JerMa88/BMC_Gastroenterology_Peer_Reviews huggingface dataset:
Review for 10.1186/s12876-023-03079-6 (2023)

Title: Management of type 1 gastric neuroendocrine tumors: An 11-year retrospective single-
center study
Version: 2 Date: 04 Aug 2023
Reviewer's report:
The paper provides valuable information on the clinicopathological characteristics, treatment
outcomes, and prognosis of type 1 gastric neuroendocrine tumors (NETs).
The large sample size and long follow-up period in a single-center study are commendable,
especially considering the rarity of these tumors.
The use of standardized diagnostic criteria and classification and the inclusion of treatment
interventions and the analysis of risk factors for recurrence help in understanding the disease
management.
Weaknesses that could be improved:
• The introduction is well-written, but it could benefit from a stronger rationale for why the
study is important. For example, discussing the increasing incidence of type 1 gastric NETs and
the challenges in accurate classification and management would add context (see also PMID:
35807078 and PMID: 37497604).
• The discussion of results in the paper is minimal. The authors should interpret the findings,
compare them with existing literature, and discuss the implications for clinical practice (see
PMID: 37497604, PMID: 37401795).
• The statistical analyses could be more robust. The authors could use more advanced statistical
methods, such as multivariate regression, to explore potential confounding factors affecting
recurrence risk.
• The study is retrospective, which may introduce biases and limit the ability to draw
causal conclusions. The authors should acknowledge this limitation and suggest the need for
prospective studies to validate the findings.
• The language and grammar need improvement in several sections. A thorough proofreading
and editing are necessary to enhance the overall clarity of the paper.
• The role of proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) in type 1 gastric neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) has
not been evaluated in this study. Even if the Authors didn’t present their data, the absence of PPI
evaluation in this study should be acknowledged and discussed in the context of potential clinical
implications, as a potential risk factor of occurrence or recurrence (see PMID: 26059834).
Review for 10.1186/s12876-023-03079-6 (2023)

Title: Management of type 1 gastric neuroendocrine tumors: An 11-year retrospective single-
center study
Version: 2 Date: 22 Sep 2023
Reviewer's report:
This paper summarizes the clinical characteristics and treatment outcomes of type 1 gastric NET
patients in large-scale single center, retrospectively. However, there are a number of obligatory
things about this paper that I can't help but point out as follows;
Major revision
1. Page 4. Materials and methods "Diagnostic criteria for type 1 gastric NETs - comprehensive
analysis for diagnosis of type 1 gastric NETs."
The authors provided diagnostic criteria for type 1 gastric NETs, but it is uncertain that thy
actually evaluated with these. In fact, there were no results for portion of positive anti#PCA or
anti-IFA and serum gastrin level. I believe it is appropriate to present the results, such as serum
gastrin level, from the patients in which it was performed, even if it was not performed in all
patients.
2. Page 4. Table 1. Evaluation of gatsroscopic manifestations of type 1 gastric NETs
The authors redefined tumor recurrence as progression of level of endoscopic manifestation in
the setting of incomplete resection. I cannot find this definition for tumor recurrence, and also I
didn't agree with it. I suggested to exclude patients with incomplete resections or not receiving
resection for accurate calculations of recurrence rate.
3. Traditional chinise medicine (TCM) was understood to be SMLJ01 in reference 24.  If you
have suggested that TCM can reduce recurrence of type 1 gastric NETs, please describe the
mechanisms, duration of treatment, indications, etc of TCM, at least in discussion section.
Minor revision
1. Page 3. Introduction. "As one of the earlist center - , and rich clinical experience".
I don't think emphasizing the institution where the research was conducted is appropriate for
objective dissertation work.
2. Page 7. Results. Clinicopathological features. "the most common manifestations were
stomach distension or stomach pain (60 cases), abdominal distension or abdominal pain (45
cases)-"
It's hard to understand the semantic difference between "stomach distention or pain" and
"abdominal distension or pain".
3. If possible, the results of laboratory test, including hemoglobin and gastrin levels, should be
presented.
4. There is a lot of redundancy in the results section, such as in the table, so it's best to summarize
the most important points where possible. (Table 2-4)
5. Although this was retrospective study, the important clinicopathologic features could not be
evaluated in 15~25% of patients; number of lesions, maximum diameter of tumor. depth of
invasion, histologic grade, stage, and metastasis (Table 2). That would certainly affected the
analyses for tumor recurrence, so it is worth describing the limitation in discussion section.
Review for 10.1186/s12876-023-03079-6 (2023)

Title: Management of type 1 gastric neuroendocrine tumors: An 11-year retrospective single-
center study
Version: 2 Date: 09 Oct 2023
Reviewer's report:
PEER REVIEWER ASSESSMENTS:
OBJECTIVE - Full research articles: is there a clear objective that addresses a testable research
question(s) (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 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 - Is the current version of this work technically
sound? If not, can revisions be made to make the work technically sound?
Probably - with minor revisions
PEER REVIEWER COMMENTS:
GENERAL COMMENTS: This is a large retrospective study of gastric type 1 NET. This study
is well performed and has a large sample. It is well written. I have few comments
ADDITIONAL REQUESTS/SUGGESTIONS:
Page 7. Results
discovered through gastrocopy due to physical examination... May the authors explain or clarify?
does the patients had a mass? that is unsual in type 1 gastric NET
Results please complete all the autoimmune diseases in order to delete the "etc"
Please specy % of patients with anti parietal cell antibodies, intrinsic factor antibodies, b12
deficiency. please also specify the type of anemia (b12 related, iron deficiency anemia). Patients
with B12 deficiency may have iron deficiency.
May the authors explain why 15 patients had surgery, typically gastrectomy is not the standard
of treatment for NET. Also, please clarify if those were the metastasic or the size-
Also, why 24 received SSA when only 5 were metastatic? This was not discussed
Review for 10.1186/s12876-023-03079-6 (2023)

Title: Management of type 1 gastric neuroendocrine tumors: An 11-year retrospective single-
center study
Version: 4 Date: 06 Nov 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: Yes, the authors answered all my questions and comments. They
also made sustantial changes to improve the clarity of the manuscript. I also read carefully the
comments of other reviewers and I agree with their questions and the answers of the authors.
This version is better.
ADDITIONAL REQUESTS/SUGGESTIONS:
I still think that commenting regarding chinese herbal medicine, thats is not the standard in the
rest of the world and has limited evidence with few clinical trials is not relevant to the evidence
and limits the external application of the results
Review for 10.1186/s12876-023-03079-6 (2023)

Title: Management of type 1 gastric neuroendocrine tumors: An 11-year retrospective single-
center study
Version: 4 Date: 08 Nov 2023
Reviewer's report:
Dear Authors,
I have carefully reviewed your manuscript and I am pleased to report that it has improved
significantly since the previous version.
However, I have a few suggestions that could further improve the manuscript. First, I would
recommend that you provide more detail about the endoscopic findings of the gastric NETs,
such as the presence of any other endoscopic abnormalities, such as polyps also non-NET (as
previously reported see PMID: 36858908).  Even if not reported, please comment.
Second, I would recommend that you discuss the potential role of proton pump inhibitors
(PPIs) in developing gastric NETs. There is some evidence that PPIs may increase the risk of
developing gastric NETs, (see PMID: 26059834). Again, even if not reported, please comment.
These suggestions would make your manuscript even more informative and valuable.
Review for 10.1186/s12876-023-03079-6 (2023)

Title: Management of type 1 gastric neuroendocrine tumors: An 11-year retrospective single-
center study
Version: 4 Date: 20 Nov 2023
Reviewer's report:
The authors have  addressed the concerns raised in the initial review. The revisions could
strengthen the paper well, although there are limitations due to the retrospective nature of the
study.
Review for 10.1186/s12876-023-03082-x (2023)

Title: International diet quality index and revised diet quality index relationship with non-
alcoholic fatty liver disease: a case-control study
Version: 0 Date: 19 Aug 2023
Reviewer's report:
Thanks for the opportunity to review this interesting manuscript.
I think it is a scientifically well-written manuscript. However, I have some questions and
comment for the authors.
1-Did authors match the cases and controls? If yes for which variables? Please mention this in
the manuscript.
2-In references, for number 32 please use the abbreviated form of the journal name.
3-In Table 1, please revise the unit for BMI( kg/m2).
4- In my opinion,  the discussion can be improved (some of the findings are not presented
clearly )
Review for 10.1186/s12876-023-03082-x (2023)

Title: International diet quality index and revised diet quality index relationship with non-
alcoholic fatty liver disease: a case-control study
Version: 0 Date: 11 Oct 2023
Reviewer's report:
Comments to the Author
This is an interesting study which focuses on the different aspects of diet and risk of NAFLD.
There is lots of evidence investigating effects of dietary factors on many diseases, but have a
glance to diet quality index is so appreciable.
However, there are some issues need minor revision that may improve your paper:
1. In the paper (Line 118 and 141), it is mentioned that details of DQI-I and DQI-R calculation
have been described elsewhere. Please determine the reference.  Also, please clarify what do
you mean about empty calorie foods in moderation score?
It is better to explain how to investigate the association between per SD increment and the odds
of NAFLD in statistical analysis.
2. Line 276- page 14: what do you mean? “Also, a meta-analysis of trials showed that weight
loss in the short-term ...” It is not clear. Instead of that sentence, you can imply this finding in
the below sentence:
- A meta-analysis of trials reported no differences in weight, cardiovascular and diabetes risk
factors with two different dietary compositions (low CHO diets vs isocaloric Balanced diets)
which is related to overall balance score.
3. It  would be better to have a general revisit in terms of both language and narrative.
A few lines require rewording / clarification:
- Line 201- page 11; any significant association of per SD increments of … and … with OR…
- Line 271- page 14; among should be changed to between
- Line 281- page 14; “To our knowledge, the present study first assessed…” should be changed
to “To our knowledge, this is the first study...”
- Line 14, page 2; each one SD increment in the DQI-I score was… (OR=0.65) should be changed
to OR=0.63 (according to table 3)
Review for 10.1186/s12876-023-03082-x (2023)

Title: International diet quality index and revised diet quality index relationship with non-
alcoholic fatty liver disease: a case-control study
Version: 1 Date: 03 Dec 2023
Reviewer's report:
Thanks for the opportunity to review this revised manuscript. It seems that the authors have
addressed most of the comments and questions. However I think there are two more points which
can improve this manuscript.
1. Please use separate paragraphs to discuss your findings.
2. Please also discuss about the possible explanations or mechanisms for the results of the studies
(it is not very clear in the current text).
Review for 10.1186/s12876-023-03066-x (2023)

Title: Enhancing Surgical Precision: Unveiling the Impact of Preoperative Colonoscopy in Anal
Fistula Patients
Version: 0 Date: 16 Oct 2023
Reviewer's report:
In the manuscript “Enhancing Surgical Precision: Unveiling the Impact of Preoperative
Colonoscopy in Anal Fistula Patients.” the authors try to explain the utility of preoperative
colonoscopy as a diagnostic tool in patients with anal fistula through the retrospectively analyse
and compare findings from preoperative colonoscopy in a large cohort of anal fistula patients
versus non-anal fistula patients and analysing the distribution of inflammatory lesions in the
bowel. This evaluates whether preoperative colonoscopy provides added diagnostic value in the
clinical management of anal fistula patients.
The manuscript is generally well-designed and organised; however, I have some concerns.
The introduction could be strengthened by clearly stating the purpose and rationale for the study
upfront. What gap in knowledge is this study addressing?
The figure legend in Figures 3, 4 and 5 needs to be more descriptive.
Figure 4 needs to include the statistics in the chart.
The conclusion covers a lot of ground from summarising major findings to limitations. Consider
having a separate limitations section.
Overall, the study makes an interesting case for the potential value of preoperative colonoscopy
in anal fistula patients. Still, the write-up would benefit from a clearer purpose statement,
avoiding repetitiveness, improved structure, and not overstating conclusions.
Review for 10.1186/s12876-023-03066-x (2023)

Title: Enhancing Surgical Precision: Unveiling the Impact of Preoperative Colonoscopy in Anal
Fistula Patients
Version: 0 Date: 23 Oct 2023
Reviewer's report:
this study is quite revolutionary because it supports that in patients with anal fistula it is important
to have a colonoscopy since it is much more frequent to find inflammatory intestinal diseases in
those suffering from anal fistula compared to those who do not have a fistula. therefore the fistula
in itself almost represents a risk factor for the presence of polyps and inflammatory intestinal
diseases. this causes a certain stir in the sense that it is not even easy to organize yourself in
this way logistically because based on the age of the patient, based on the type of fistula, often
performing a colonoscopy becomes difficult to manage but given your results we will certainly
do the congratulations and let's evaluate this hypothesis.
Review for 10.1186/s12876-023-03086-7 (2023)

Title: Polypharmacy and Pattern of medication use among patients with gastroesophageal reflux
disease: results from Pars Cohort study
Version: 1 Date: 14 Aug 2023
Reviewer's report:
- For world standard population, It is recommended to mention (an) appropriate reference(s).
- In third line in results, please add unit (likely, years).
- In table 1:
1. The lines of table should be revised
2. Symbol ">=" replace with "#" etc.
3. Sum of cells (total) are not same, including tobacco use
- In table 2:
Please add comparing group(s) and their measures in table
- It is better to show percentages with uniform decimals (throughout the manuscript)
Review for 10.1186/s12876-023-03086-7 (2023)

Title: Polypharmacy and Pattern of medication use among patients with gastroesophageal reflux
disease: results from Pars Cohort study
Version: 1 Date: 11 Nov 2023
Reviewer's report:
method section,
- the authors mentioned "Participants were asked about experiencing heartburn .....", how authors
exclude cardiac chest pain from heartburn?
- physical activity was classified as low, moderate......, it is suggested to clarify the classification
of physical activity and also about socioeconomic status .
result, there are five tables and several figures, it is suggested some tables or figures merged
with text.
Review for 10.1186/s12876-023-03076-9 (2023)

Title: The association between jaundice and poorly differentiated pancreatic neuroendocrine
neoplasms (Ki67 index > 55.0%)
Version: 0 Date: 31 Oct 2023
Reviewer's report:
PEER REVIEWER ASSESSMENTS:
OBJECTIVE - Full research articles: is there a clear objective that addresses a testable research
question(s) (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?
No - there are minor issues
EXECUTION - Are the experiments and analyses performed with technical rigor to allow
confidence in the results?
No - there are minor issues
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?
No - there are minor issues
OVERALL MANUSCRIPT POTENTIAL - Is the current version of this work technically
sound? If not, can revisions be made to make the work technically sound?
Probably - with minor revisions
PEER REVIEWER COMMENTS:
GENERAL COMMENTS: A relatively large retrospective study in challenging study
population. Has the potential to improve clinical management.
REQUESTED REVISIONS:
The following comments may help improve the manuscript:
1. Please provide data on serum bilirubin levels; also indicate the number of patients with missing
bilirubin data.
2. Please justify the exclusion of patients with PNENs in the body and tail of the pancreas.
3. How the absence of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma was confirmed?
4. Manuscript needs to be reviewed for English grammar and style.
Review for 10.1186/s12876-023-03076-9 (2023)

Title: The association between jaundice and poorly differentiated pancreatic neuroendocrine
neoplasms (Ki67 index > 55.0%)
Version: 2 Date: 13 Nov 2023
Reviewer's report:
The revised manuscript titled "The association between jaundice and poorly differentiated
pancreatic neuroendocrine neoplasms (Ki67 index > 55.0%)" has shown considerable
improvement from its previous version.
While the findings are significant, still the manuscript would benefit from a more detailed
discussion on how these findings fit into the broader landscape of PNEN research and clinical
management, potentially comparing and contrasting with other predictive markers (such as NSE
and Chromogranin A, see also PMID: 37658563, PMID: 25428270 and PMID: 21945100).
Please add this points to the discussion
Review for 10.1186/s12876-023-03076-9 (2023)

Title: The association between jaundice and poorly differentiated pancreatic neuroendocrine
neoplasms (Ki67 index > 55.0%)
Version: 2 Date: 14 Nov 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 manuscript has improved substantially following this round of
revisions.
Review for 10.1186/s12876-023-03076-9 (2023)

Title: The association between jaundice and poorly differentiated pancreatic neuroendocrine
neoplasms (Ki67 index > 55.0%)
Version: 2 Date: 20 Nov 2023
Reviewer:  Ciro Celsa
Reviewer's report:
Authors partially addressed Reviewers comments but  this does not cancel the limitations and
weaknesses of the paper
Review for 10.1186/s12876-023-03076-9 (2023)

Title: The association between jaundice and poorly differentiated pancreatic neuroendocrine
neoplasms (Ki67 index > 55.0%)
Version: 3 Date: 30 Nov 2023
Reviewer's report:
The revised manuscript titled "The association between jaundice and poorly
differentiated pancreatic neuroendocrine neoplasms (Ki67 index > 55.0%)" has shown
considerable improvement from its previous version. No other requests.
Review for 10.1186/s12876-023-03072-z (2023)

Title: Exercise is inversely associated with functional dyspepsia among a sample of Chinese
male armed police recruits
Version: 0 Date: 19 Oct 2023
Reviewer's report:
BMC Review
The major problem with this paper is that it does not contain the information necessary for the
reader to understand the significance of the study.
[Abstract]
Abbreviations in the first appearance should be accompanied by the official name.
[Background]
What is the significance of conducting research among a sample of armed police recruits? Please
describe clearly the advantages of using such group as subjects in examining the relationship
between exercise and FD.
[Methods]
(1) Line , Page "We conducted an on-site questionnaire survey on FD among a sample of Chinese
armed police recruits based on the Rome IV criteria in 2021."
I think this explanation is ambiguous; do you mean that authors extracted individuals with FD
based on Rome IV?
(2) In the definition of FD section, there is an abrupt explanation regarding the diagnosis of IBS
and FC. The reason for extracting this group should be explained. Also, Please explain why the
authors did not confirm the presence of functional diarrhea.
(3) Is the exercise that the participants in this study are doing the same nature as spontaneous
exercise in the general population? Are the participants in this study being tasked with exercise
in the course of their work (as part of their required training)?
[Discussion]
Patients with IBS may experience avoidance behavior due to anxiety about exercise
(Reme et al, 2010, https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1016/j.jpsychores.2010.01.025), but are such
characteristics seen in patients with FD? Table 1 shows that a percentage of people who do not
exercise is higher among those with FD, and the number of people who exercise for 1~2 hours,
which is the highest among non-FD patients, is halved among those with FD.
Review for 10.1186/s12876-023-03072-z (2023)

Title: Exercise is inversely associated with functional dyspepsia among a sample of Chinese
male armed police recruits
Version: 0 Date: 23 Oct 2023
Reviewer's report:
Thank you for giving me the opportunity to review the article. The authors conducted a study
focusing on the association between exercise and functional dyspepsia. I thought that the topic is
clinically important, but there are several methodological problems in the manuscript. Therefore,
the reviewer thought the manuscript should be revised before further considerations. I listed my
comments below.
Comments:
Title:
1. The study only included male, and they should mention about this point in the title.
Abstract:
2. The authors mentioned that “the incidence rate of FD in Chinese armed police recruits
was 1.77%”, but the coverage rate of their study is unclear. The incidence rate is only in the
participated population.
Methods:
3. The authors should add the ethical approval number and date.
4. The recruiting process is unclear. The authors should explain about the details.
5. The authors should explain about the sample size calculation.
6. How did the authors select the confounding variables of their analysis?
7. The authors should use the words “ethnicity” and “race” consistently.
8. The population only included 2% of the minority nationality, but they adjusted. Is it required?
9. The age of this population is “19.8±1.5 years”, but they included multivariate analysis. Is it
required?
Results:
10. The authors should add the total number of potential participants of their study. In addition
to this, they should add a flow diagram of this study.
Discussion:
11. The authors should discuss about the “special social groups” in more detail.
12. Could the COVID-19 pandemic affect the study process and the results? The authors
conducted the study in 2021, and they should mention about it.
Review for 10.1186/s12876-023-03072-z (2023)

Title: Exercise is inversely associated with functional dyspepsia among a sample of Chinese
male armed police recruits
Version: 1 Date: 19 Nov 2023
Reviewer's report:
Thank you for giving me the opportunity to review the revised version of this article. The authors
revised the manuscript according to the comments partly. However, the reviewer thought that thy
should revise the manuscript more before further considerations. I listed my comments below.
Comments:
AR, authors’ response; AC, additional comment
Methods:
1. The recruiting process is unclear. The authors should explain about the details.
AR: I'm sorry for not making our article clear. In our study, 2657 recruits completed the
questionnaire, after excluded 63 recruits due to incomplete data, there were 2594 recruits met
inclusion and exclusion criteria, and included in final analysis. We have included a flow chart
in the article. See revised manuscript results section, Line 4-6, Page 7; Figure 1.
AC: The reviewer would like to know the process before completing the questionnaire. How
did the authors distribute and collect the questionnaire? How did the authors explain about this
study? Who did contribute this process?
2. How did the authors select the confounding variables of their analysis?
AR: I'm sorry for not making our article clear. Multiple logistic regression analyses, the ability
of exercise to distinguish FD from non-FD was assessed by adjusting demographic variables,
include age, BMI, ethnicity, marriage, education, smoking, and drinking variables. FD, IBS and
FC all belong to functional gastrointestinal diseases. Therefore, in this article, we also excluded
participants with IBS and FC in multivariate model analysis to exclude confounding factors to
make the results more stable. We had added this in the article. See revised manuscript methods
section, Line 18-21, Page 6.
AC: The authors should describe “how” did the authors select these variables. The words
“demographic variables” is not an explanation. Not only that, the authors check the model
fittings.
Results:
3. The authors should add the total number of potential participants of their study. In addition
to this, they should add a flow diagram of this study.
AR: We thank the reviewer for pointing this out, and the comments are very helpful for us
to improve our paper. In our study, 2657 recruits completed the In our study, 2657 recruits
completed the questionnaire, questionnaire, after excluded 63 recruits due to incomplete data,
there were 2594 recruits met inclusion and exclusion criteria, and included in final analysis. We
have We have included a flow chart in the article. included a flow chart in the article. See revised
manuscript results section, Line 4-6, Page 7; Figure 1.
AC: The number of “2657 recruits” covered all the recruits of Chinese male armed police? The
authors answered about the “principle of confidentiality of military information” for another
question. It can be limitation, and they should clearly write about it in the Discussion section.
Review for 10.1186/s12876-023-03072-z (2023)

Title: Exercise is inversely associated with functional dyspepsia among a sample of Chinese
male armed police recruits
Version: 1 Date: 19 Nov 2023
Reviewer's report:
Thank you for responding to my comments. There are several points that need to be corrected,
which are listed below.
1) In the last paragraph of the Introduction section, it would be better to describe more carefully
the necessity that the subjects of this study were armed police. In other words, if armed police are
expected to perform a certain amount of exercise required in this study, and the authors believe
that they are suitable subjects for the purpose of this study, it is better to state this properly.
2) Line 18-21, Page 6. I think this additional explanation is inadequate; the reason for not
checking functional diarrhea was communicated to me in your response to my comment, but
not to the reader.
Review for 10.1186/s12876-023-03072-z (2023)

Title: Exercise is inversely associated with functional dyspepsia among a sample of Chinese
male armed police recruits
Version: 3 Date: 04 Dec 2023
Reviewer's report:
I extend my gratitude for granting me the opportunity to review the revised version of the
aforementioned article. I am pleased to confirm that the authors have diligently incorporated
the suggested comments into the manuscript. As a result of these revisions, the reviewer has
expressed confidence in the manuscript's suitability for publication in our esteemed journal.
Review for 10.1186/s12876-023-03060-3 (2023)

Title: Age- and sex-stratified detection rates and associated factors of colorectal neoplasia in
the Tianjin colorectal cancer screening program from 2012 to 2020
Version: 0 Date: 10 Jul 2023
Reviewer's report:
This study suggests that stratified colorectal cancer screening strategies based on gender and age
are valid. Participants who were either HRFQ-positive or FIT-positive were defined as high risk
and offered a free colonoscopy to identify colorectal cancer risk factors. The researchers found
that several lifestyle factors, such as smoking, alcohol consumption, and BMI, were associated
with the presence of colorectal lesions in individuals over the age of 50, and found that colorectal
cancer detection increased earlier in men than in women.
The experimental design is well organized, the analytical methods used are valid, and the results
are logically acceptable. Overall, the manuscript presents very interesting and relevant work to
advance our understanding of how risk factors for CRC are related to age and sex. I recommend
that the manuscript be accepted as is.
Review for 10.1186/s12876-023-03060-3 (2023)

Title: Age- and sex-stratified detection rates and associated factors of colorectal neoplasia in
the Tianjin colorectal cancer screening program from 2012 to 2020
Version: 0 Date: 08 Oct 2023
Reviewer:  Pallop Siewchaisakul
Reviewer's report:
Introduction
1. I recommended author to provide more detail about the CRC screening and the burden of CRC
(term of incidence &mortality in Tianjin (briefly). So that reader would know how important
the CRC screening in Tianjin.
2. Line 68, page 4: I suggest author to give example or specify the risk factors. Author can also
state that this article would fulfil the knowledge gap by take those risk factors into account.
3. Line 140-141, Page 7: Could author describe how to recruit variables in the initial model and
how author  get the final model (did author perform, i.e., enter, backward or forward methods)?
Result
4. Regarding the analysis in Table 4, I recommended author to analyze stratified by sex and age,
and these may put in supplementary table.
5. I suggest to use the word multivariable, for the multivariate, readers might confuse with
multiple outcome.
6.  In the footnote, author wrote aOR, so that could author please use the abbreviation
consistently?
Discussion
7. One of the observed result show that the detection rate was higher in HRFQ than the FIT test.
I think this would be one of the discussion topic in this manuscript?
Review for 10.1186/s12876-023-03060-3 (2023)

Title: Age- and sex-stratified detection rates and associated factors of colorectal neoplasia in
the Tianjin colorectal cancer screening program from 2012 to 2020
Version: 1 Date: 03 Nov 2023
Reviewer:  Pallop Siewchaisakul
Reviewer's report:
I have no further comments.
Review for 10.1186/s12876-023-03001-0 (2023)

Title: A novel endoplasmic reticulum stress-related lncRNA signature for prognosis prediction
and immune response evaluation in Stomach adenocarcinoma
Version: 0 Date: 17 Sep 2023
Reviewer's report:
The authors established 9 ERS related-lncRNAs through bioinformatics to evaluate the
prognosis, immune microenvironment and provide potential treatment guidance for STAD
patients. I believe this study has potential significance for STAD patients.
Comments:
1. Why are there such big differences between the AUCs of Fig4E and Fig4F in predicting OS
in 1, 3 and 5 years? How does the author view this issue?
2. In Fig7C and D, only those with statistical significance can be called significant differences.
Please re-describe the results of these two figures.
3. The author's discussion of TMB and TIME lacks a certain depth. The authors should provide
an in-depth discussion of the tumour immune microenvironment and TMB, drawing on the
following literature: PMID: 36122795; PMID: 37414962; PMID: 36367669; PMID: 34262855;
PMID: 31406485.
Review for 10.1186/s12876-023-03001-0 (2023)

Title: A novel endoplasmic reticulum stress-related lncRNA signature for prognosis prediction
and immune response evaluation in Stomach adenocarcinoma
Version: 0 Date: 24 Sep 2023
Reviewer's report:
Song et.al developed a novel endoplasmic reticulum stress-related lncRNA signature that
predicts STAD prognosis and immune response. Several problems should be addressed before
publication.
1. The classification strategy of training and test sets should be listed in the method section.
Moreover, the results of the manuscript were obtained from only TCGA datasets. It’s necessary
to estimate the efficacy of lncRNA signature in an external validation dataset.
2. In line 111, the sentence ‘We utilized the “limma” R package to quantify the correlation
between lncRNAs and ERS-related genes.’ is not suitable, it seems like the correlation analysis
was performed by limma packages. However, the limma packages only provide DE analysis.
3. From lines 164-174, the immune resource that the authors provided is not correct. The authors
should provide how they get the TIME and immune checkpoint in Figure 7. The sentence
‘Finally, immune checkpoint molecules were evaluated using the “oncoPredict”, “parallel” and
“limma” R packages and visualized by boxplot using “ggplot2” and “ggpubr” R packages.’
Is not suitable, it seems like the authors estimated the immune checkpoint molecules via
“oncoPredict”, “parallel” and “limma”. However, the oncopredict is used to perform drug
response analysis.
4. Current research progress about the relationships between ERS and lncRNAs should be
discussed.
5. Authors should discuss the roles of lncRNAs in cancer immune regulation like PMID:
34654454, 37056564, 28829444...... Besides, the correlation between the 9 ERS-related lncRNA
and TIME or immune checkpoint molecules should be performed.
Review for 10.1186/s12876-023-03069-8 (2023)

Title: A PHASE 2 EVALUATION OF A NEW FLAVORED PEG AND SULFATE
SOLUTION FOR Colonoscopy
Version: 3 Date: 18 Nov 2023
Reviewer's report:
The authors claim, “Unfortunately, there are few validated instruments for assessing bowel
preparation tolerance and none, to our knowledge, are widely accepted for this purpose.”
However, the validated tolerability instrument by Lawrance et al has been used in multiple
studies, including several large-scale studies (see below). The Lawrance instrument appears
to enjoy considerable acceptance in the academic community. In the absence of a superior
(validated) tolerability instrument, the Lawrance instrument results should be included in future
Phase 3 studies.
Reference:
Lawrance IC, Willert RP, Murray K. A validated bowel-preparation tolerability questionnaire
and assessment of three commonly used bowel-cleansing agents. Dig Dis Sci 2013;58:926-35.
Included in the following large studies:
Sey MSL, Von Renteln D, Sultanian R, et al. A Multicenter Randomized Controlled Trial
Comparing Two Bowel Cleansing Regimens for Colonoscopy After Failed Bowel Preparation,
Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology,
Volume 20, Issue 6, 2022, Pages e1283-e1291
Briot C, Faure P, Parmentier AL, et al. and The CLEAN Study Group. Efficacy, Tolerability,
and Safety of Low-Volume Bowel Preparations for Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Diseases:
The French Multicentre CLEAN Study, Journal of Crohn's and Colitis, 2019, Pages 1121-1130
I accept the other comments of the authors and suggest that the paper be accepted for publication.
Review for 10.1186/s12876-023-03073-y (2023)

Title: Dietary and Lifestyle Indices for Hyperinsulinemia and Colorectal Cancer Risk: A Case-
Control Study
Version: 0 Date: 04 Oct 2023
Reviewer's report:
Dear editor,
The present manuscript investigates the relationship between Dietary and Lifestyle Indices for
Hyperinsulinemia and Colorectal Cancer Risk in a case-control study. The manuscript needs
major revisions. My comments are as follows:
Note: The data of this study was collected in the years 2008 to 2010 and now almost 13 years
have passed since the study was conducted and the lifestyle of people in the society has changed.
Abstract
1. Add basic participant information in the findings.
2. Add in the method how the ELIH and EDIH indicators were measured.
3. It is necessary that the keywords are based on the MeSH
4. It is better not to use the “so”. The English language of the manuscript needs to be edited
by a native person.
Introduction
5. The study was conducted in Iran. Why is the Middle East mentioned in the aim of the study
(end line). The aim of the study should be clear.
6. In the third paragraph of the introduction, where you reported the results of previous studies,
summarize before finishing the first paragraph and then start the next paragraph.
Methodology
7. The data of this study was collected in the years 2008 to 2010 and now almost 13 years have
passed since the study was conducted and the lifestyle of people in the society has changed.
Why the manuscript is submitted so late? The editor must decide in this regard
8. In the method, explain how you scored the foods to create the two variables ELIH and EDIH
Results
9. The text of the results is very brief and incomplete. It is necessary to write at least 20% of
the information in the tables in the form of text
10. Move energy and fiber from Table 1 to Table 2.
11. How is physical activity scored?
12. In table 3 for model 2, on what basis did you select and adjust the confounders? Because in
Table 1, all the variables that you adjusted had no significant difference in the two groups!
Discussion
13. In the first paragraph of the discussion, you do not need to repeat the aim of the study. I
suggest you write the important findings of the study in one paragraph
14. In the second and third paragraphs, you reported several results of the studies, but there
was no discussion. It is necessary to provide a justification and conclusion for similarities and
contradictions at the end of each paragraph.
Conclusion
15. Correct the conclusion with more appropriate sentences
Review for 10.1186/s12876-023-03073-y (2023)

Title: Dietary and Lifestyle Indices for Hyperinsulinemia and Colorectal Cancer Risk: A Case-
Control Study
Version: 0 Date: 13 Oct 2023
Reviewer's report:
PEER REVIEWER ASSESSMENTS:
OBJECTIVE - Full research articles: is there a clear objective that addresses a testable research
question(s) (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 technical rigor to allow
confidence in the results?
No - there are minor issues
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 - Is the current version of this work technically
sound? If not, can revisions be made to make the work technically sound?
Yes - current version is technically sound
PEER REVIEWER COMMENTS:
GENERAL COMMENTS: The overall impression of the study is very good, the authors
have presented and processed the topic of their study well, and with minor corrections and
clarifications, the manuscript is ready for publication.
REQUESTED REVISIONS:
The authors should further clarify Model 1 and Model 2, which would be found in the methods
and results (including text and tables). Furthermore, the inclusion and exclusion criteria for the
test group and the control group would be clearer in a tabular presentation.
A sentence in the Dietary intake chapter: "These weights are then multiplied by the
corresponding food components, and the scores are summed up, then divided by 1000 to decrease
the scores' magnitude, making it easier to describe the results." asks for clarification in my
opinion.
In Table 3, which is important for the results and conclusions, not all abbreviations are explained
in the legend.
ADDITIONAL REQUESTS/SUGGESTIONS:
Maybe add the questionnaire used in the study to the supplementary material
Review for 10.1186/s12876-023-03073-y (2023)

Title: Dietary and Lifestyle Indices for Hyperinsulinemia and Colorectal Cancer Risk: A Case-
Control Study
Version: 4 Date: 25 Nov 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 answered the reviewers' comments and questions point
by point, corrected and thus improved the manuscript.
ADDITIONAL REQUESTS/SUGGESTIONS:
Although the authors answered the questions point by point and made changes in the manuscript,
the lines in which the changes were made are not correct, and the marked text does not include
all the changes, which made it difficult to follow and flow the answers.
Review for 10.1186/s12876-023-03009-6 (2023)

Title: Chronic Gastritis May Predict Risk of Cerebral Small Vessel Disease
Version: 1 Date: 19 Sep 2023
Reviewer's report:
This is a very interesting study with a large sample size on the relationship between chronic
gastritis and cerebral small vessel disease, which increases our understanding of the relationship
between digestive system diseases and cerebral small vessel disease. The article is well written,
clearly structured and may well influence and stimulate research in the field. However, there are
still some problems to be solved before the article is published.
1. The population included in the study should further explain whether it is an inpatient due to
illness or a physical examination patient.
2. Why did the subjects undergo gastroscopy? Please further explain the rationality of this
examination.
Review for 10.1186/s12876-023-03009-6 (2023)

Title: Chronic Gastritis May Predict Risk of Cerebral Small Vessel Disease
Version: 1 Date: 01 Oct 2023
Reviewer:  Kazuo Yamashiro
Reviewer's report:
In this study, Wei C, et al. investigated the association between chronic gastritis and cerebral
small vessel disease (CSVD) in patients underwent gastroscopy. The authors reported that
chronic atrophic gastritis was associated with the presence of CSVD.
Comments
1. In the introduction, the authors mention that chronic gastritis caused by helicobacter pylori
(HP) infection is associated with an increased risk of ischemic stroke. Was chronic atrophic
gastritis associated with HP in this study? Please add the discussion.
2. Prevalence of hyperlipidemia was lower in patients with CSVD than those without. The
authors describe that this may be related to the intake of lipid-lowering drugs. The vascular
risk factors such as hypertension, diabetes, and dyslipidemia are usually defined as the use of
medications for these conditions or based on elevated blood pressure, glucose, and cholesterol
levels. The risk factor definition should be described more clearly in the methods, and
appropriate assessment of risk factors is needed.
3. What is the rationale of selecting variables for multivariate analysis? Factors showing
significant difference in Table 1 and atrial fibrillation (p=0.092) were selected, but presence of
fecal occult blood (p=0.045) and HP infection (p=0.088) were not. Please explain how to select
variables incorporated in multivariate analysis in the statistical analysis.
Review for 10.1186/s12876-023-03061-2 (2023)

Title: Convenient method to improve efficiency of lymph node examination after gastrectomy
with D2 lymphadenectomy for gastric cancer
Version: 2 Date: 23 Oct 2023
Reviewer:  Hee Sung Kim
Reviewer's report:
This manuscript is dealing very important practical issue in stomach cancer surgery. I think the
device and this result will be beneficial for surgical practice.
Review for 10.1186/s12876-023-03061-2 (2023)

Title: Convenient method to improve efficiency of lymph node examination after gastrectomy
with D2 lymphadenectomy for gastric cancer
Version: 2 Date: 25 Oct 2023
Reviewer's report:
Basically well written.
Regarding the statement “The greater the number of LNs examined, the better the resulting post-
gastrectomy survival in patients with T1-3N0-1 gastric cancer”.
I think this has two meanings; 1. The quality of the surgery was high (proof that the lymph node
dissection was done well) and 2.  dissected lymph nodes were thoroughly searched and accurate
diagnosis was made postoperatively.
The current research is considered to be aimed at improving 2. Therefore, these two things should
be discussed separately.