Reviewer's report
Title:Longitudinal fluctuations in PD1 and PD-L1 expression in association with
changes in anti-viral immune response in chronic hepatitis B
Version: 1Date:17 April 2012
Reviewer: Christoph Jochum
Reviewer's report:
The paper is reasonably well written and contributes to the field.
However there a few comments to make:
1. The recruiting of the patients is not clearly described. As I understood the
patients were recruited in the onset of an acute inflammatory phase . Were the
patients recruited retrospectively or prospectively? were there patients who were
recrited but did not develop a severe inflammation. Were patients known
chronically infected patients oe were there patients with an acute hepatitis B
included?
This should be clarified, how exactly the patients were recruited.
2. It is not clear from which material the RT-PCR was made. In paragraph 6 of
the method section it is stated that total RNA was isolated from tumor and liver
tissue. What tumor tissue? Did the patients have an HCC? Please clarify from
which cells the total mRNA was obtained.
3.The authors stated, that PD! level returned to normal in T4 the questions is
what is normal, is normal the level before the flare or is normal the values of a
normal healthy population. this should be clarified.
4. Minor Comment: the units of quantitative HBsAg and serum ALT should be
mentioned in the Table 1(?).
Level of interest: An article of importance in its field
Quality of written English: Needs some language corrections before being
published
Statistical review: No, the manuscript does not need to be seen by a
statistician.
Declaration of competing interests:
I declare that I have no competing interests.
Reviewer's report
Title:Longitudinal fluctuations in PD1 and PD-L1 expression in association with
changes in anti-viral immune response in chronic hepatitis B
Version: 1Date:17 April 2012
Reviewer: Christoph Jochum
Reviewer's report:
The paper is reasonably well written and contributes to the field.
However there a few comments to make:
1. The recruiting of the patients is not clearly described. As I understood the
patients were recruited in the onset of an acute inflammatory phase . Were the
patients recruited retrospectively or prospectively? were there patients who were
recrited but did not develop a severe inflammation. Were patients known
chronically infected patients oe were there patients with an acute hepatitis B
included?
This should be clarified, how exactly the patients were recruited.
2. It is not clear from which material the RT-PCR was made. In paragraph 6 of
the method section it is stated that total RNA was isolated from tumor and liver
tissue. What tumor tissue? Did the patients have an HCC? Please clarify from
which cells the total mRNA was obtained.
3.The authors stated, that PD! level returned to normal in T4 the questions is
what is normal, is normal the level before the flare or is normal the values of a
normal healthy population. this should be clarified.
4. Minor Comment: the units of quantitative HBsAg and serum ALT should be
mentioned in the Table 1(?).
Level of interest: An article of importance in its field
Quality of written English: Needs some language corrections before being
published
Statistical review: No, the manuscript does not need to be seen by a
statistician.
Declaration of competing interests:
I declare that I have no competing interests.
Please review this paper.
user
Reviewer's report
Title:Longitudinal fluctuations in PD1 and PD-L1 expression in association with
changes in anti-viral immune response in chronic hepatitis B
Version: 1Date:17 April 2012
Reviewer: Christoph Jochum
Reviewer's report:
The paper is reasonably well written and contributes to the field.
However there a few comments to make:
1. The recruiting of the patients is not clearly described. As I understood the
patients were recruited in the onset of an acute inflammatory phase . Were the
patients recruited retrospectively or prospectively? were there patients who were
recrited but did not develop a severe inflammation. Were patients known
chronically infected patients oe were there patients with an acute hepatitis B
included?
This should be clarified, how exactly the patients were recruited.
2. It is not clear from which material the RT-PCR was made. In paragraph 6 of
the method section it is stated that total RNA was isolated from tumor and liver
tissue. What tumor tissue? Did the patients have an HCC? Please clarify from
which cells the total mRNA was obtained.
3.The authors stated, that PD! level returned to normal in T4 the questions is
what is normal, is normal the level before the flare or is normal the values of a
normal healthy population. this should be clarified.
4. Minor Comment: the units of quantitative HBsAg and serum ALT should be
mentioned in the Table 1(?).
Level of interest: An article of importance in its field
Quality of written English: Needs some language corrections before being
published
Statistical review: No, the manuscript does not need to be seen by a
statistician.
Declaration of competing interests:
I declare that I have no competing interests.
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