Reviewer ’s report  
 
Title: Plasma levels of TNF -α, IL-6, IFN -γ, IL-12, IL -17, IL-22, and IL -23 in Achalasia, 
Eosinophilic Esophagitis (EoE), and Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD)  
 
Version: 1 Date: 10 May 2018  
 
Reviewer: M Vaezi  
 
Reviewer's report:  
 
I enjoyed reading this important and  timely manuscript.  Overall the authors have nicely tackled 
an area research in need of further work.  I have a few comments which I hope the authors can 
address:  
 
 
1. Starting the abstract with Cauble et al is a bit awkward ---suggest changing  
 
 
2. Can the a uthors be more specific about what was shipped to where? It is my sense that 
samples were collected at Tampa and sent to MUSC but need clarity if that is not the 
case.  Were all samples from Tampa and all shipped to MUSC and analyzed there or 
where there s amples from MUSC as well?  
 
 
3. Can the authors provide further rationale for the targeted approach of the specific IL's 
analyzed?  why those and why not others?  
 
 
4. Can the authors also provide data on the reflux parameters and symptom and 
demographic data wh ich were measured but not reported?  
 
 
5. IL-6 much higher in type III vs EoE or GERD? what is the implication of this finding?  
 
 
6. can the authors comment on lack of control group as a limitation?  
 
 
7. can the authors assess the IL based on reported weight l oss to see if any signals? IL -6  has 
been associated with cachexia and wt loss in cancer population in many studies.  
 
 
 
 
 
Level of interest  
Please indicate how interesting you found the manuscript:  
 
 
 
Quality of written English  
Please indicate the quality of lang uage in the manuscript:  
 
 
 
 
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, f ees, funding, 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 recei ved 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, write 'I declare that I have  no competing interests' 
below. If your reply is yes to any, please give details below.  
 
no conflict  
 
I agree to the open peer r eview 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 with 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 included a s confidential comments 
to the editor s, which will not be published.  
 
 
Reviewer ’s report  
 
Title: Plasma levels of TNF -α, IL-6, IFN -γ, IL-12, IL -17, IL-22, and IL -23 in Achalasia, 
Eosinophilic Esophagitis (EoE), and Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD)  
 
Version: 1 Date: 10 May 2018  
 
Reviewer: M Vaezi  
 
Reviewer's report:  
 
I enjoyed reading this important and  timely manuscript.  Overall the authors have nicely tackled 
an area research in need of further work.  I have a few comments which I hope the authors can 
address:  
 
 
1. Starting the abstract with Cauble et al is a bit awkward ---suggest changing  
 
 
2. Can the a uthors be more specific about what was shipped to where? It is my sense that 
samples were collected at Tampa and sent to MUSC but need clarity if that is not the 
case.  Were all samples from Tampa and all shipped to MUSC and analyzed there or 
where there s amples from MUSC as well?  
 
 
3. Can the authors provide further rationale for the targeted approach of the specific IL's 
analyzed?  why those and why not others?  
 
 
4. Can the authors also provide data on the reflux parameters and symptom and 
demographic data wh ich were measured but not reported?  
 
 
5. IL-6 much higher in type III vs EoE or GERD? what is the implication of this finding?  
 
 
6. can the authors comment on lack of control group as a limitation?  
 
 
7. can the authors assess the IL based on reported weight l oss to see if any signals? IL -6  has 
been associated with cachexia and wt loss in cancer population in many studies.  
 
 
 
 
 
Level of interest  
Please indicate how interesting you found the manuscript:  
 
 
 
Quality of written English  
Please indicate the quality of lang uage in the manuscript:  
 
 
 
 
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, f ees, funding, 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 recei ved 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, write 'I declare that I have  no competing interests' 
below. If your reply is yes to any, please give details below.  
 
no conflict  
 
I agree to the open peer r eview 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 with 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 included a s confidential comments 
to the editor s, which will not be published.  
 
 
Please review this paper.
user
Reviewer ’s report  
 
Title: Plasma levels of TNF -α, IL-6, IFN -γ, IL-12, IL -17, IL-22, and IL -23 in Achalasia, 
Eosinophilic Esophagitis (EoE), and Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD)  
 
Version: 1 Date: 10 May 2018  
 
Reviewer: M Vaezi  
 
Reviewer's report:  
 
I enjoyed reading this important and  timely manuscript.  Overall the authors have nicely tackled 
an area research in need of further work.  I have a few comments which I hope the authors can 
address:  
 
 
1. Starting the abstract with Cauble et al is a bit awkward ---suggest changing  
 
 
2. Can the a uthors be more specific about what was shipped to where? It is my sense that 
samples were collected at Tampa and sent to MUSC but need clarity if that is not the 
case.  Were all samples from Tampa and all shipped to MUSC and analyzed there or 
where there s amples from MUSC as well?  
 
 
3. Can the authors provide further rationale for the targeted approach of the specific IL's 
analyzed?  why those and why not others?  
 
 
4. Can the authors also provide data on the reflux parameters and symptom and 
demographic data wh ich were measured but not reported?  
 
 
5. IL-6 much higher in type III vs EoE or GERD? what is the implication of this finding?  
 
 
6. can the authors comment on lack of control group as a limitation?  
 
 
7. can the authors assess the IL based on reported weight l oss to see if any signals? IL -6  has 
been associated with cachexia and wt loss in cancer population in many studies.  
 
 
 
 
 
Level of interest  
Please indicate how interesting you found the manuscript:  
 
 
 
Quality of written English  
Please indicate the quality of lang uage in the manuscript:  
 
 
 
 
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, f ees, funding, 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 recei ved 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, write 'I declare that I have  no competing interests' 
below. If your reply is yes to any, please give details below.  
 
no conflict  
 
I agree to the open peer r eview 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 with 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 included a s confidential comments 
to the editor s, which will not be published.  
 
 
assistant