Response to comments of reviewer 2:
Dear Prof. Valdenia VMOS Souza,
We are really grateful to you for your great effort and sincere help to us
in reviewing our manuscript. We really got benefit from your notes. We
tried to perform the required modifications and we hope that we fulfilled
the entailed revisions including:
1. The superscripts included in the tables were revised and
corrected in the tables and explained in a non confusing way under
the tables.
N:B The suggested pattern could not be applied due to the presence of multiple
correlations in the four groups in relation to the studied items which make it difficult to
explain the relations under the tables. We explain the pattern we used according to the
following reference:
Presenting statistical significance using superscripts:
Aa Bb Cab Da
This is consistent with the analysis that said the only
statistically significant differences among these means were
between A & B and B & D. A & B do not share a
superscript, nor do B & D . Every other combination,
however, does share a superscript.
References:
1. Labeling Similar Means After Performing an Analysis of Variance
The Little Handbook of Statistical Practice
Gerard E. Dallal, Ph.D.
Chief, Biostatistics Unit
Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging
at Tufts University
711 Washington Street
Boston, MA 02111
Gerard.Dallal@tufts.edu
2. Guide 6 - International Livestock Research Institute
www.ilri.org/biometrics/guides/Guide%206/Guide%206.htm
2. The letter "b" in the CD8+ cells for group IV was revised & the
error was corrected in to (a) so that it is statistically significant to
control.
3. The statistical analysis was totally revised and modified to include
tests used & type of ANOVA.
4. The letter "a" in the CD19+ and CD22+ cells mean statistically
insignificant difference between all infected groups ( means
followed by superscript a) and significant relation to the control
group ( means followed by superscript b). "ab" means no
statistically significant difference in relation to means followed by
superscript ( a) or( b).
5. "ab" in the Platelet Count in group IV, this error was corrected to
(d) so it is statistically significant to other groups and to control
group.
Discussion:
1.The discussion as a whole was rewritten in order to update
the references
2. From page 12 to 14 until "cells either by inducing apoptosis
or by producing interferon-gamma (IFN-#), which suppresses
the viral replication [27.
Were deleted.
3. However, Feng et al., reported a negative correlation between
the percentages of CD4 (+) cells and the HCV RNA load [32].
It was replaced by a more recent reference
4. T reg cells were omitted from the discussion
5. despite the pts. were in chronic phase, however it was proved
by some studies that IgE plays a role against soluble egg
antigens (SEA).
New added references for that were included in the
discussion (references number 47&48).
6. The conclusion at the end of the discussion as well as in
the abstract was rewritten.
7.References were updated to include 14 references from
2010-2014.
Minor essential revisions
1. Reference No.6 was corrected in the reference list by the
correct one.
2. "It is surprising; however, that the effects of P selectin
deficiency were most evident in the livers of chronically
infected mice in whom, granuloma size increased
dramatically in the absence of P-selectin [8]."
Was explained by another reference through reformulation
of the discussion:
P selectin is widely thought to promote inflammatory
reactions by facilitating leukocyte recruitment. However, it
was surprisingly found that mice with targeted deletion of
the P-selectin gene (PsKO mice) developed unpolarized
type 1/type 2 cytokine reactions and vigoursly enhanced
liver pathology following infection with the type 2promoting Schistosoma mansoni [10].
-The Ethical approval protocol number was added.
- CD63 was removed as it was mentioned by error.
-“EDETA blood” was corrected in to EDTA blood
-For statistical analyses, were rewritten including the tests used
and type of ANOVA.
Again, thank you so much for you valuable guidance.
Much appreciated.