Title: Early Menopause as an Independent Risk Factor for Postoperative Atrial Fibrillation in
Women Undergoing Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting: A Retrospective Cohort Study
Version: 4 Date: 12 Jul 2025
Reviewer:  Tongku Liu
Reviewer's report:
The title of the manuscript is “Early Menopause as an Independent Risk Factor for Postoperative
Atrial Fibrillation in Women Undergoing Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting: A Retrospective
Cohort Study”
The authors have made significant revisions to the manuscript based on the reviewers'
suggestions, substantially improving its quality. Using a retrospective cohort study design, the
authors explored the association between early menopause and postoperative atrial fibrillation
(POAF) after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). The overall structure is clear, the
methodology is rigorous, and the results and discussion sections are coincidence logic.
In the revised third version, the authors have added 12 new references, providing further
theoretical support and making the findings and conclusions more convincing. Considering the
overall improvement in the manuscript's quality, it is recommended for publication.
However, the formatting of the references in the revised manuscript is inconsistent. For example:
1. Inconsistent journal name abbreviations: Some use abbreviated forms (e.g., "Eur Heart J"),
while others use full names (e.g., "The American Journal of Cardiology"). All journal names
should be uniformly abbreviated.
2. Missing a period between the journal name and the year: For example, in Reference [3]:
Current format: "Eur Heart J 2022, 43(40):4148-4157. doi:10.1093/eurheartj/ehac364."
Corrected format: "Eur Heart J. 2022; 43(40):4148-4157. doi:10.1093/eurheartj/ehac364."
3. Incomplete volume (issue) and page numbers in references: For example, Reference [1]:
Current format: "Bose A, O’Neal W, Wu C, McClure L, Judd S, Howard V, et al: Sex Differences
in Risk Factors for Incident Atrial Fibrillation (From the Reasons for Geographic And Racial
Differences in Stroke [(REGARDS)] Study). The American Journal of Cardiology 2019, 123.
doi:10.1016/j.amjcard.2019.01.056."
Corrected format: "Bose A, O'Neal WT, Wu C, McClure LA, Judd SE, Howard VJ, Howard G,
Soliman EZ. Sex Differences in Risk Factors for Incident Atrial Fibrillation (from the Reasons
for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke [REGARDS] Study). Am J Cardiol. 2019;
123(9):1453-1457. doi:10.1016/j.amjcard.2019.01.056."
4. Missing journal names in some references: For example, Reference [12]:
Current format: "de Souza Macêdo PR, Rocha TN, Gomes Fernandes SG, Apolinário Vieira
MC, Jerez-Roig J, Aires da Câmara SM: Possible association of early menopause with worse
physical function: a systematic review. (1530-0374 (Electronic))."
Corrected format: "de Souza Macêdo PR, Rocha TN, Gomes Fernandes SG, Apolinário
Vieira MC, Jerez-Roig J, Aires da Câmara SM. Possible association of early menopause with
worse physical function: a systematic review. Menopause. 2021; 28(4):467-475. doi:10.1097/
GME.0000000000001712."
5. Inconsistent inclusion of publication months in references: For example, Reference [17]:
Current format: "Nashef SA, Roques F, Sharples LD, Nilsson J, Smith C, Goldstone AR,
et al: EuroSCORE II. Eur J Cardiothorac Surg. 2012 Apr;41(4):734-44; discussion 744-5.
doi:10.1093/ejcts/ezs043."
Corrected format: "Nashef SA, Roques F, Sharples LD, Nilsson J, Smith C, Goldstone AR, et al.
EuroSCORE II. Eur J Cardiothorac Surg. 2012; 41(4):734-44; discussion 744-5. doi:10.1093/
ejcts/ezs043." (The "Apr" should be deleted.)
Another example, Reference [13]:
Current format: "Mishra GD, Davies MC, Hillman S, Chung HF, Roy S, Maclaran K, et
al: Optimising health after early menopause. Lancet 2024, 403(10430):958-968. doi:10.1016/
S0140-6736(23)02800-3."
Corrected format: "Mishra GD, Davies MC, Hillman S, Chung HF, Roy S, Maclaran K, et
al. Optimising health after early menopause. Lancet. 2024; 403(10430):958-968. doi:10.1016/
S0140-6736(23)02800-3." (A period should be added after "Lancet.")
These reference formatting issues are widespread throughout the manuscript. The authors should
carefully check and ensure that all references are formatted correctly.
Recommendation: The revised manuscript is recommended for acceptance after addressing the
reference formatting issues.