Reviewer's report
Title:Plasma Osteopontin is a Biomarker for the Severity of Alcoholic Liver
Cirrhosis, Not for Hepatocellular Carcinoma Screening
Version:3Date:9 April 2015
Reviewer: christian Fingas
Reviewer's report:
Comments to the editor and authors:
Interesting manuscript addressing the timely role of plasma osteopontin (OPN)
as a biomarker for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in patients with alcoholic liver
cirrhosis being the underlying disease. In contrast to several other reports, OPN
in the present study was not found to be a suitable diagnostic biomarker for HCC.
Strengths are the straightforward study design employing a patient cohort with
alcoholic liver cirrhosis for the first time. Minor weaknesses a few; as the authors
mention themselves, accompanying inflammatory processes or other
confounding effects cannot be evaluated due to lacking liver biopsies for each
patient. However, this was beyond the scope of the study.
Overall, this is a straightforward manuscript with no major weaknesses.
Level of interest: An article of importance in its field
Quality of written English: Acceptable
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:Plasma Osteopontin is a Biomarker for the Severity of Alcoholic Liver
Cirrhosis, Not for Hepatocellular Carcinoma Screening
Version:3Date:9 April 2015
Reviewer: christian Fingas
Reviewer's report:
Comments to the editor and authors:
Interesting manuscript addressing the timely role of plasma osteopontin (OPN)
as a biomarker for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in patients with alcoholic liver
cirrhosis being the underlying disease. In contrast to several other reports, OPN
in the present study was not found to be a suitable diagnostic biomarker for HCC.
Strengths are the straightforward study design employing a patient cohort with
alcoholic liver cirrhosis for the first time. Minor weaknesses a few; as the authors
mention themselves, accompanying inflammatory processes or other
confounding effects cannot be evaluated due to lacking liver biopsies for each
patient. However, this was beyond the scope of the study.
Overall, this is a straightforward manuscript with no major weaknesses.
Level of interest: An article of importance in its field
Quality of written English: Acceptable
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:Plasma Osteopontin is a Biomarker for the Severity of Alcoholic Liver
Cirrhosis, Not for Hepatocellular Carcinoma Screening
Version:3Date:9 April 2015
Reviewer: christian Fingas
Reviewer's report:
Comments to the editor and authors:
Interesting manuscript addressing the timely role of plasma osteopontin (OPN)
as a biomarker for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in patients with alcoholic liver
cirrhosis being the underlying disease. In contrast to several other reports, OPN
in the present study was not found to be a suitable diagnostic biomarker for HCC.
Strengths are the straightforward study design employing a patient cohort with
alcoholic liver cirrhosis for the first time. Minor weaknesses a few; as the authors
mention themselves, accompanying inflammatory processes or other
confounding effects cannot be evaluated due to lacking liver biopsies for each
patient. However, this was beyond the scope of the study.
Overall, this is a straightforward manuscript with no major weaknesses.
Level of interest: An article of importance in its field
Quality of written English: Acceptable
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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