Review for 10.1186/s12876-020-01318-8 (2020)

Reviewer ’s report  
 
Title: Evaluation of fo ur scoring systems in prognostication of  acute pancreatitis for elderly 
patients  
 
Version: 0 Date: 02 May 2020  
 
Reviewer's report:  
 
This is an interesting manuscript concerning the evaluation of scoring systems in 
prognostication of acute pancreatitis for elderly patients. The topic is important since elderly 
patients are at high risk for severe pancreatitis. The article is generally well written, however,  
contain huge gaps especially in discu ssing recent data in the introduction and discussion.  
Major points:  
 
Introduction:  
 
1) The overall mortality of AP is around 2 -8%, (PMID: 32328495, PMID: 27798670)  
 
2) Please cite and introduce the most comprehensive articles concerning aging and 
comorbidi ties in AP.  (PMID: 31001131, PMID: 31001148)  
 
3) There is a recent meta -analysis concerning the prediction of severity and mortality 
in AP (PMID: 31507427), please discuss it is findings.  
 
Methods:  
 
4) Why did you set up 60 years as a cut off value?  
 
5) Why your patients receive proton pump inhibitors, antibiotics and somatostatin. 
None of the international guidelines contain their necessities.  
 
6) Do you have any chance to include CTSI or MCTSI?  
 
Discussion:  
 
7) You mention the association of nosocomial in fection and mortality both in the 
introduction and discussion and also give AB almost to all patients. Unfortunately it can 
cause a feeling in the readers that prophylactic AB can decrease the rate of mortality. 
However, this feeling can be one of the reas ons why AB is overused in China and especially 
in Asia (PMID: 31068256). Please discuss it and aware of this misinterpretation. Overuse of 
AB can cause the elevation of nosocomial infections.  
 
8) Please discuss the possibility of other severity scores like MCTSI (PMID: 
32190494)  
 
Are the methods appropriate and we ll 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.  
 
Yes 
 
Are the conclusions drawn adequ ately 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 recommend ed, 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:  
 
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, 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 organisation 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 s alary from an organization that 
holds or has applied f or 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.  
 
None  
 
Reviewer Publication Consent. I agree for my report to be made  available under an Open 
Access Creative Commons CC -BY License ( http://creativecommons.org/licens es/by/4.0 ) if 
this manuscript is accepted for publication. Any comments that I do not wish to be included 
in the published report have been included as confidential comments to the editor,  which will 
not be published. If  you are not happy for us to publish this report, please contact the editorial 
office before completing  the review. If  you wish, you can include your name in your 
published report. Please note you must  decide whether to include your name at the start of the 
process and confirm this decision wh enever prompted. If you change your decision later, we 
will not be able to publish your name.  
 
I agree to the terms of the CC -BY 4.0 license; please do not publish my name with my report.  
(default)