Reviewer ’s report  
 
Title:  IFI16 is involved in HBV -associated acute -on-chronic liver failure inflammation.  
 
Version: 0 Date: 04 Feb 2018 
 
Reviewer:  Arif Cosar  
 
Reviewer’s report:  
 
Thank you for this interesting study.  
 
As you mentioned there are limitations for this study.  
 
The manuscript is difficult to understand easly. More tables may be helpfull.  
 
How you discriminated the effect of decompensated cirrhosis and HBV -ACLF on IFI16 levels is 
not clear  
 
Because as you mentioned in your manuscript: "There was no significant difference between 
CHB patients and healthy controls in liv ers and PBMCs. There was no significant relationship 
between IFI16 expression levels and HBV parameters" So the difference of IFI16  expression in 
HBV -ACLF patient may be due to severity of cirrhosis. Another control group may help this 
discrimination.  
 
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 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.  
 
Yes 
 
Are you able to assess any statistics in the manuscript or would you recommend an 
additional statistical review?  
If an addit ional statistical review is recommended, please specify what aspects require further 
assessment in your comments to the editors.  
 
I recommend additional statistical review  
Quality of written English  
Please indicate the quality of language in the manuscript:  
 
Acceptable  
 
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 sala ry 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 o r 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.  
 
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 publication, 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 unde r 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  
Reviewer ’s report  
 
Title:  IFI16 is involved in HBV -associated acute -on-chronic liver failure inflammation.  
 
Version: 0 Date: 04 Feb 2018 
 
Reviewer:  Arif Cosar  
 
Reviewer’s report:  
 
Thank you for this interesting study.  
 
As you mentioned there are limitations for this study.  
 
The manuscript is difficult to understand easly. More tables may be helpfull.  
 
How you discriminated the effect of decompensated cirrhosis and HBV -ACLF on IFI16 levels is 
not clear  
 
Because as you mentioned in your manuscript: "There was no significant difference between 
CHB patients and healthy controls in liv ers and PBMCs. There was no significant relationship 
between IFI16 expression levels and HBV parameters" So the difference of IFI16  expression in 
HBV -ACLF patient may be due to severity of cirrhosis. Another control group may help this 
discrimination.  
 
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 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.  
 
Yes 
 
Are you able to assess any statistics in the manuscript or would you recommend an 
additional statistical review?  
If an addit ional statistical review is recommended, please specify what aspects require further 
assessment in your comments to the editors.  
 
I recommend additional statistical review  
Quality of written English  
Please indicate the quality of language in the manuscript:  
 
Acceptable  
 
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 sala ry 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 o r 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.  
 
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 publication, 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 unde r 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  
Please review this paper.
user
Reviewer ’s report  
 
Title:  IFI16 is involved in HBV -associated acute -on-chronic liver failure inflammation.  
 
Version: 0 Date: 04 Feb 2018 
 
Reviewer:  Arif Cosar  
 
Reviewer’s report:  
 
Thank you for this interesting study.  
 
As you mentioned there are limitations for this study.  
 
The manuscript is difficult to understand easly. More tables may be helpfull.  
 
How you discriminated the effect of decompensated cirrhosis and HBV -ACLF on IFI16 levels is 
not clear  
 
Because as you mentioned in your manuscript: "There was no significant difference between 
CHB patients and healthy controls in liv ers and PBMCs. There was no significant relationship 
between IFI16 expression levels and HBV parameters" So the difference of IFI16  expression in 
HBV -ACLF patient may be due to severity of cirrhosis. Another control group may help this 
discrimination.  
 
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 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.  
 
Yes 
 
Are you able to assess any statistics in the manuscript or would you recommend an 
additional statistical review?  
If an addit ional statistical review is recommended, please specify what aspects require further 
assessment in your comments to the editors.  
 
I recommend additional statistical review  
Quality of written English  
Please indicate the quality of language in the manuscript:  
 
Acceptable  
 
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 sala ry 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 o r 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.  
 
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 publication, 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 unde r 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  
assistant