Reviewer ’s report  
 
Title: Blood carnitine profiling on tandem mass spectrometry in liver cirrhotic patients  
 
Version: 0 Date: 25 Oct 2019  
 
Reviewer: Masahide Hamaguchi  
 
Reviewer's report:  
 
Comments to the Editor  
 
Hisamitsu Miyaaki et al. performed a cross -sectional study to investigate the association of 
carnitine fractions with liver ci rrhosis. This study encompasses an interesting topic and is a 
worth to publish in this journal, but it has some problems.  
 
1. Table 2. I guess (A~B) might mean the range. Please add the explanation for it  
 
2. Line 47, Please reconsider to describe the detail  of measurement.  
 
3. Authors should explain biological mechanisms that levels of C0 and acylcarnitines 
increase in the condition of liver cirrhosis.  
 
4. Authors didn't assess the physical activities, ADLs, oral intakes, or nutritions at the 
baseline of the s tudy. Does these factors influence on C0 and acylcarnitines.  
 
5. Authors should discuss clinical meanings of measuring C0 and acylcarnitines in blood. If 
C0 and acylcarnitines are associated with grade of liver cirrhosis, several useful 
biomarkers could pre dict the grade of liver cirrhosis. What is the advantage of measuring 
C0 and acylcarnitines in spite of conventional biomarkers for the grade of liver cirrhosis.  
 
Are the methods app ropriate and well described?  
If not, please specify what is required in your comments to the authors.  
 
No 
 
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 the 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, fees, 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 p ublication 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 re ceived 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 
 
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 understand that any comments 
which I do not wish to be included in my named report can be in cluded as confidential commen ts 
to the editors, which will not be published.  
 
I agree to the open peer review policy of the journal  
Reviewer ’s report  
 
Title: Blood carnitine profiling on tandem mass spectrometry in liver cirrhotic patients  
 
Version: 0 Date: 25 Oct 2019  
 
Reviewer: Masahide Hamaguchi  
 
Reviewer's report:  
 
Comments to the Editor  
 
Hisamitsu Miyaaki et al. performed a cross -sectional study to investigate the association of 
carnitine fractions with liver ci rrhosis. This study encompasses an interesting topic and is a 
worth to publish in this journal, but it has some problems.  
 
1. Table 2. I guess (A~B) might mean the range. Please add the explanation for it  
 
2. Line 47, Please reconsider to describe the detail  of measurement.  
 
3. Authors should explain biological mechanisms that levels of C0 and acylcarnitines 
increase in the condition of liver cirrhosis.  
 
4. Authors didn't assess the physical activities, ADLs, oral intakes, or nutritions at the 
baseline of the s tudy. Does these factors influence on C0 and acylcarnitines.  
 
5. Authors should discuss clinical meanings of measuring C0 and acylcarnitines in blood. If 
C0 and acylcarnitines are associated with grade of liver cirrhosis, several useful 
biomarkers could pre dict the grade of liver cirrhosis. What is the advantage of measuring 
C0 and acylcarnitines in spite of conventional biomarkers for the grade of liver cirrhosis.  
 
Are the methods app ropriate and well described?  
If not, please specify what is required in your comments to the authors.  
 
No 
 
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 the 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, fees, 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 p ublication 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 re ceived 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 
 
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 understand that any comments 
which I do not wish to be included in my named report can be in cluded as confidential commen ts 
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: Blood carnitine profiling on tandem mass spectrometry in liver cirrhotic patients  
 
Version: 0 Date: 25 Oct 2019  
 
Reviewer: Masahide Hamaguchi  
 
Reviewer's report:  
 
Comments to the Editor  
 
Hisamitsu Miyaaki et al. performed a cross -sectional study to investigate the association of 
carnitine fractions with liver ci rrhosis. This study encompasses an interesting topic and is a 
worth to publish in this journal, but it has some problems.  
 
1. Table 2. I guess (A~B) might mean the range. Please add the explanation for it  
 
2. Line 47, Please reconsider to describe the detail  of measurement.  
 
3. Authors should explain biological mechanisms that levels of C0 and acylcarnitines 
increase in the condition of liver cirrhosis.  
 
4. Authors didn't assess the physical activities, ADLs, oral intakes, or nutritions at the 
baseline of the s tudy. Does these factors influence on C0 and acylcarnitines.  
 
5. Authors should discuss clinical meanings of measuring C0 and acylcarnitines in blood. If 
C0 and acylcarnitines are associated with grade of liver cirrhosis, several useful 
biomarkers could pre dict the grade of liver cirrhosis. What is the advantage of measuring 
C0 and acylcarnitines in spite of conventional biomarkers for the grade of liver cirrhosis.  
 
Are the methods app ropriate and well described?  
If not, please specify what is required in your comments to the authors.  
 
No 
 
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 the 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, fees, 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 p ublication 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 re ceived 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 
 
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 understand that any comments 
which I do not wish to be included in my named report can be in cluded as confidential commen ts 
to the editors, which will not be published.  
 
I agree to the open peer review policy of the journal  
assistant