Review for 10.1186/s12876-016-0561-x (2017)

Reviewer ’s report  
 
Title: Clinical significance of UGT1A1 polymorphism a nd expression of ERCC1, BRCA1, 
TYMS, RRM1, TUBB3, STMN1 and TOP2A in gastric cancer  
 
Version: 0 Date: 01 Aug 2016  
 
Reviewer: Gopeshwar Narayan  
 
Reviewer's report:  
 
The authors have attempted to investigate the clinical significance of UGT1A1 polymorphism 
and expression of ERCC1, BRCA1, TYMS, RRM1, TUBB3,STMN1 and TOP2A. The results 
are compelling and are presented systematically.  
 
Major comments:  
1. Authors should define the range of expression levels in context of low, middle and high.  
2. Recent incidence of gastric cancer should be included with reference. Authors given the 
incidence  of 2011.  
 
Minor comments:  
1. Some of the sentences are written in past tense such as page 6, results section, line 1: 'were 
summarized' should be 'are summarized'. There are some more such errors.  
2. "patients carrying with G allele" should be replaced wi th either "patients with G allele", or 
"patients carrying G allele" this correction should be done at all the places in the manuscript.  
3. "TYMS, TUBB3 and STMN1 were closely associated" should be replaced with ".......were 
weakly associated".  
4. In the ti tle of the manuscript, a comma (,) is missing between TUBB3 and STMN1.  
5. Discussion section, page 9, line 54, "Our results.......with previous studies" be replaced with, 
"Our results are similar to previous studies".  
6. Conclusion: "The UGT1A1 polymorph ism should be detected to screen the risk population 
of gastric cancer" is an overstatement. More appropriate will be, "The UGT1A1 
polymorphism may be useful in screening the risk population of gastric cancer".      
 
Are the methods appropriate and well described?  
If not, please specify what is required in your comments to the authors.  
 
Yes 
 
Does the work include the necessary controls?  
If not, please spec ify which controls are required in your comments to the authors.  
 
Yes 
 
Are the conclusions drawn adequately supported by the data shown?  
If not, please explain in your comments to the authors.  
 
Yes 
 
Are you able to assess any statistics in the manuscript or would you recommend an  
additional statistical review?  
If an additional statistical review is recommended, please specify what aspects require further  
assessment in your comments to the editors.  
 
I am able to assess the statistics  
 
Quality of written English  
Please indicate the quality of language in the manuscript:  
 
Needs some language corrections before being published  
 
Declaration of competing interests  
Please complete a declaration of competing inter ests, considering the following questions:  
 
1. Have you in the past five years received reimbursements, fees, funding, or salary from an  
organisation that may in any way gain or lose financially from the publication of this  
manuscript, either now or in the future?  
 
2. Do you hold any stocks or shares in an organisation that may in any way gain or lose  
financially from the publication of this manuscript, either now or in the future?  
 
3. Do you hold or are you currently applying for any patents relating to the c ontent of the  
manuscript?  
 
4. Have you received reimbursements, fees, funding, or salary from an organization that 
holds  or has applied for patents relating to the content of the manuscript?  
 
5. Do you have any other financial competing interests?  
 
6. Do you have any non -financial competing interests in relation to this paper?  
 
If you can answer no to all of the above, write 'I declare that I have no competing interests' 
below.  If your reply is yes to any, please give details below.  
 
I declare that I have no com peting interests  
 
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