Reviewer ’s report  
 
Title: Winter Syndrome: about an uncommon case report  
 
Version: 0 Date: 26 Feb 2020  
 
Reviewer: Research Square Reviewer 1  
 
Reviewer's report:  
 
PEER REVIEWER ASSESSMENTS:  
 
RELEVANCE - Does this case report make a contribution to medical knowledge, have 
educational value, or highlight the need for a change in clinical practice or diagnostic/prognostic 
approaches?  
Yes, this report contributes to medical knowledge  
 
CASE DESC RIPTION - Are the details of the case sufficiently well described to understand the 
patient's symptoms and course of treatment?  
Yes, the description of the case is sufficient  
 
DIAGNOSIS/INTERPRETATION - Based on the facts presented, are the diagnosis, 
interpretation, and course of treatment medically sound?  
Yes, the work described is medically sound  
 
DISCUSSION OF THE CASE - Does the discussion appropriately analyse the importance of the 
findings and their relevance to future understanding of disease proce sses, diagnosis or treatment? 
Has an adequate literature review pertinent to the case been included?  
No - there are minor issues  
 
OVERALL MANUSCRIPT POTENTIAL - Could an appropriately REVISED version of this 
work represent a technically sound contribution?  
Yes, this case report is suitable for publication  
 
PEER REVIEWER COMMENTS:  
 
GENERAL COMMENTS: This is a well written manuscript reporting a case of a rare condition.  
 
The case is well presented, and is sufficiently rare to deserve publication. However, t here are 
minor issues that need to be addressed prior to any type of publication  
 
REQUESTED REVISIONS:  
I would only suggest minor additions to the Discussion:  
 
1) The authors should make a reference to the OMIM entry for Winter syndrome (#267400), and 
to the two other articles referenced in such entry (Schmidt 1952; Turner 1970).  
 
2) The authors should discuss the possible autosomal recessive inheritance pattern for Winter 
syndrome.  
 
3) The authors should elaborate more on the variable presentation of Winter syndrome 
particularly regarding its association with growth restriction and type of renal anomalies (see 
also https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpeds.2017.07.042)  
 
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 spec ify which controls are required in your comments to the authors.  
 
Yes 
 
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 manuscript or wo uld 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  
Pleas e indicate the quality of language in the manuscript:  
 
Needs some language corrections before being published  
 
Declaration of competing interests  
Please complete a declaration of competing interests, considering the following questions:  
 
1. Have you in the pa st 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 o f 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 yes to any, please give details below.  
 
This reviewer has been recruited by a partner organization, Research Square. Reviewers with 
declared or apparent competing interests are not utilized for t hese reviews. This reviewer has 
agreed to publication of their comments online under a Creative Commons Attribution License 
attributed to Research Square and was paid a small honorarium for  completing the review within 
a specified timeframe. Honoraria for reviews such as this are paid regardless of the reviewer  
recommendation.  
 
I agree to 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 al ong 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