Augmented Pain and Inflammation with Obesity: A Role for the Pro-Inflammatory Cytokine Visfatin

Review Data

Q: Is the topic relevant to the journal area of interest? Is it contemporary and interesting for

researchers?

A: Very good

Abstract & Keywords

Q: Are all required components included in the abstract? Are the keywords appropriately chosen?

A: Excellent

Goal

Q: Is the goal explicitly stated in the Introduction? Is its formulation clear and unambiguous?

A: Good

Structure

Q: Is the paper's structure coherent? Is it in coherence with the goal of the paper?

A: Very good

Tools and Methods

Q: Are methods the author uses adequate and well used?

A: Very good

Discussion & Conclusion

Q: Is it related to the results presented before? Do you consider them as coherent?

A: Good

Comments:

The study is well designed and executed. The Methods and Results are adequately described. The Results suggest that blocking visfatin may be a promising therapeutic target for treatment of pain by attenuating the inflammatory cytokine cascade associated with inflammatory conditions, including obesity. The Discussion offers a thorough and detailed analysis of the findings of the present study taking all the relevant literature into account. It aptly recommends further studies to confirm if anti-visfatin therapies can alleviate inflammatory pain and the increased incidence of painful conditions with obesity.

Literature

Q: Does the author utilize relevant literature?

A: Good

Author's knowledge

Q: What is the level of the author’s knowledge? Does the author utilize all recent contributions relevant to the topic?

A: Good

Length

Q: Is the length of the paper adequate to the significance of the topic? Do you suggest shortening the paper without losing its value?

A: Good

Figures & Tables

Q: Does the author use them suitably? Are legend and notations clear?

A: Very good

Comments:

In both Figure legends of Figure 2 & 3 the sentence, "Paw oedema is represented as mean % change in paw volume from the contralateral paw at 6 and 24 hours" should correspond to Figure numbering 2E and 3E respectively instead of 2D and 3D.

Writing style

Q: Is it clear and understandable?

A: Very good

Further comments on the paper

Comments: This study characterizes pain and inflammation, and levels of the pro-inflammatory cytokine visfatin, in a rodent model of obesity, and investigates whether treatment with the visfatin inhibitor, FK866, has anti-inflammatory and/or analgesic effects in normal and obese rats. The study is of significance as it shows that treatment with FK866 is effective in reducing carrageenan-induced hyperalgesia and paw oedema in both normal diet (ND)-fed and high fat diet (HFD)-fed rats, suggesting that FK866 has anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties. The results further indicate a key role for visfatin in modulating inflammatory pain.

Q: Would you recommend this manuscript for further publication?

A: Yes - Suitable to be published

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Science Repository Team