Papadimitriou DT, Vassaras AK, Holick MF. Association between population vitamin D status and SARS-CoV-2 related serious-critical illness and deaths: An ecological integrative approach. World J Virol 2021; 10(3): 111-129 [PMID: 34079693 DOI: 10.5501/wjv.v10.i3.111]
Reader's ID:
05432496
Submitted on:
May 24, 2021, 10:22
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Reader Comments:
The authors used populational data on Vitamin D levels and severity/moratality data on COVID-19 in Europe. The data is interesting, but the COVID-19 outcome may be affected by many aspects. The topic remains controversial, due to the conflicting results with a few reports regarding the relation between Vitamin D deficiency and COVID-19.
Reply from the Editorial Office:
Thank you very much for your comments.
Author's Reply:
Replied on May 24, 2021, 12:15
Indeed, we tried to thoroughly discuss the various aspects that may affect the outcome of COVID-19 disease. We believe that our findings using this ecological approach are consistent with the results of clinical studies that examine the vitamin D status and clinical outcome of COVID-19 patients. Trying to integrate ecological data with results from published studies, we also dissolved a myth about vitamin D protecting from SARS-CoV-2 spreading. And at the same time we showed how important is vitamin D's role in the outcome of the COVID-19 disease, as one would expect given its proven role in the integrity and balance of our immune system. Furthermore, we provided for the first time safe and detailed guidance for vitamin D supplementation for all age groups, in order to shield our immune system as efficiently as possible.
Reader's ID:
05432673
Submitted on:
May 21, 2021, 17:41
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Reader’s expertise on the topic of the manuscript
Conflicts-of-Interest Statement:
Does the reader have a conflict of interest?
Reader Comment Standards for Published Articles:
1 Title
Does the title reflect the main subject/hypothesis of the manuscript?
2 Abstract
Does the abstract summarize and reflect the work described in the manuscript?
3 Key Words
Do the key words reflect the focus of the manuscript?
4 Background
Does the manuscript adequately describe the background, present status and significance of the study?
5 Methods
Does the manuscript describe methods (e.g., experiments, data analysis, surveys, and clinical trials, etc.) in adequate detail?
6 Results
Are the research objectives achieved by the experiments used in this study?
Has the study made meaningful contributions towards research progress in this field?
7 Discussion
Does the manuscript interpret the findings adequately and appropriately, highlighting the key points concisely, clearly and logically?
Are the findings and their applicability/relevance to the literature stated in a clear and definite manner?
Is the Discussion accurate and does it discuss the paper’s scientific significance and/or relevance to clinical practice sufficiently?
8 Illustrations and Tables
Are the figures, diagrams and tables sufficient, good quality and appropriately illustrative of the paper contents?
Do figures require labeling with arrows, asterisks, etc., or better legends?
9 Biostatistics
Does the manuscript meet the requirements of biostatistics?
10 Units
Does the manuscript meet the requirements of use of SI units?
11 References
Does the manuscript appropriately cite the latest, important and authoritative references in the Introduction and Discussion sections?
Does the author self-cite, omit, incorrectly cite and/or over-cite references?
12 Quality of manuscript organization and presentation
Is the manuscript concisely and coherently organized and presented?
Are the style, language and grammar accurate and appropriate?
13 Ethics statements
For all manuscripts involving human studies and/or animal experiments, author(s) must submit the related formal ethics documents that were reviewed and approved by their local ethical review committee. Did the manuscript meet the requirements of ethics?
Scientific Quality:
The overall quality of the manuscript, based on the above-listed criteria, should be evaluated and classified according to the following five categories
Language Quality:
Language quality (style, grammar, and spelling) should be evaluated and classified according to the following five categories.
Reader Comments:
I am not a virologist nor a doctor in medicine. I am a nuclear physicist using statistics. Statistics is carefully treated although (probably) more statistical parameters should be quoted to support conclusions. Consequently, i am not able to answer honestly about reported references(11): my answer 11 is only approximate.
Reply from the Editorial Office:
Thank you very much for your comments.
Author's Reply:
Replied on May 24, 2021, 12:08
We are honored by your comments regarding our careful statistical analysis, especially by someone with your declared expertise. You are probably right that more complex statistical parameters could be further analyzed; this is however a paper that tried to focus more on the clinical setting and provide for the first time safe and detailed guidance for vitamin D supplementation. We believe that our findings using this ecological approach are consistent with studies that examine the vitamin D status and clinical outcome of COVID-19 patients. Trying to integrate ecological data with results from published studies, we also dissolved a myth about vitamin D protecting from SARS-CoV-2 spreading. And at the same time we showed how important is vitamin D's role in the outcome of the COVID-19 disease.