Reviewer ’s report  
 
Title: Exosomal miRNA signatures of pancreatic lesions  
 
Version: 1 Date: 21 Nov 2019  
 
Reviewer: Zhang Taiping  
 
Reviewer's report:  
 
Please include all comments for the authors in this box rather than uploading your report as an 
attachment. Please only upload as attachments annotated versions of manuscripts, graphs, 
supporting materials or other aspects of your report which cannot be in cluded in a text format.  
Please overwrite this text when adding your comments to the authors.  
The article focused on the diagnostic efficacy of exosomal miRNAs on pancreatic lesions such as 
PDAC, pNET, IPMN and AVC. The research was up -to-date because the diagnostic research of 
exosomal miRNAs was the hotspot and the diagnosis of pancreatic lesion, which still remains a 
challenge.  
First of all, I would like to congratulate you that your research is innovative. However, there are 
still some issues that need to be noted:  
1. The background part of the article can be simplified, especially the introduction of 
different pancreatic lesions.  
2. The article didn't mention the AUC curve of the exosomal miRNA signature for 
pancreatic lesions diagnosis.  
3. The article didn't compare the diagnostic efficacy of exosomal miRNA with CA -199, a 
biomarker widely applied for the diagnosis of pancreatic cancer.  
 
 
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.  
 
Yes 
 
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 additional statistical review is recommended, please specify what aspects require further  
assessment in your comments to the editors.  
 
I am able to assess the statistics  
 
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 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 shar es 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 rec eived 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 financial competing interests?  
 
6. Do you have any non -financial competing interest s 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 pee r 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 autho rs' 
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  
which I do not wish to be included in my named report can be include d 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: Exosomal miRNA signatures of pancreatic lesions  
 
Version: 1 Date: 21 Nov 2019  
 
Reviewer: Zhang Taiping  
 
Reviewer's report:  
 
Please include all comments for the authors in this box rather than uploading your report as an 
attachment. Please only upload as attachments annotated versions of manuscripts, graphs, 
supporting materials or other aspects of your report which cannot be in cluded in a text format.  
Please overwrite this text when adding your comments to the authors.  
The article focused on the diagnostic efficacy of exosomal miRNAs on pancreatic lesions such as 
PDAC, pNET, IPMN and AVC. The research was up -to-date because the diagnostic research of 
exosomal miRNAs was the hotspot and the diagnosis of pancreatic lesion, which still remains a 
challenge.  
First of all, I would like to congratulate you that your research is innovative. However, there are 
still some issues that need to be noted:  
1. The background part of the article can be simplified, especially the introduction of 
different pancreatic lesions.  
2. The article didn't mention the AUC curve of the exosomal miRNA signature for 
pancreatic lesions diagnosis.  
3. The article didn't compare the diagnostic efficacy of exosomal miRNA with CA -199, a 
biomarker widely applied for the diagnosis of pancreatic cancer.  
 
 
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.  
 
Yes 
 
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 additional statistical review is recommended, please specify what aspects require further  
assessment in your comments to the editors.  
 
I am able to assess the statistics  
 
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 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 shar es 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 rec eived 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 financial competing interests?  
 
6. Do you have any non -financial competing interest s 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 pee r 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 autho rs' 
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  
which I do not wish to be included in my named report can be include d 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: Exosomal miRNA signatures of pancreatic lesions  
 
Version: 1 Date: 21 Nov 2019  
 
Reviewer: Zhang Taiping  
 
Reviewer's report:  
 
Please include all comments for the authors in this box rather than uploading your report as an 
attachment. Please only upload as attachments annotated versions of manuscripts, graphs, 
supporting materials or other aspects of your report which cannot be in cluded in a text format.  
Please overwrite this text when adding your comments to the authors.  
The article focused on the diagnostic efficacy of exosomal miRNAs on pancreatic lesions such as 
PDAC, pNET, IPMN and AVC. The research was up -to-date because the diagnostic research of 
exosomal miRNAs was the hotspot and the diagnosis of pancreatic lesion, which still remains a 
challenge.  
First of all, I would like to congratulate you that your research is innovative. However, there are 
still some issues that need to be noted:  
1. The background part of the article can be simplified, especially the introduction of 
different pancreatic lesions.  
2. The article didn't mention the AUC curve of the exosomal miRNA signature for 
pancreatic lesions diagnosis.  
3. The article didn't compare the diagnostic efficacy of exosomal miRNA with CA -199, a 
biomarker widely applied for the diagnosis of pancreatic cancer.  
 
 
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.  
 
Yes 
 
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 additional statistical review is recommended, please specify what aspects require further  
assessment in your comments to the editors.  
 
I am able to assess the statistics  
 
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 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 shar es 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 rec eived 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 financial competing interests?  
 
6. Do you have any non -financial competing interest s 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 pee r 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 autho rs' 
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  
which I do not wish to be included in my named report can be include d as confidential comments  
to the editors, which will not be published.  
 
I agree to the open peer review policy of the journal  
assistant