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Polymerase Chain Response Paper

Decent Essays

This is a striking article on how peripheral catecholamine-O-methyl-transferase (COMT) gene expression is associated with obsessive-compulsive disorder in Han Chinese individuals with no consanguinity. Although the manuscript possesses numerous remarkable strengths, such as establishing the context and significance of the authors’ research, there are some areas, such as mentioning the limitations of the study, that require improvement for other researchers. The manuscript also has various issues that must be addressed before it is suitable for publishing. These include: 1. In the introduction, the author states that obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) affects 1-3% of the general population, when in fact it affects 2.3% of the general population. …show more content…

The introduction mentioned a “candidate gene approach,” which was not clearly explained for someone who is not very knowledgeable about this particular subject. The author could therefore clarify in more depth what it means, to make a stronger introduction. 3. The study objective should be more clearly articulated. For instance, the author should discuss why they examined the relationship between COMT and OCD using specifically real time quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. The significance of this technique needed to be more well-defined. 4. The sample was taken out of a specific ethnic group, the Han Chinese. This fact can make it more difficult to generalize the results to a broader population, yet the purpose of choosing this specific group remains unclear. It would be good to clarify why this specific nationality was chosen as the sample. 5. In the method section, the actual group was interviewed by two psychiatrists, whereas the control group’s interviews were conducted by only one psychiatrist. The two groups should be interviewed by the same two psychiatrists in order to eliminate the issue of inter-rater reliability. The purpose for not doing this should therefore be reported and the consequences should be considered. This could be a potential confounding variable, which may mislead the

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