Title: Efficacy analysis of folic acid in chronic atrophic gastritis with Helicobacter pylori
Infection: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Version: 3 Date: 08 Dec 2024
Reviewer's report:
The review might be limited by the exclusive inclusion of studies from one country , potentially
affecting the generalizability of the findings to populations in other geographical areas.
Additionally, the decision to exclude non-English studies could miss significant data from non-
English publications, especially from countries where Helicobacter pylori infection is prevalent.
The total number of patients (1088) across 13 studies raises concerns about the statistical power
of individual studies to detect clinically meaningful differences. The small sample size in some
included trials might also contribute to a high risk of type II errors.  There is inadequate
discussion about how the risk of bias within individual studies might affect the overall meta-
analysis results. The document mentions most studies are of low risk but does not elaborate on
the criteria or specifics of the risk assessments.  The application of fixed-effect models where
moderate heterogeneity exists (I2 > 50% in some outcomes) may not be appropriate as it assumes
that all variability between studies is due to sampling error rather than actual differences in study
populations or interventions.
Title: Efficacy analysis of folic acid in chronic atrophic gastritis with Helicobacter pylori
Infection: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Version: 3 Date: 08 Dec 2024
Reviewer's report:
The review might be limited by the exclusive inclusion of studies from one country , potentially
affecting the generalizability of the findings to populations in other geographical areas.
Additionally, the decision to exclude non-English studies could miss significant data from non-
English publications, especially from countries where Helicobacter pylori infection is prevalent.
The total number of patients (1088) across 13 studies raises concerns about the statistical power
of individual studies to detect clinically meaningful differences. The small sample size in some
included trials might also contribute to a high risk of type II errors.  There is inadequate
discussion about how the risk of bias within individual studies might affect the overall meta-
analysis results. The document mentions most studies are of low risk but does not elaborate on
the criteria or specifics of the risk assessments.  The application of fixed-effect models where
moderate heterogeneity exists (I2 > 50% in some outcomes) may not be appropriate as it assumes
that all variability between studies is due to sampling error rather than actual differences in study
populations or interventions.
Please review this paper.
user
Title: Efficacy analysis of folic acid in chronic atrophic gastritis with Helicobacter pylori
Infection: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Version: 3 Date: 08 Dec 2024
Reviewer's report:
The review might be limited by the exclusive inclusion of studies from one country , potentially
affecting the generalizability of the findings to populations in other geographical areas.
Additionally, the decision to exclude non-English studies could miss significant data from non-
English publications, especially from countries where Helicobacter pylori infection is prevalent.
The total number of patients (1088) across 13 studies raises concerns about the statistical power
of individual studies to detect clinically meaningful differences. The small sample size in some
included trials might also contribute to a high risk of type II errors.  There is inadequate
discussion about how the risk of bias within individual studies might affect the overall meta-
analysis results. The document mentions most studies are of low risk but does not elaborate on
the criteria or specifics of the risk assessments.  The application of fixed-effect models where
moderate heterogeneity exists (I2 > 50% in some outcomes) may not be appropriate as it assumes
that all variability between studies is due to sampling error rather than actual differences in study
populations or interventions.
assistant