Review for 10.1186/s12876-021-01977-1 (2021)

Title: Probiotics as the live microscopic fighters against Helicobacter pylori gastric infections
Version: 0 Date: 23 Jul 2021
Reviewer's report:
The article “Probiotics as the live microscopic fighters against Helicobacter #pylori gastric
infections” reviewed by Masoud Keikha, and Mohsen Karbalaei. The article provide information
about probiotics use in the therapy of H. pylori
There were some suggestions for the article:
1. Line 25. “In the present study, we focused …….. We have shown that a combination of ….”.
Since it is a review article, not a original article, this sentence should be revised.
2. Line 49. :” Of the most common problems facing gastroenterologists are including” should
be revised as ” The most common problems facing gastroenterologists include”
3. Line 61 “to increase the eradication of” should be “to increase the eradication rate of”
4. Line 67-68 “co-existence of Lactobacillus and H. pylori in patients with severe gastrointestinal
diseases was significantly lower than control subjects” Please clarify this sentence.
5. Line 70-71 “However, the effect of probiotic-containing diets in curing H. pylori infection is
highly contradictory”. Please clarify the contradictory to highlight the importance of this article.
6. Line 79-121. The author describe current therapeutic strategy for H. pylori infection. Please
highlight the drawbacks of this strategy and introduce the possible role of probiotics according
to this strategy.
7. Table 1 and line 135-136 “In addition to Lactobacillus spp., many other bacteria are accounted
as bacterial fighter against H. pylori, which are listed in Table 1.” Please provide more
information in table 1 and line 135-136, for example what is the potential activity? Current stage
of clinical trial? In which country?.......
8. Line 137-138 ” Lactobacillus spp. and Bifidobacterium spp. have been used more in clinical
trials than other probiotics”. Please simple explain the reason.
9. Line 141-142 “Using various mechanisms, probiotics prevent the colonization, growth, and
stomach inflammation (Figure 2).” Please simple describe the main findings in Fig 2.
10. Line 169-170 “Scientific studies have shown that probiotics also act as antibiotics and are
able to contain the growth of H. pylori by producing antimicrobial substances”. Probiotics would
not be regarded as antibiotics, please clarify this sentence.
11. Line 174-175 “Bacteriocins (antibacterial peptides) are considered as another features of
probiotics which in turn possess antagonism activity, and are inhibitor for the survival of H.
pylori” Please describe more detail in this sentence.
12. Line 208 “….gastric cancer and MALT lymphoma (Table 3).” Please provide more detail
conclusive information according to table 3.
13. Line 225 “Some of these studies are listed in Table 4.” Please provide more detail conclusive
information according to table 4.
14. Please describe the difference between table 4 and table 5
15. Please search https://clinicaltrials.gov/ with H.pylori infection and probiotics. There were at
least 19 trials ongoing. Suggest add another table to describe these clinical trials.
16. The article may need English editing.