Title: Gut microbiome alterations in colitis rats after moxibustion at bilateral Tianshu acupoints
Version: 0 Date: 14 Sep 2021
Reviewer's report:
Moxibustion is a common treatment in traditional Chinese medicine. It really has a good effect
on regulating gastrointestinal function. It is an interesting and meaningful direction to study
the therapeutic mechanism of moxibustion for corresponding diseases. However, its therapeutic
mechanism should be extensive, including neural and endocrine pathways. Intestinal flora
should be an aspect of its therapeutic mechanism.  This paper has the following problems:
1. This paper should first clarify the curative effect of moxibustion. As a treatment method, it is
meaningless not to discuss the changes of intestinal flora on the basis of curative effect.
2. Although the experimental grouping has certain significance, I think the grouping design lacks
an important control, that is, the group of moxibustion on other parts of the body should be set up
to identify whether the changes in the body come from  Moxibustion corresponding acupoints
or the stimulation of simple moxibustion?
3. I think the change of intestinal flora is a chronic process, and the acute model may not truly
reflect the pathological changes and flora characteristics of ulcerative colitis. Therefore, it is
recommended to apply the chronic UC model, that is, DSS and distilled water are recycled for
three cycles at an interval.
4. The experimental results do not support some conclusions of the paper. For example, the
conclusion states that moxibustion protects mucosal injury, and the experimental results do not
show any evidence of Mucosal pathological repair.
Title: Gut microbiome alterations in colitis rats after moxibustion at bilateral Tianshu acupoints
Version: 0 Date: 14 Sep 2021
Reviewer's report:
Moxibustion is a common treatment in traditional Chinese medicine. It really has a good effect
on regulating gastrointestinal function. It is an interesting and meaningful direction to study
the therapeutic mechanism of moxibustion for corresponding diseases. However, its therapeutic
mechanism should be extensive, including neural and endocrine pathways. Intestinal flora
should be an aspect of its therapeutic mechanism.  This paper has the following problems:
1. This paper should first clarify the curative effect of moxibustion. As a treatment method, it is
meaningless not to discuss the changes of intestinal flora on the basis of curative effect.
2. Although the experimental grouping has certain significance, I think the grouping design lacks
an important control, that is, the group of moxibustion on other parts of the body should be set up
to identify whether the changes in the body come from  Moxibustion corresponding acupoints
or the stimulation of simple moxibustion?
3. I think the change of intestinal flora is a chronic process, and the acute model may not truly
reflect the pathological changes and flora characteristics of ulcerative colitis. Therefore, it is
recommended to apply the chronic UC model, that is, DSS and distilled water are recycled for
three cycles at an interval.
4. The experimental results do not support some conclusions of the paper. For example, the
conclusion states that moxibustion protects mucosal injury, and the experimental results do not
show any evidence of Mucosal pathological repair.
Please review this paper.
user
Title: Gut microbiome alterations in colitis rats after moxibustion at bilateral Tianshu acupoints
Version: 0 Date: 14 Sep 2021
Reviewer's report:
Moxibustion is a common treatment in traditional Chinese medicine. It really has a good effect
on regulating gastrointestinal function. It is an interesting and meaningful direction to study
the therapeutic mechanism of moxibustion for corresponding diseases. However, its therapeutic
mechanism should be extensive, including neural and endocrine pathways. Intestinal flora
should be an aspect of its therapeutic mechanism.  This paper has the following problems:
1. This paper should first clarify the curative effect of moxibustion. As a treatment method, it is
meaningless not to discuss the changes of intestinal flora on the basis of curative effect.
2. Although the experimental grouping has certain significance, I think the grouping design lacks
an important control, that is, the group of moxibustion on other parts of the body should be set up
to identify whether the changes in the body come from  Moxibustion corresponding acupoints
or the stimulation of simple moxibustion?
3. I think the change of intestinal flora is a chronic process, and the acute model may not truly
reflect the pathological changes and flora characteristics of ulcerative colitis. Therefore, it is
recommended to apply the chronic UC model, that is, DSS and distilled water are recycled for
three cycles at an interval.
4. The experimental results do not support some conclusions of the paper. For example, the
conclusion states that moxibustion protects mucosal injury, and the experimental results do not
show any evidence of Mucosal pathological repair.
assistant