Reviewer's report
Title:Genetic risk factors for intestinal metaplasia in a high risk
Singapore-Chinese population: a cohort study
Version: 1Date:16 July 2009
Reviewer: Carlo-Federico Zambon
Reviewer's report:
Major Compulsory Revisions:
1. Patients characteristics should be more detailed (e.g. mean age and range,
definition of family history of gastric cancer, of drinking and smoking conditions,
eventual previous eradication therapy for H. pylori).
2. Since biopsy specimens were available for IM assessment was H. pylori
infection diagnosis performed also by mean of histology (gold standard)? Was it
possible to correlate it with the serological findings?
3. Was serum PGA/PGC ratio considered in screening of high GC risk
populations in combination with genetics and H pylori serological diagnosis?
4. When possible (IL-10 and STCH genes) haplotype analysis of SNPs might be
relevant.
5. Data recently reported by from Hishida and colleagues (BMC Gastroenterol
2009 Jul 9) on PTPN11 polymorphism and GC risk in a numerous Japanese
population should be discussed.
Minor Essential Revisions:
1. It appears that Authors have studied 18 polymorphisms (17 SNPs plus IL-1RN
VNTR) in 14 candidate gene not 17 polymorphisms in 13 genes as stated in
several occasion.
2. “.. Carriers of the NQO1 609CT/TT genotype showed ...” should be changed to
“carriers of the NQO1 609 T allele” or “carriers of the NQO1 C/T or T/T
genotypes…”. This applies throughout the paper to all genes considered.
3. Table 3: IL1RN VNTR genotypes do not include allele 1. Is it absent from the
Chinese studied population?
4. In background section relevant references should be cited for candidate genes
with respect to their association with gastric cancer risk.
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:
I declare that I have no competing interests
Reviewer's report
Title:Genetic risk factors for intestinal metaplasia in a high risk
Singapore-Chinese population: a cohort study
Version: 1Date:16 July 2009
Reviewer: Carlo-Federico Zambon
Reviewer's report:
Major Compulsory Revisions:
1. Patients characteristics should be more detailed (e.g. mean age and range,
definition of family history of gastric cancer, of drinking and smoking conditions,
eventual previous eradication therapy for H. pylori).
2. Since biopsy specimens were available for IM assessment was H. pylori
infection diagnosis performed also by mean of histology (gold standard)? Was it
possible to correlate it with the serological findings?
3. Was serum PGA/PGC ratio considered in screening of high GC risk
populations in combination with genetics and H pylori serological diagnosis?
4. When possible (IL-10 and STCH genes) haplotype analysis of SNPs might be
relevant.
5. Data recently reported by from Hishida and colleagues (BMC Gastroenterol
2009 Jul 9) on PTPN11 polymorphism and GC risk in a numerous Japanese
population should be discussed.
Minor Essential Revisions:
1. It appears that Authors have studied 18 polymorphisms (17 SNPs plus IL-1RN
VNTR) in 14 candidate gene not 17 polymorphisms in 13 genes as stated in
several occasion.
2. “.. Carriers of the NQO1 609CT/TT genotype showed ...” should be changed to
“carriers of the NQO1 609 T allele” or “carriers of the NQO1 C/T or T/T
genotypes…”. This applies throughout the paper to all genes considered.
3. Table 3: IL1RN VNTR genotypes do not include allele 1. Is it absent from the
Chinese studied population?
4. In background section relevant references should be cited for candidate genes
with respect to their association with gastric cancer risk.
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:
I declare that I have no competing interests
Please review this paper.
user
Reviewer's report
Title:Genetic risk factors for intestinal metaplasia in a high risk
Singapore-Chinese population: a cohort study
Version: 1Date:16 July 2009
Reviewer: Carlo-Federico Zambon
Reviewer's report:
Major Compulsory Revisions:
1. Patients characteristics should be more detailed (e.g. mean age and range,
definition of family history of gastric cancer, of drinking and smoking conditions,
eventual previous eradication therapy for H. pylori).
2. Since biopsy specimens were available for IM assessment was H. pylori
infection diagnosis performed also by mean of histology (gold standard)? Was it
possible to correlate it with the serological findings?
3. Was serum PGA/PGC ratio considered in screening of high GC risk
populations in combination with genetics and H pylori serological diagnosis?
4. When possible (IL-10 and STCH genes) haplotype analysis of SNPs might be
relevant.
5. Data recently reported by from Hishida and colleagues (BMC Gastroenterol
2009 Jul 9) on PTPN11 polymorphism and GC risk in a numerous Japanese
population should be discussed.
Minor Essential Revisions:
1. It appears that Authors have studied 18 polymorphisms (17 SNPs plus IL-1RN
VNTR) in 14 candidate gene not 17 polymorphisms in 13 genes as stated in
several occasion.
2. “.. Carriers of the NQO1 609CT/TT genotype showed ...” should be changed to
“carriers of the NQO1 609 T allele” or “carriers of the NQO1 C/T or T/T
genotypes…”. This applies throughout the paper to all genes considered.
3. Table 3: IL1RN VNTR genotypes do not include allele 1. Is it absent from the
Chinese studied population?
4. In background section relevant references should be cited for candidate genes
with respect to their association with gastric cancer risk.
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:
I declare that I have no competing interests
assistant