Review for 10.1186/s12876-017-0607-8 (2017)

Reviewer ’s report  
 
Title: The relationship of serum  alanine aminotransferase normal -range levels to arterial 
stiffness and metabolic syndrome in non -drinkers and drinkers: a Chinese community -based 
analysis  
 
Version: 0 Date: 16 Jan 2017  
 
Reviewer: Marcello Persico  
 
Reviewer's report:  
 
Major problems with this manuscript  support, unfortunately , the rejection:  
- no screening of hepatitis viruses have been reported  
 
- drinkers  and non -drinkers: which criteria were used to define them ?  
 
- in conclusion  sentences like " central obesity  may be an underlying cause of insulin  
resistance.." give the idea of a non appropriate and up -to-dated knowl edge of the actual 
literature .   
Are the methods appropriate and well described?  
If not, please specif y what is required in your comments to the authors.  
 
No 
 
Does the work 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.  
 
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 requir e 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 i nterests  
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  
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 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 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 y es 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 will be included  
on my report to the authors and, if the manuscript is accepted for publicat ion, 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 included as confidential comments  
to the editors, which will not be published.  
 
I agree to the open peer review policy of the journal