Reviewer ’s report  
 
Title: Endometriosis in the rectum accompanied by hemorrhoids leading to diagnostic pitfalls: a 
rare case r eport  
 
Version: 2 Date: 31 May 2018  
 
Reviewer: Fiona Cousins  
 
Reviewer's report:  
 
Please include details of controls for the immunos, were isotype controls used or absence of a 
primary antibody? Which negative control does Figure 3 show? Was the same secondary 
antibody used for all of the primary antibodies used?  
No scale bars are present on figures 2 and 3, at least not on this version of the manuscript.  
Please detail how the Ki67  index was calculated. "About 5%", was this by eye or were 
individual cells counted. If so, how many sections were anaylsed?  
On page  4 you write "no malignant transformation was detected" was this detected by a 
pathologist or by a more specific marker?  
 Please consider asking native English speaker to review the language used through out this 
manuscript. Many grammatical errors can be  found. Particularly on page 4. On page 2 please 
change "pregnancy is an important cause" to "pregnancy is a leading cause"  
In the clinical history please clear up patient symptoms. "The patient had no abdominal pain, 
diarrhea and weight loss". Does this mean the patient had no abdominal pain but DID have 
diarrhea and weight loss, or the patient had none of these symptoms?  
Are the methods appropriate and well described?  
If not, please specify what is required in your comm ents 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 co mments to the authors.  
 
Yes 
  
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 c omments to the editors.  
 
Not relevant to this manuscript  
 
Quality of written English  
Please 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 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 financia l 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 be low. 
 
No 
 
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 publication, my named report  
including any attachments I upload will be posted on t he 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 
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to the  editors, which will not be published.  
 
I agree to the open peer review policy of the journal