Reviewer ’s report  
 
Title: Microscopic features of small bowel mucosa of patients with Crohn ’s disease  
 
Version: 0 Date: 08 Aug 2019  
 
Reviewer: HJ Van Kruiningen  
 
Reviewer's report:  
 
Please include all comments for the authors in this box. The  authors have gone to extremes to 
quantify things that are subjective or that vary from one section to the next, such as numbers of 
these cells vs those cells, intra -epithelial neutrophils, basal plasmacytosis, crypt abnormality, 
goblet cells etc. Further,  they have not acknowledged that Crohn's disease is a submucosal  and 
intramuscular disease. Overly quantifying cells of the mucosa and aggregates of them is not 
helpful; cuts of resection specimens would be much more relevant, but also impossible to 
quant itate.  Suspected CD is also too subjective. You need to study clearly defined CD, 
established by several methods, and forget about suspected material.  To give statistical 
significance to "uneven inflammation" is the epitome of subjectivity; foolish.  
 
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.  
 
Yes 
 
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 statistics in th e 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 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 
organisati on 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 manuscrip t, 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, write 'I declare that I have no co mpeting interests' 
below. If your reply is yes to any, please give details below.  
 
I declare I have 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 with the authors' 
responses. I agree for my report to be made available under an Open Acc ess Creative Commons 
CC-BY license ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ ). I understa nd that any comments 
which I do not wish to be included in my named report can be in cluded as confidential comments 
to the editor s, which will not be published.  
 
I agree to the open peer review policy of the journal  
 
Reviewer ’s report  
 
Title: Microscopic features of small bowel mucosa of patients with Crohn ’s disease  
 
Version: 0 Date: 08 Aug 2019  
 
Reviewer: HJ Van Kruiningen  
 
Reviewer's report:  
 
Please include all comments for the authors in this box. The  authors have gone to extremes to 
quantify things that are subjective or that vary from one section to the next, such as numbers of 
these cells vs those cells, intra -epithelial neutrophils, basal plasmacytosis, crypt abnormality, 
goblet cells etc. Further,  they have not acknowledged that Crohn's disease is a submucosal  and 
intramuscular disease. Overly quantifying cells of the mucosa and aggregates of them is not 
helpful; cuts of resection specimens would be much more relevant, but also impossible to 
quant itate.  Suspected CD is also too subjective. You need to study clearly defined CD, 
established by several methods, and forget about suspected material.  To give statistical 
significance to "uneven inflammation" is the epitome of subjectivity; foolish.  
 
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.  
 
Yes 
 
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 statistics in th e 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 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 
organisati on 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 manuscrip t, 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, write 'I declare that I have no co mpeting interests' 
below. If your reply is yes to any, please give details below.  
 
I declare I have 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 with the authors' 
responses. I agree for my report to be made available under an Open Acc ess Creative Commons 
CC-BY license ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ ). I understa nd that any comments 
which I do not wish to be included in my named report can be in cluded as confidential comments 
to the editor s, 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: Microscopic features of small bowel mucosa of patients with Crohn ’s disease  
 
Version: 0 Date: 08 Aug 2019  
 
Reviewer: HJ Van Kruiningen  
 
Reviewer's report:  
 
Please include all comments for the authors in this box. The  authors have gone to extremes to 
quantify things that are subjective or that vary from one section to the next, such as numbers of 
these cells vs those cells, intra -epithelial neutrophils, basal plasmacytosis, crypt abnormality, 
goblet cells etc. Further,  they have not acknowledged that Crohn's disease is a submucosal  and 
intramuscular disease. Overly quantifying cells of the mucosa and aggregates of them is not 
helpful; cuts of resection specimens would be much more relevant, but also impossible to 
quant itate.  Suspected CD is also too subjective. You need to study clearly defined CD, 
established by several methods, and forget about suspected material.  To give statistical 
significance to "uneven inflammation" is the epitome of subjectivity; foolish.  
 
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.  
 
Yes 
 
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 statistics in th e 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 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 
organisati on 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 manuscrip t, 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, write 'I declare that I have no co mpeting interests' 
below. If your reply is yes to any, please give details below.  
 
I declare I have 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 with the authors' 
responses. I agree for my report to be made available under an Open Acc ess Creative Commons 
CC-BY license ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ ). I understa nd that any comments 
which I do not wish to be included in my named report can be in cluded as confidential comments 
to the editor s, which will not be published.  
 
I agree to the open peer review policy of the journal  
 
assistant