Review for 10.1186/s12876-019-1092-z (2019)

Reviewer ’s report  
 
Title: Pruritus in patients with chronic liver disease and serum au totaxin levels in patients with 
primary biliary cholangitis  
 
Version: 0 Date: 21 Aug 2019  
 
Reviewer: TAKAHSHI ATSUSHI  
 
Reviewer's report:  
 
Fujino H et al. showed that pruritus in patients with chronic l iver disease. This study was based 
on large number of patients and reported detail about the pruritus of PBC patients. This study is 
interesting and worth for publishing, but authors should resolve some concerns.  
 
 
Major  
 
1. Authors should describe the medi cation of pruritus in participants, because results can be 
affected by medication for pruritus.  
 
2. Platelet counts or presence of hepatocellular carcinoma were significant determinants of 
pruritis in previous study (Akuta et al. Hepatol Res 2018; 48:45 -50). Author should 
discuss the reason why these factors was not associated with pruritus in present study.  
 
3. Readers want to know the association between liver fibrosis and pruritus, however, liver 
stiffness evaluated only PBC patients. If possible, author s should add fibrosis marker 
such as Fib4 index and reanalyze.  
 
Are the methods appropriate and well described?  
If not, please specify what is required in your comments to the authors.  
 
Yes 
 
Does the w ork include the necessary controls?  
If not, please specify which controls are required in your comments to the authors.  
 
No 
 
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 manus cript or would you recommend an 
additional statistical review?  
If an additional statistical review is recommended, please speci fy 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:  
 
Acceptable  
 
Declaration of competing interests  
Please complete a declaration of competing interests, considering the following questions:  
 
1. Have you in the past five years received reimbursements, f ees, funding, or salary 
from an organisation that may in any way gain or lose financial ly from the 
publication of this manuscript, either now or in the future?  
 
2. Do you hold any stocks or shares in an o rganisation t hat 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 content 
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 com peting 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 competing interests  
 
I agree t o the open peer review policy of the journal. I understan d that my name will be included 
on my report to the authors and, if the manuscript is accepted f or publication, my named report 
including any attachments I upload will be posted on the website along with the authors' 
responses. I agree for my report to be made available under an Open Access Creative Commons 
CC-BY license ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ ). I understand that any comments 
which I do not wish to be included in my named report can be in cluded as confidential comments 
to the editors, which will not be published.  
 
I agree to the open peer review policy of the journal