Reviewer's report
Title:Investigation of Potential Early Histologic Markers of Pediatric Inflammatory
Bowel Disease
Version:2Date:28 February 2015
Reviewer: Holm H Uhlig
Reviewer's report:
The authors investigate twenty-two IBD patients who had an initial inconclusive
endoscopy but were later diagnosed as having IBD with a mean delay of about
two years. Slides were investigated by different parameters including staining for
tumor necrosis factor-alpha and matrix metalloproteinase-9.
The authors should show the selection process. How many patients were
diagnosed with IBD during the total study time January 2002 to December 2008.
This will give a indication how many Crohn#s disease/Ulcerative colitis or IBDu
patients were be missed during the first endoscopy.
The authors need to clarify the symptoms why these patients were investigated
in the first place (symptoms, CRP, ESR, leucocytes etc at the time of the first
endoscopy and compare to the markers and symptoms with the second
endoscopy.
The authors failed to detect a significant difference in expression of TNFa or
MMP9 between the IBD group and the comparison group. The authors need to
show that in a IBD diseases group these markers are increased in order to clarify
that this is no technical lack of sensitivity in the formalin fixed paraffin embedded
samples.
figure1 and table 4 show overlapping information. Figure 1 is redundant.
The authors show a eosinophilia of the eectosigmoid of patients who later
developed IBD. Was there any correlation to blood eosinophil counts?
Mean age of first endoscopy and mean time from first biopsy to diagnosis
(months) 23.2 >> the mean and the range should be provided
Level of interest: An article whose findings are important to those with closely
related research interests
Quality of written English: Acceptable
Statistical review: No, the manuscript does not need to be seen by a statistician.
Declaration of competing interests:
no competing interest
Reviewer's report
Title:Investigation of Potential Early Histologic Markers of Pediatric Inflammatory
Bowel Disease
Version:2Date:28 February 2015
Reviewer: Holm H Uhlig
Reviewer's report:
The authors investigate twenty-two IBD patients who had an initial inconclusive
endoscopy but were later diagnosed as having IBD with a mean delay of about
two years. Slides were investigated by different parameters including staining for
tumor necrosis factor-alpha and matrix metalloproteinase-9.
The authors should show the selection process. How many patients were
diagnosed with IBD during the total study time January 2002 to December 2008.
This will give a indication how many Crohn#s disease/Ulcerative colitis or IBDu
patients were be missed during the first endoscopy.
The authors need to clarify the symptoms why these patients were investigated
in the first place (symptoms, CRP, ESR, leucocytes etc at the time of the first
endoscopy and compare to the markers and symptoms with the second
endoscopy.
The authors failed to detect a significant difference in expression of TNFa or
MMP9 between the IBD group and the comparison group. The authors need to
show that in a IBD diseases group these markers are increased in order to clarify
that this is no technical lack of sensitivity in the formalin fixed paraffin embedded
samples.
figure1 and table 4 show overlapping information. Figure 1 is redundant.
The authors show a eosinophilia of the eectosigmoid of patients who later
developed IBD. Was there any correlation to blood eosinophil counts?
Mean age of first endoscopy and mean time from first biopsy to diagnosis
(months) 23.2 >> the mean and the range should be provided
Level of interest: An article whose findings are important to those with closely
related research interests
Quality of written English: Acceptable
Statistical review: No, the manuscript does not need to be seen by a statistician.
Declaration of competing interests:
no competing interest
Please review this paper.
user
Reviewer's report
Title:Investigation of Potential Early Histologic Markers of Pediatric Inflammatory
Bowel Disease
Version:2Date:28 February 2015
Reviewer: Holm H Uhlig
Reviewer's report:
The authors investigate twenty-two IBD patients who had an initial inconclusive
endoscopy but were later diagnosed as having IBD with a mean delay of about
two years. Slides were investigated by different parameters including staining for
tumor necrosis factor-alpha and matrix metalloproteinase-9.
The authors should show the selection process. How many patients were
diagnosed with IBD during the total study time January 2002 to December 2008.
This will give a indication how many Crohn#s disease/Ulcerative colitis or IBDu
patients were be missed during the first endoscopy.
The authors need to clarify the symptoms why these patients were investigated
in the first place (symptoms, CRP, ESR, leucocytes etc at the time of the first
endoscopy and compare to the markers and symptoms with the second
endoscopy.
The authors failed to detect a significant difference in expression of TNFa or
MMP9 between the IBD group and the comparison group. The authors need to
show that in a IBD diseases group these markers are increased in order to clarify
that this is no technical lack of sensitivity in the formalin fixed paraffin embedded
samples.
figure1 and table 4 show overlapping information. Figure 1 is redundant.
The authors show a eosinophilia of the eectosigmoid of patients who later
developed IBD. Was there any correlation to blood eosinophil counts?
Mean age of first endoscopy and mean time from first biopsy to diagnosis
(months) 23.2 >> the mean and the range should be provided
Level of interest: An article whose findings are important to those with closely
related research interests
Quality of written English: Acceptable
Statistical review: No, the manuscript does not need to be seen by a statistician.
Declaration of competing interests:
no competing interest
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