Review for 10.1186/s12876-019-1091-0 (2019)

Reviewer’s report  
 
Title: Tracheobronchitis in Ulcerative Colitis: a case of therapeut ic response with infliximab and 
review of the literature  
 
Version: 0 Date: 18 Jul 2019  
 
Reviewer: Paulina Krawiec  
 
Reviewer's report:  
 
The manuscript is a comprehensive case report of use of infliximab in tracheobronchitis in 
ulcerative colitis patient.  
 
My main criticism remains that although authors presented comprehensively the course of the 
disease in their patient, they did not put enough evidence in the description of inflixi mab therapy 
in their patient, which is the main aim of the study.  
 
Please indicate how long maintenance therapy with infliximab was used and how long was 
follow -up period after infliximab has been stared.  
 
Apart from result of bronchoscopy, the authors did not reported precisely other outcomes after 
Infliximab use in their patient. Did they observe clinical sign and symptoms resoluti on and 
histologic remission of UC-related tracheobronchitis?  
 
What was tolerability of the treatment? Did authors notice any si de effects of infliximab use in 
their patient?  
 
Although the authors stated, that they "present the first case report documenting the benefits of 
infliximab in UC -related tracheobronchitis", they should have one or two paragraphs 
highlighting uniqueness of  that particular case in Introduction.  
 
Please also discuss the possible explanation of positive result of infliximab in your patients, since 
it is known that infliximab may cause infliximab -induced lung complications.  
 
The conclusion is too general.  
 
Several minor points should be corrected/explained:  
 
Did you check your patient for primary immunodeficiency syndromes, TBC?  
 
Please include other data regarding the frequency of "lung involvement in the IBD": it appears to 
be unknown and differ between s tudies.  
 
Please include reference values for laboratory tests (IgG, IgM, CRP).  
 
Please add arrow in CT scan showing right lower lobe sub pleural nodule.  
 
The result of spirometry "(FVC 108%, FEV1 99%, FEV1/FVC 90%)" should be in case report 
section instea d of discussion.  
 
References should be updated (many listed papers were published  prior 2000).  
 
Reference 1 should be corrected: lack of the year of publication.  
 
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 specify which controls are required in your comments to  the authors.  
 
Unable to assess  
 
Are the conclusions drawn adequately supported by the data shown?  
If not, please explain in your comments to the authors.  
 
No 
 
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.  
 
Not relevant to this manuscript  
 
Quality of written English  
Please indicate the quality of language in t he manuscript:  
 
Needs some language corrections before bein g published  
 
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, fees, funding, or salary from an  
organization  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 organization  that may in any way gain or lose 
financially from the publication of this m anuscript, 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 pat ents 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 competing interests.  
 
I agree to the open peer review policy of the journal. I understand that my name wil l be included  
on my report to the authors and, if the manuscript is accepted for 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 und er 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 included  as confidential comments  
to the editors, which will not be published.  
 
I agree to the open peer review policy of the journal