Reviewer ’s report  
Title:  Peripheral blood toll -like receptor 4 correlates with rapid virological response to 
Pegylatedinterferon and ribavirin therapy in hepatitis C genotype 1 patients  
 
Version:  0 Date: 10 Jan 2016  
 
Reviewer:  Andrz ej Wincewicz  
 
Reviewer's report:  
In the paper numbered BMGE -D-15-00271 the authors showed that a low level  of TLR 4 mRNA 
in peripheral blood monocytes (PMBCs) was significantly associated with rapid virological 
response RVR in HCV with conclusion that TLR4 could be crucial for antigen recognition and 
activation of innate immunity. Other TLR expression levels w ere correlated with HCV viral 
load, suggesting that TLR activation may subsequently limit HCV replication. The study is well 
designed. The results are reliable and the conclusions are supported by obtained results. please 
provide short characteristics of n on-RVR group in methods section  
The authors are kindly requested to consider citation of papers like these ones:  
Stepanova M, Henry L, Garg R, Kalwaney S, Saab S, Younossi Z. Risk of de novo post -
transplant type 2 diabetes in patients undergoing liver tran splant for non -alcoholic 
steatohepatitis. BMC Gastroenterol. 2015 Dec 15;15(1):175. doi: 10.1186/s12876 -015-0407 -y. 
Ten Oever J, Kox M, van de Veerdonk FL, Mothapo KM, Slavcovici A, Jansen TL, Tweehuysen 
L, Giamarellos -Bourboulis EJ, Schneeberger PM, Wever  PC, Stoffels M, Simon A, van der Meer 
JW, Johnson MD, Kullberg BJ, Pickkers P, Pachot A, Joosten LA, Netea MG. The 
discriminative capacity of soluble Toll -like receptor (sTLR)2 and sTLR4 in inflammatory 
diseases. BMC Immunol. 2014 Nov 19;15:55. doi: 10.11 86/s12865 -014-0055 -y. 
With compliments, best regards and wishes,  
 
Andrzej Wincewicz  
  
Are the methods appropriate and well described?  
If not, please specify what is required in your comments to the authors.  
Yes 
Does the work include the necessary controls?  
If not, please specify which controls are required in your comments to the authors.  
Unable to assess  
Are the conclusions drawn adequately supported by the data shown?  
If not, please explain in your comments to the authors.  
Yes 
Are you able to assess any statist ics in the manuscript or would you recommend an 
additional statistical review?  
If an additional statistical review is recommended, please specify what aspects require further 
assessment in your comments to the editors.  
I recommend additional statistical revi ew 
Quality of written English  
Please indicate the quality of language in the manuscript:  
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, f ees, funding, or salary from an 
organi sation 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 manus cript, 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 pat ents 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 of interests  
I agree to the open peer review policy of the journal. I understand that my name will be include d 
on my report to the authors and, if the manuscript is accepted for 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 A ccess 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 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:  Peripheral blood toll -like receptor 4 correlates with rapid virological response to 
Pegylatedinterferon and ribavirin therapy in hepatitis C genotype 1 patients  
 
Version:  0 Date: 10 Jan 2016  
 
Reviewer:  Andrz ej Wincewicz  
 
Reviewer's report:  
In the paper numbered BMGE -D-15-00271 the authors showed that a low level  of TLR 4 mRNA 
in peripheral blood monocytes (PMBCs) was significantly associated with rapid virological 
response RVR in HCV with conclusion that TLR4 could be crucial for antigen recognition and 
activation of innate immunity. Other TLR expression levels w ere correlated with HCV viral 
load, suggesting that TLR activation may subsequently limit HCV replication. The study is well 
designed. The results are reliable and the conclusions are supported by obtained results. please 
provide short characteristics of n on-RVR group in methods section  
The authors are kindly requested to consider citation of papers like these ones:  
Stepanova M, Henry L, Garg R, Kalwaney S, Saab S, Younossi Z. Risk of de novo post -
transplant type 2 diabetes in patients undergoing liver tran splant for non -alcoholic 
steatohepatitis. BMC Gastroenterol. 2015 Dec 15;15(1):175. doi: 10.1186/s12876 -015-0407 -y. 
Ten Oever J, Kox M, van de Veerdonk FL, Mothapo KM, Slavcovici A, Jansen TL, Tweehuysen 
L, Giamarellos -Bourboulis EJ, Schneeberger PM, Wever  PC, Stoffels M, Simon A, van der Meer 
JW, Johnson MD, Kullberg BJ, Pickkers P, Pachot A, Joosten LA, Netea MG. The 
discriminative capacity of soluble Toll -like receptor (sTLR)2 and sTLR4 in inflammatory 
diseases. BMC Immunol. 2014 Nov 19;15:55. doi: 10.11 86/s12865 -014-0055 -y. 
With compliments, best regards and wishes,  
 
Andrzej Wincewicz  
  
Are the methods appropriate and well described?  
If not, please specify what is required in your comments to the authors.  
Yes 
Does the work include the necessary controls?  
If not, please specify which controls are required in your comments to the authors.  
Unable to assess  
Are the conclusions drawn adequately supported by the data shown?  
If not, please explain in your comments to the authors.  
Yes 
Are you able to assess any statist ics in the manuscript or would you recommend an 
additional statistical review?  
If an additional statistical review is recommended, please specify what aspects require further 
assessment in your comments to the editors.  
I recommend additional statistical revi ew 
Quality of written English  
Please indicate the quality of language in the manuscript:  
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, f ees, funding, or salary from an 
organi sation 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 manus cript, 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 pat ents 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 of interests  
I agree to the open peer review policy of the journal. I understand that my name will be include d 
on my report to the authors and, if the manuscript is accepted for 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 A ccess 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 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:  Peripheral blood toll -like receptor 4 correlates with rapid virological response to 
Pegylatedinterferon and ribavirin therapy in hepatitis C genotype 1 patients  
 
Version:  0 Date: 10 Jan 2016  
 
Reviewer:  Andrz ej Wincewicz  
 
Reviewer's report:  
In the paper numbered BMGE -D-15-00271 the authors showed that a low level  of TLR 4 mRNA 
in peripheral blood monocytes (PMBCs) was significantly associated with rapid virological 
response RVR in HCV with conclusion that TLR4 could be crucial for antigen recognition and 
activation of innate immunity. Other TLR expression levels w ere correlated with HCV viral 
load, suggesting that TLR activation may subsequently limit HCV replication. The study is well 
designed. The results are reliable and the conclusions are supported by obtained results. please 
provide short characteristics of n on-RVR group in methods section  
The authors are kindly requested to consider citation of papers like these ones:  
Stepanova M, Henry L, Garg R, Kalwaney S, Saab S, Younossi Z. Risk of de novo post -
transplant type 2 diabetes in patients undergoing liver tran splant for non -alcoholic 
steatohepatitis. BMC Gastroenterol. 2015 Dec 15;15(1):175. doi: 10.1186/s12876 -015-0407 -y. 
Ten Oever J, Kox M, van de Veerdonk FL, Mothapo KM, Slavcovici A, Jansen TL, Tweehuysen 
L, Giamarellos -Bourboulis EJ, Schneeberger PM, Wever  PC, Stoffels M, Simon A, van der Meer 
JW, Johnson MD, Kullberg BJ, Pickkers P, Pachot A, Joosten LA, Netea MG. The 
discriminative capacity of soluble Toll -like receptor (sTLR)2 and sTLR4 in inflammatory 
diseases. BMC Immunol. 2014 Nov 19;15:55. doi: 10.11 86/s12865 -014-0055 -y. 
With compliments, best regards and wishes,  
 
Andrzej Wincewicz  
  
Are the methods appropriate and well described?  
If not, please specify what is required in your comments to the authors.  
Yes 
Does the work include the necessary controls?  
If not, please specify which controls are required in your comments to the authors.  
Unable to assess  
Are the conclusions drawn adequately supported by the data shown?  
If not, please explain in your comments to the authors.  
Yes 
Are you able to assess any statist ics in the manuscript or would you recommend an 
additional statistical review?  
If an additional statistical review is recommended, please specify what aspects require further 
assessment in your comments to the editors.  
I recommend additional statistical revi ew 
Quality of written English  
Please indicate the quality of language in the manuscript:  
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, f ees, funding, or salary from an 
organi sation 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 manus cript, 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 pat ents 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 of interests  
I agree to the open peer review policy of the journal. I understand that my name will be include d 
on my report to the authors and, if the manuscript is accepted for 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 A ccess 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 as confidential comments 
to the editors, which will not be published.  
I agree to the open peer review policy of the journal  
assistant