Reviewer’s report
Title: Percentage of small platelets on peripheral blood smear and Child-Turcott-Pugh class can predict  
the presence of oesophageal varices in newly diagnosed patients with cirrhosis: development of a  
prediction model for resource limited settings
Version: 1 Date: 08 Jul 2019
Reviewer: Theresa Bucsics
Reviewer's report:
The authors Perera K. et al. have addressed the reviewers' comments on their manuscript with the title  
"Percentage of small platelets on peripheral blood smear and Child-Turcott-Pugh class can predict the  
presence  of  oesophageal   varices  in  newly  diagnosed  patients  with  cirrhosis:  development  of  a  
prediction model for resource limited settings" and revised their manuscript according to the reviewers'  
comments.
There are only a few remaining minor issues that should be corrected prior to publication:
1.The authors should include into reference Nr. 14 the name of the website, authors, title of the  
document, and the date and time the website was last accessed. 
2.Discussion section, penultimate page, Line 56 to last page of Discussion section, line 4 -  
("Recruiting  a  higher sample  of  newly  diagnosed  patients  with  cirrhosis,  who  were  not  
started  any  therapeutic  or prophylactic measures for a single was difficult.") - please rephrase  
as the sentence appears to be incomplete
3.Patient characteristics table: Please standardize what percentages are referring to, as the changes  
in reference is confusing (i.e. please calculate percentages per OV group (OV present, OV  
absent) for better comparability)
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 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 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 financially from the publication of this
manuscript, either now or in the future?
2. Do you hold any stocks or shares in an organisation that 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 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 competing interests' below. If  
your reply is yes to any, please give details below.
I declare I have no new competing interests with regards to this study
I agree to the open peer review policy of the journal. I understand that my name will be included 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 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 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: Percentage of small platelets on peripheral blood smear and Child-Turcott-Pugh class can predict  
the presence of oesophageal varices in newly diagnosed patients with cirrhosis: development of a  
prediction model for resource limited settings
Version: 1 Date: 08 Jul 2019
Reviewer: Theresa Bucsics
Reviewer's report:
The authors Perera K. et al. have addressed the reviewers' comments on their manuscript with the title  
"Percentage of small platelets on peripheral blood smear and Child-Turcott-Pugh class can predict the  
presence  of  oesophageal   varices  in  newly  diagnosed  patients  with  cirrhosis:  development  of  a  
prediction model for resource limited settings" and revised their manuscript according to the reviewers'  
comments.
There are only a few remaining minor issues that should be corrected prior to publication:
1.The authors should include into reference Nr. 14 the name of the website, authors, title of the  
document, and the date and time the website was last accessed. 
2.Discussion section, penultimate page, Line 56 to last page of Discussion section, line 4 -  
("Recruiting  a  higher sample  of  newly  diagnosed  patients  with  cirrhosis,  who  were  not  
started  any  therapeutic  or prophylactic measures for a single was difficult.") - please rephrase  
as the sentence appears to be incomplete
3.Patient characteristics table: Please standardize what percentages are referring to, as the changes  
in reference is confusing (i.e. please calculate percentages per OV group (OV present, OV  
absent) for better comparability)
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 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 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 financially from the publication of this
manuscript, either now or in the future?
2. Do you hold any stocks or shares in an organisation that 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 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 competing interests' below. If  
your reply is yes to any, please give details below.
I declare I have no new competing interests with regards to this study
I agree to the open peer review policy of the journal. I understand that my name will be included 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 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 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: Percentage of small platelets on peripheral blood smear and Child-Turcott-Pugh class can predict  
the presence of oesophageal varices in newly diagnosed patients with cirrhosis: development of a  
prediction model for resource limited settings
Version: 1 Date: 08 Jul 2019
Reviewer: Theresa Bucsics
Reviewer's report:
The authors Perera K. et al. have addressed the reviewers' comments on their manuscript with the title  
"Percentage of small platelets on peripheral blood smear and Child-Turcott-Pugh class can predict the  
presence  of  oesophageal   varices  in  newly  diagnosed  patients  with  cirrhosis:  development  of  a  
prediction model for resource limited settings" and revised their manuscript according to the reviewers'  
comments.
There are only a few remaining minor issues that should be corrected prior to publication:
1.The authors should include into reference Nr. 14 the name of the website, authors, title of the  
document, and the date and time the website was last accessed. 
2.Discussion section, penultimate page, Line 56 to last page of Discussion section, line 4 -  
("Recruiting  a  higher sample  of  newly  diagnosed  patients  with  cirrhosis,  who  were  not  
started  any  therapeutic  or prophylactic measures for a single was difficult.") - please rephrase  
as the sentence appears to be incomplete
3.Patient characteristics table: Please standardize what percentages are referring to, as the changes  
in reference is confusing (i.e. please calculate percentages per OV group (OV present, OV  
absent) for better comparability)
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 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 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 financially from the publication of this
manuscript, either now or in the future?
2. Do you hold any stocks or shares in an organisation that 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 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 competing interests' below. If  
your reply is yes to any, please give details below.
I declare I have no new competing interests with regards to this study
I agree to the open peer review policy of the journal. I understand that my name will be included 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 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 as confidential comments to the editors, which will not  
be published.
I agree to the open peer review policy of the journal
assistant