
proof of concept study using contrast fluid
Version: 3 Date: 25 Jul 2023
Reviewer's report:
Dr.Skjevling and coworkers present a practically very important study about the potential
for simplifying faecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) by administering the transplant by
enema. The maximum proximal extension of diluted barium contrast was used as an indication,
of successful transplantation. The conclusion is that enema could be adequate, although the
importance of the transplant reaching the ascending colon, or even the small bowels when
administered by gastroscopy is not discussed. The study was well planned, performed and
presented. I have a few questions still:
1. Was a pilot study performed to guide the optimal timing of abdominal x-rays after positioning
maneuvres?
2. Would it be possible to repeat the abdominal x-ray after a suitable time to look at drainage of
contrast, to indicate the retension of a faecal transplant?
3. It is suggested that the procedure could be performed by nurses. Was the enema administred
by a radiologist or other specially trained person?
4. In Results, page 7, it is stated that 31 participants (patients) were screened for eligibility. How
many were in fact eligible, were offered participation, and what were the main reasons for not
being included?
Review for 10.1186/s12876-023-02979-x (2023)

Title: Colonic distribution of FMT by different enema procedures compared to colonoscopy –
proof of concept study using contrast fluid
Version: 3 Date: 03 Aug 2023
Reviewer:  Zhi-Ning Ye
Reviewer's report:
Strengths and limitations
The topic of this study is interesting, as it firstly evaluated how fluid similar to FMT is distributed
in the colon after delivery by colonoscopy or enema. It is important for the in-depth study of the
therapeutic mechanism of FMT on various diseases. However, the generalizability of the study
is greatly reduced by the limitations of the study's sample size and observation outcomes.
Results:
1.The study incorporated a sample that was predominantly older. As colonic motility may vary
across different age groups, it would be better to discuss the potential effect of age on the study's
observed outcomes.
2.The authors should use the grayscale of the pictures as an evaluation outcome if possible.
Discussion:
1.Another potential limitation of this study is the absence of a longitudinal investigation into the
diffusion of CF. Such an investigation may have imparted additional significance to the findings.
Review for 10.1186/s12876-023-02979-x (2023)

Title: Colonic distribution of FMT by different enema procedures compared to colonoscopy –
proof of concept study using contrast fluid
Version: 4 Date: 29 Aug 2023
Reviewer:  Zhi-Ning Ye
Reviewer's report:
The authors did not understand the reviewers' comments well.
1.We acknowledge that this study was unable to investigate differences between age groups.
However, it is important for the authors to provide a discussion on the potential impact of age
on the research results, as this represents a limitation of the study.
2.The term “longitudinal investigation” refers to an extended review duration. The present study
conducted only an immediate observation of the variables, thus precluding an evaluation of the
potential duration and quantity of fecal suspension retained in the intestine.
Review for 10.1186/s12876-023-02990-2 (2023)

Title: Lifestyle-based nomogram for identifying the Chaoshan inhabitants of China at high risk
of Helicobacter pylori infection
Version: 0 Date: 27 Jun 2023
Reviewer's report:
There were several misspellings (for example: inclued, analysed, analyse, etc ) and two terminal
points or missing the space between words.
For multivariate analysis they should include more risk factors such as drinking water resources,
hand sanitation or hand washing, how frequently eating outside, tap water users or portable
water users, drinking nonfiltered or nonboiled water, socioeconomic status, health educational
knowledge, salary income, etc.
Review for 10.1186/s12876-023-02990-2 (2023)

Title: Lifestyle-based nomogram for identifying the Chaoshan inhabitants of China at high risk
of Helicobacter pylori infection
Version: 0 Date: 05 Jul 2023
Reviewer's report:
Comment to the authors:
In this manuscript, Lin et al. evaluated the risk factor for Helicobacter pylori (HP) infection
and designed a lifestyle-based monogram for predicting HP infection. This manuscript might
contain some important findings. However, multiple concerns remain as below:
Major comments:
1. Given HP infection is typically established during childhood, it becomes challenging to
evaluate the impact of adult lifestyle on it, potentially raising concerns about indirect effects.
2. It's unclear whether this nomogram is superior to established HP testing methods, such as HP-
antibody tests, for predicting HP infection. While the authors discuss the financial implications
of HP testing itself, they don’t address the total cost of HP-associated disease which escalates
dramatically in the event of false negatives produced by this nomogram.
3. Given the potential complexity of predicting HP infection based on lifestyle, the authors
should conduct multiple validation tests for evaluating this nomogram.
Review for 10.1186/s12876-023-02990-2 (2023)

Title: Lifestyle-based nomogram for identifying the Chaoshan inhabitants of China at high risk
of Helicobacter pylori infection
Version: 0 Date: 23 Jul 2023
Reviewer's report:
In this study, a nomogram was developed to predict the high-risk groups for HP infection.
The study enrolled patients who underwent medical check-ups and analyzed their basic
characteristics and lifestyle habits. Factors such as wine consumption, inhabitants infection,
use of serving chopsticks, drinking hot tea, family history of gastric cancer, not knowing the
infection status of co-drinkers, and drinking tea >3 times per day were found to be associated
with HP infection. The nomogram was internally validated and had high accuracy in both the
training and validation cohorts. The findings of this study provide a useful tool for identifying
individuals at high risk of HP infection in the Chaoshan region and could aid in early detection
and intervention. My suggestion is that the following be revised.
1. You need to be more specific about your risk factor selection.
(1) In cases like Tea, it is unclear what kind of tea was included. If you referred to several types
of tea and called it tea in general, you need to mention the ingredients that are common to these
teas. Also, it would be better to describe other studies on the association between tea and H.
pylori.
(2) In a case like wine, you'll need to be specific about why you chose wine in particular among
the alcohol types. Additional references to other studies on the relationship between other types
of alcohol and H. pylori are also requested.
2. Since age and gender are some of the factors that influence the relationship with HP carriers,
it may be useful to categorize age groups and evaluate them in conjunction with the lifestyle
factors listed.
Review for 10.1186/s12876-023-02990-2 (2023)

Title: Lifestyle-based nomogram for identifying the Chaoshan inhabitants of China at high risk
of Helicobacter pylori infection
Version: 1 Date: 07 Oct 2023
Reviewer's report:
The revised manuscript has adequately addressed the concerns raised in the reviewer's comment
and has made appropriate corrections. Therefore, I recommend accepting the paper as it is.
Review for 10.1186/s12876-023-02992-0 (2023)

Title: Adverse events of pancreatic extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy: a literature review
Version: 1 Date: 09 Sep 2023
Reviewer's report:
1. As this is basically a review it is suggested that the word review may be incorporated into
the title of the article.
2. In the section on Definition and classification of adverse effects there is a Chinese study which
states percentage of individual adverse effects.  Are there any other studies which indicate the
percentage of each adverse effect.
3. Could you elaborate on the mechanism of statetorrhoea and diabetes being protective factors
for development of complications.
4. From your experience and review of literature what are the steps you suggest for preventing
post ESWL complications.
5. The explanation of using a tracking system for ESWL of urinary calculi may not be applicable
to pancreatic calculi as uretric calculi may be mobile in the ureter while pancreatic calculi are
generally adherent to the pancreatic duct.
6. Can you  specify if there are any limitations in literature on this subject.
7.  Certain corrections have to be made with regards to references.
a)  Reference 7 kindly recheck this reference  with the statement that you have made in the test.
Dumonaceau et all have commented on ESWL for CP in ESGE guidelines,
b) Reference 11 Li and co workers 2014 doesnot match with the reference number 11 in the
reference column ( probably number 13 ).
c) As you have followed the Cotton criteria of severity kindly include the same as the reference.
d) Kindly mention the reference  (query 13) on the statement where  individual complications
prevalent has been reported from China.
Review for 10.1186/s12876-023-02992-0 (2023)

Title: Adverse events of pancreatic extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy: a literature review
Version: 1 Date: 15 Sep 2023
Reviewer:  Satoshi Yamamoto
Reviewer's report:
This is a well-written review of the adverse events of ESWL for pancreatic stone disease.
We recommend that this paper be accepted after minor revisions.
Minor Comments:
1. Reference [2] is inappropriate and on adverse events of ESWL for renal stones. I
recommend referring to Sauerbruch's paper. He was the first in the world to report ESWL for
pancreatolithiasis in 1987.
Sauerbruch T, Holl J, Sackmann M, Werner R, Wotzka R, Paumgartner G. Disintegration of
a pancreatic duct stone with extracorporeal shock waves in a patient with chronic pancreatitis.
Endoscopy. 1987 Sep;19(5):207-8.
2. Reference [7], cited in the indications and contraindications for P-ESWL, is a paper on the
endoscopic management of acute necrotizing pancreatitis, not ESWL for pancreatolithiasis.
Therefore, a change is needed.
In addition to ESGE (PMID: 30654394), guidelines have been published by various
societies, and the International Consensus Guidelines on Chronic Pancreatitis (ICGCP) (PMID:
32792253) (reference [43]), which developed international guidelines for chronic pancreatitis,
and other guidelines (PMID: 31757740, PMID: 21078490, PMID: 26725837 etc)  should be
included in the cited references.
3. For Table 2, the citation source should also be listed in the Table legend.
Review for 10.1186/s12876-023-02992-0 (2023)

Title: Adverse events of pancreatic extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy: a literature review
Version: 3 Date: 08 Oct 2023
Reviewer:  Satoshi Yamamoto
Reviewer's report:
The changes made have been carefully considered and we believe they have enhanced the overall
quality of the work.
Review for 10.1186/s12876-023-02986-y (2023)

Title: A novel, nurse-led ‘one stop’ clinic for patients with liver cirrhosis results in fewer liver-
related unplanned readmissions and improved survival
Version: 1 Date: 28 Aug 2023
Reviewer's report:
The authors set out to test a specialized nurse-led clinic intervention to reduce hospital
readmissions in cirrhosis and improve survival.  The intervention is pragmatic and data are
needed on the feasibility, effectiveness, and cost-effectiveness of these types of interventions.
However, there are several study design and analysis issues that limit the generalizability and
interpretation of the results.
1. The readmission rate in the control arm was only 12.2%. This is well below what is reported
in the data. I suspect this is due to the large number of exclusion criteria and relatively low
MELD cohort.  Why were patients on antivirals for less than 12 months, or with stage II HE,
or recent TIPS excluded? Would provide that rationale in methods.  Would also need to discuss
low readmission rates in discussion.
2. The methods only describe descriptive statistics.  Mortality and readmission should be time
to event analysis to control for not everyone having the same amount of time to experience the
outcome.  Also the study period should be provided in the methods; over what time period were
participants enrolled as well as follow up time.
3. The authors mention SES in the introduction as a reason that these clinics were targeted but
then don’t provided in SES data. These are important contributors of readmission and survival.
4. The authors describe 5 key outcomes in Figure 4. Each of these need details in the methods
for how they were defined and analyzed.
5. Would expand Table 1 to include Charlson score, data on liver disease complications or Child
Pugh Score.
Review for 10.1186/s12876-023-02986-y (2023)

Title: A novel, nurse-led ‘one stop’ clinic for patients with liver cirrhosis results in fewer liver-
related unplanned readmissions and improved survival
Version: 3 Date: 14 Sep 2023
Reviewer's report:
The paper is much improved and will be an important contribution to the literature. I have 2
small comments:
1 . Figure 3 should be clearly labeled with the study N in addition to % due to the small sample
size.
2. Please remove the part that talks about the intervention being "well-received". This
interpretation is not supported by the data since the authors are choosing not to present patient
satisfaction data.
Review for 10.1186/s12876-023-02986-y (2023)

Title: A novel, nurse-led ‘one stop’ clinic for patients with liver cirrhosis results in fewer liver-
related unplanned readmissions and improved survival
Version: 3 Date: 18 Sep 2023
Reviewer's report:
1.  Please succinctly describe in the methods section for the reader why you have chosen those
exclusion criteria in your methods as they are not all standard exclusions for readmission in
cirrhosis studies  and will help the reader to understand the readmission rate.
2. The authors reply that some of outcomes in Figure 4 are observational so they were not detailed
in the manuscript.  Only outcomes that are defined in the methods and discussed in the results
should be included in figures labeled as "results"for accuracy and clarity.
3.  There was no time to event/survival analysis added; the reason for not adding this analysis
given in #1 is the  reason time to event analyses are done.   A survival analysis should be used
to explore mortality. It does not have to a multivariable Cox analysis.  A simple Kaplan Meijer
Analysis with provided KM curves would be plenty.
4. If access to health care not an issue, would mention this in the discussion given it is a large
factor in much of the literature on readmission and the readership is international.
Review for 10.1186/s12876-023-02971-5 (2023)

Title: LACC1 regulates changes in the intestinal flora in a mouse model of inflammatory bowel
disease
Version: 1 Date: 03 Jul 2023
Reviewer's report:
- English needs to be revised
-  Verb tense needs to be corrected. In many places the future is used when the work has already
been done
- Statistical analysis needs to be better explained. The presented results were analyzed in relation
to the WTDSS group; There is no difference found between the WTDSS group and any other
group analyzed? Not even with the WT group?  So what is the objective of the other groups?
How to prove that inflammation by DSS was established if there is no difference between the
WTDSS group and the WT group?
- In the microbiota results, the analyzed bacteria were little explored. A. muciniphila, for
example, is a bacterium considered beneficial and is reduced in patients with IBD, therefore, the
result found go against with several studies in the literature.
Review for 10.1186/s12876-023-02971-5 (2023)

Title: LACC1 regulates changes in the intestinal flora in a mouse model of inflammatory bowel
disease
Version: 1 Date: 17 Jul 2023
Reviewer's report:
1. Please provide IACUC approval number and add the description of animal welfare in the
M&M.
2. Please correct the word error, format, and font superscript etc in this manuscript.
3.  Please analysis the significant difference  between four groups each other in Figure 1-3.
Review for 10.1186/s12876-023-02977-z (2023)

Title: Extracellular matrix remodeling proteins as biomarkers for clinical assessment and
treatment outcomes in eosinophilic esophagitis
Version: 1 Date: 24 Jan 2023
Reviewer's report:
Comments:
In this paper, the authors aim to identify serological biomarkers in a clinically well-characterized
group of adult EoE patients. Identification of reliable non-invasive markers for diagnosis of
EoE including endotypes and monitoring the success of various treatment interventions is a
major challenge in the field. This paper tries to address this question by analyzing a set of
markers related to tissue remodeling (extracellular matrix turnover (collagens)) and neutrophil
and macrophage activity. The difference observed while significant is very modest.  Also, the
relevance of these biomarkers to EoE as opposed to atopy is unclear and data presentation needs
more clarity.
Major points:
1. Nearly all EoE patients have other allergic disorders such as atopic dermatitis and asthma (see
details of the clinical trial published in DOI: 10.1111/nmo.14291). It is unclear if the biomarkers
assessed in the paper are specific to EoE or reflect the atopic status of the patients. What was
the rationale for choosing these biomarkers specifically for EoE?
2. This whole study represents a “discovery” cohort, but no validation cohort is reported. What
is the value of these biomarkers either alone or in combinations as related to the diagnosis and
treatment of EoE? While this point is discussed in the paper, it signifies the major limitation
and raises the question of whether these findings are related at all to EoE as it is presented in
the manuscript.
3. It would be beneficial to have the methodology explained in much more detail rather than
referring to previous publications. Please provide details on the ELISA kits used, such as the
manufacturer and the catalog number, units of measurement, and detection limits.
Minor points
1. Table 1 is confusing. What does Figure 1-5 in the first column mean? Does it have to include
the statistics? Is there a better way to present these sub-classifications? Maybe using a chart?
2. Related to it, do patients with more severe endotypes had a higher co-occurrence of other
atopies which may explain differences seen for example in Figure 2?
3. Table 4 is highly confusing. To what group comparison does the P-value refer? What are
the units for the expression of each marker? Please present as bar graphs (or similar) for the
individual biomarkers with individual values for each patient (to assess the distribution) and the
accompanied statistics.
4. What does Ratio (Y-axis in Figure 1E and 3D) represent?
5. Spelling errors in the text, please run the spelling check.
6. Some figures have Y-axis not starting from 0 which gives a visual impression of a stronger
effect (Ex. Fig 1 B, C, E)
7. I don’t understand Figure 4.
Review for 10.1186/s12876-023-02977-z (2023)

Title: Extracellular matrix remodeling proteins as biomarkers for clinical assessment and
treatment outcomes in eosinophilic esophagitis
Version: 8 Date: 19 Sep 2023
Reviewer:  Cary C. Cotton
Reviewer's report:
I found the authors answered my criticisms and the criticisms of the other reviewers to my
satisfaction. I think the work deserves publication in this journal.
Review for 10.1186/s12876-023-02993-z (2023)

Title: Depression symptoms increase the risk for initiation or switching to biologic therapy in
pediatric inflammatory bowel disease patients in remission
Version: 1 Date: 04 Jul 2023
Reviewer's report:
Overall, there are no serious concerns regarding the manuscript. It is well-written and properly
articulated. However, the authors can consider cross-checking for minor grammatical errors.
For instance,
1. Page 2, Line 23. Authors might consider writing ‘…. UC and CD patients….’.
2. Page 5, Line 105. Instead of ‘.,, received psychological assessment …’ you may write ‘…
underwent psychological assessment …’.
3. Page 5, Line 110. Instead of ‘.,, Patients scored above 10 …’ you may write ‘… Patients with
score above 10 …’.
Review for 10.1186/s12876-023-02993-z (2023)

Title: Depression symptoms increase the risk for initiation or switching to biologic therapy in
pediatric inflammatory bowel disease patients in remission
Version: 1 Date: 06 Sep 2023
Reviewer:  Partha Pal
Reviewer's report:
The authors have described that depression symptoms in pediatric IBD in remission increases
the risk of biologics use which is novel. However there are few concerns
Major comments
The authors should state references showing  the validity and reliability of these questionnaires
(PHQ 9, GAD 7)  in pediatric population.
The authors have only evaluated age, sex and disesase type as  risk factors of biologic usage
and analyzed  them as confounders. However other factors such as steroid dependence, disease
duration, disease phetotype (stricturing/fistulizing) and BMI etc can influence the risk of
biologic usage and needs to be evaluated in multivariate analysis. If these information are not
available then the authors should ackowledge that in the limitation of the study.
It is not clear whether these patients recieved psychological intervention or not as the authors
have described that  they had 12-24 months follow up. It is important to know whether such
interventions influenced the need for initiation/switch of biologics.
Minor
It is better to present the baseline charateristics in UC and CD separately for better understanding
in a table using separate columns.
Review for 10.1186/s12876-023-02993-z (2023)

Title: Depression symptoms increase the risk for initiation or switching to biologic therapy in
pediatric inflammatory bowel disease patients in remission
Version: 3 Date: 11 Oct 2023
Reviewer's report:
The manuscript can be sent forward for further processing as it meets all the criteria  for
publication and the authors have made the required changes as asked during initial revision.
Review for 10.1186/s12876-023-02993-z (2023)

Title: Depression symptoms increase the risk for initiation or switching to biologic therapy in
pediatric inflammatory bowel disease patients in remission
Version: 3 Date: 11 Oct 2023
Reviewer:  Partha Pal
Reviewer's report:
All of my queries have been adequetly addressed. No more comments to make.
Review for 10.1186/s12876-023-02974-2 (2023)

Title: Risk Prediction of Second Primary Malignancies in Patients after Rectal Cancer: Analysis
Based on SEER Program
Version: 2 Date: 24 Jul 2023
Reviewer's report:
Yong-Chao Sen and Zi-Dan Zhao et al. investigated Risk Prediction of Second Primary
Malignancies in Patients after Rectal Cancer using SEER database. They presented
novel nomogram predict overall survival after rectal cancers concerning seconds primary
malignancies. Their study is considered to be a fascinating one that takes full advantage of the
characteristics of the SEER database. I have some comments about details of their works.
Major comments
1#Second primary malignancies (SPMs) of their results included rectal cancers. Why were
rectal cancer determined as SPMs? How can we distinguish this from a first rectal cancer
recurrence? A more detailed explanation is needed.
2#How will the nomograms created be used in patient care? Does active screening of upper
SPMs contribute to improved prognosis? Authors should elaborate further in the Discussion
Minor comments
1#SPM should be spell out in first appearance.
Review for 10.1186/s12876-023-02974-2 (2023)

Title: Risk Prediction of Second Primary Malignancies in Patients after Rectal Cancer: Analysis
Based on SEER Program
Version: 2 Date: 07 Aug 2023
Reviewer:  Konosuke Nakaji
Reviewer's report:
In this retrospective study, the authors presented the second primary malignancy (SPM)risk
factor in rectal cancer using the data from the SEER program. The author found that age and N
factor are essential factors for OS. There are several articles on other sites on the malignancy
of SPM in the SEER program. However, there is no research on rectal cancer of SPM. For this
reason, the article is worth publishing.
1. Please add the demographic and clinicopathological characteristics of the second primary
malignancies as one Table.
2. Please add the section on the definition of SPM for rectal cancer.
3. In the limitations, the authors should add bias using any chemotherapy used in this study.
Review for 10.1186/s12876-023-02982-2 (2023)

Title: Risk assessment of rectal anastomotic leakage (RAREAL) after DIXON in non-
emergency patients with rectal cancer: a retrospective study
Version: 0 Date: 25 Oct 2022
Reviewer:  Giovanni Tomasicchio
Reviewer's report:
In this retrospective study, the authors analyzed the preoperative and intraoperative risk factors
for anastomosis leak after Dixon surgery in rectal cancer. These risk factors were then used to
establish a risk assessment of rectal anastomotic Leak (RAREAL) model.
I have several questions/comments for the authors:
- Were there statistically significant differences between the two groups (model and validation)?
- What type of bowel preparation was done? Was it the same for all the patients? Please precise it.
- Please precise what you mean by “active preoperative preparation”.
- In this retrospective analysis you have analysed 604 consecutive patients who had undergone
DIXON for rectal cancer but is not clear if all the patients have had a prophylactic diverging
stoma or nor. Please specify it.
- Was an intraoperative leak test done in  patients without a prophylactic diverging stoma?
- Did the linear cutting closure device used for rectal resection, and circular stapler used for
rectal anastomosis, were the same devices for all the patients, or you used different companies?
Moreover, did the circular stapler was a double-rows or triple-rows?