Reviewer's report 
 The presence of the proteolysis-inducing factor in urine does not predict the malignancy of Title: 
pancreatic tumours 
 1  14 April 2005 Version: Date: 
 Walter Halangk Reviewer: 
Reviewer's report: 
General 
Distinction between benign and malignant pancreatic diseases is a very actual question in clinical 
pancreatology. To this end, authors tested the applicability of the detection of proteolysis-inducing 
factor in urine, a protein that has been recently detected in various tumours. 
------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 
Major Compulsory Revisions (that the author must respond to before a decision on publication can be reached) 
The clear-cut detection of PIF in urine samples is the crucial point of the work, but the authors did 
not give any graphic illustration of this assay. Therefore, a representative Western Blot should be 
necessarily included in the manuscript. 
------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 
Minor Essential Revisions (such as missing labels on figures, or the wrong use of a term, which the 
author can be trusted to correct) 
In first paragraphs of the Abstract and the Background it is not correctly defined whether the term 
"benign tumours" also includes chronic pancreatitis. 
------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Discretionary Revisions (which the author can choose to ignore) 
 Unable to decide on acceptance or rejection until the authors have responded to the What next?: 
major compulsory revisions 
 An article whose findings are important to those with closely related research Level of interest: 
interests 
 Acceptable Quality of written English: 
 No Statistical review: 
Declaration of competing interests: 
'I declare that I have no competing interests' 
Reviewer's report 
 The presence of the proteolysis-inducing factor in urine does not predict the malignancy of Title: 
pancreatic tumours 
 1  14 April 2005 Version: Date: 
 Walter Halangk Reviewer: 
Reviewer's report: 
General 
Distinction between benign and malignant pancreatic diseases is a very actual question in clinical 
pancreatology. To this end, authors tested the applicability of the detection of proteolysis-inducing 
factor in urine, a protein that has been recently detected in various tumours. 
------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 
Major Compulsory Revisions (that the author must respond to before a decision on publication can be reached) 
The clear-cut detection of PIF in urine samples is the crucial point of the work, but the authors did 
not give any graphic illustration of this assay. Therefore, a representative Western Blot should be 
necessarily included in the manuscript. 
------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 
Minor Essential Revisions (such as missing labels on figures, or the wrong use of a term, which the 
author can be trusted to correct) 
In first paragraphs of the Abstract and the Background it is not correctly defined whether the term 
"benign tumours" also includes chronic pancreatitis. 
------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Discretionary Revisions (which the author can choose to ignore) 
 Unable to decide on acceptance or rejection until the authors have responded to the What next?: 
major compulsory revisions 
 An article whose findings are important to those with closely related research Level of interest: 
interests 
 Acceptable Quality of written English: 
 No Statistical review: 
Declaration of competing interests: 
'I declare that I have no competing interests' 
Please review this paper.
user
Reviewer's report 
 The presence of the proteolysis-inducing factor in urine does not predict the malignancy of Title: 
pancreatic tumours 
 1  14 April 2005 Version: Date: 
 Walter Halangk Reviewer: 
Reviewer's report: 
General 
Distinction between benign and malignant pancreatic diseases is a very actual question in clinical 
pancreatology. To this end, authors tested the applicability of the detection of proteolysis-inducing 
factor in urine, a protein that has been recently detected in various tumours. 
------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 
Major Compulsory Revisions (that the author must respond to before a decision on publication can be reached) 
The clear-cut detection of PIF in urine samples is the crucial point of the work, but the authors did 
not give any graphic illustration of this assay. Therefore, a representative Western Blot should be 
necessarily included in the manuscript. 
------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 
Minor Essential Revisions (such as missing labels on figures, or the wrong use of a term, which the 
author can be trusted to correct) 
In first paragraphs of the Abstract and the Background it is not correctly defined whether the term 
"benign tumours" also includes chronic pancreatitis. 
------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Discretionary Revisions (which the author can choose to ignore) 
 Unable to decide on acceptance or rejection until the authors have responded to the What next?: 
major compulsory revisions 
 An article whose findings are important to those with closely related research Level of interest: 
interests 
 Acceptable Quality of written English: 
 No Statistical review: 
Declaration of competing interests: 
'I declare that I have no competing interests' 
assistant