Reviewer ’s report  
 
Title: Liver injury monitoring, fibrosis staging and inflammati on grading using T1rho magnetic 
resonance imaging: An experimental study in rats with carbon tetrachloride intoxication  
 
Version: 2 Date: 11 Oct 2019  
 
Reviewer: Tianyi Ren  
 
Reviewer's report:  
 
1. T1rho MR imaging has already been widely studied in human. Authors should explain more 
abou t the necessity of using the rat model in the present study. Other rat models for liver fibrosis 
(such as BDL model) should be mentioned in the discussion part. Differences between animal 
fibrotic models and human liver fibrosis should be discussed.  
 
2. Aut hors should provide detailed serological data of these rats, at least information about 
inflammation activities, and analyze correlation between inflammatory indexes and T1rho 
results.  
 
3. Find better staining pictures.  
 
4. Figure 1 contains 110 rats.  
 
5. Typing errors.  
 
Are the methods appropriate and well described?  
If not, please specify what is required in your comm ents to the authors.  
 
No 
 
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.  
 
No 
 
Are you able to assess any statistics in the manus cript or would you recommend an 
additional statistical review?  
If an additional statistical review is recommended, please speci fy 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 manuscr ipt: 
 
Needs some language corrections before being published  
 
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, fund ing, or salary 
from an organisation that may in any way gain or lose financial ly from the 
publication of this manuscript, either now or in the future?  
 
2.  Do you hold any stocks or shares in an organisation t hat 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 received 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 interests in relation to this paper?  
 
If you can answer no to all of the above, w rite 'I declare that I have  no competing interests' 
below. If your reply is yes to any, please give details below.  
 
No competing interests  
 
I agree to the open peer review policy of the journal. I understan d that my name will be included 
on my report to the authors and, if the manuscript is accepted f or publication, my named report 
including any attachments I upload will be posted on the website along wi th the authors' 
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 in cluded 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: Liver injury monitoring, fibrosis staging and inflammati on grading using T1rho magnetic 
resonance imaging: An experimental study in rats with carbon tetrachloride intoxication  
 
Version: 2 Date: 11 Oct 2019  
 
Reviewer: Tianyi Ren  
 
Reviewer's report:  
 
1. T1rho MR imaging has already been widely studied in human. Authors should explain more 
abou t the necessity of using the rat model in the present study. Other rat models for liver fibrosis 
(such as BDL model) should be mentioned in the discussion part. Differences between animal 
fibrotic models and human liver fibrosis should be discussed.  
 
2. Aut hors should provide detailed serological data of these rats, at least information about 
inflammation activities, and analyze correlation between inflammatory indexes and T1rho 
results.  
 
3. Find better staining pictures.  
 
4. Figure 1 contains 110 rats.  
 
5. Typing errors.  
 
Are the methods appropriate and well described?  
If not, please specify what is required in your comm ents to the authors.  
 
No 
 
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.  
 
No 
 
Are you able to assess any statistics in the manus cript or would you recommend an 
additional statistical review?  
If an additional statistical review is recommended, please speci fy 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 manuscr ipt: 
 
Needs some language corrections before being published  
 
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, fund ing, or salary 
from an organisation that may in any way gain or lose financial ly from the 
publication of this manuscript, either now or in the future?  
 
2.  Do you hold any stocks or shares in an organisation t hat 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 received 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 interests in relation to this paper?  
 
If you can answer no to all of the above, w rite 'I declare that I have  no competing interests' 
below. If your reply is yes to any, please give details below.  
 
No competing interests  
 
I agree to the open peer review policy of the journal. I understan d that my name will be included 
on my report to the authors and, if the manuscript is accepted f or publication, my named report 
including any attachments I upload will be posted on the website along wi th the authors' 
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 in cluded 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: Liver injury monitoring, fibrosis staging and inflammati on grading using T1rho magnetic 
resonance imaging: An experimental study in rats with carbon tetrachloride intoxication  
 
Version: 2 Date: 11 Oct 2019  
 
Reviewer: Tianyi Ren  
 
Reviewer's report:  
 
1. T1rho MR imaging has already been widely studied in human. Authors should explain more 
abou t the necessity of using the rat model in the present study. Other rat models for liver fibrosis 
(such as BDL model) should be mentioned in the discussion part. Differences between animal 
fibrotic models and human liver fibrosis should be discussed.  
 
2. Aut hors should provide detailed serological data of these rats, at least information about 
inflammation activities, and analyze correlation between inflammatory indexes and T1rho 
results.  
 
3. Find better staining pictures.  
 
4. Figure 1 contains 110 rats.  
 
5. Typing errors.  
 
Are the methods appropriate and well described?  
If not, please specify what is required in your comm ents to the authors.  
 
No 
 
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.  
 
No 
 
Are you able to assess any statistics in the manus cript or would you recommend an 
additional statistical review?  
If an additional statistical review is recommended, please speci fy 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 manuscr ipt: 
 
Needs some language corrections before being published  
 
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, fund ing, or salary 
from an organisation that may in any way gain or lose financial ly from the 
publication of this manuscript, either now or in the future?  
 
2.  Do you hold any stocks or shares in an organisation t hat 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 received 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 interests in relation to this paper?  
 
If you can answer no to all of the above, w rite 'I declare that I have  no competing interests' 
below. If your reply is yes to any, please give details below.  
 
No competing interests  
 
I agree to the open peer review policy of the journal. I understan d that my name will be included 
on my report to the authors and, if the manuscript is accepted f or publication, my named report 
including any attachments I upload will be posted on the website along wi th the authors' 
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 in cluded as confidential comments 
to the editors, which will not be published.  
 
I agree to the open peer review policy of the journal  
assistant