A study randomly assigned 60 adults diagnosed with metabolic syndrome to two groups, each containing 30 patients. One group was given daily tablets containing the Chinese herbal supplement Yiqi Huaju Qingli, while the other group was given daily placebo tablets. All 60 patients maintained their standard medical treatment throughout the 12 weeks of the study. Urinary microalbumin is a key factor in metabolic syndrome and an early sign of diabetic nephropathy. Urinary microalbumin (in mg/l) was assessed for all participants at the beginning and at the end of the study. Here are the published findings, expressed as "mean (standard deviation)":
?
$$\begin{array} { | l | l | l | }
\hline & \text { Herbal Supplement } & \text { Placebo } \
\hline \text { Start of study } & 101.58 ( 75.39 ) & 98.50 ( 66.92 ) \
\hline \text { End of study } & 47.11 ( 27.85 ) & 78.87 ( 60.65 ) \
\hline
\end{array}$$ Using significance level ?= 0.05, do the data provide evidence that urinary microalbumin is significantly lower in the herbal group than in the placebo group at the end of the study? [Note that the degrees of freedom is roughly 40 for this test.]

Question

A study randomly assigned 60 adults diagnosed with metabolic syndrome to two groups, each containing 30 patients. One group was given daily tablets containing the Chinese herbal supplement Yiqi Huaju Qingli, while the other group was given daily placebo tablets. All 60 patients maintained their standard medical treatment throughout the 12 weeks of the study. Urinary microalbumin is a key factor in metabolic syndrome and an early sign of diabetic nephropathy. Urinary microalbumin (in mg/l) was assessed for all participants at the beginning and at the end of the study. Here are the published findings, expressed as "mean (standard deviation)":
?
$$\begin{array} { | l | l | l | } 
\hline & \text { Herbal Supplement } & \text { Placebo } \
\hline \text { Start of study } & 101.58 ( 75.39 ) & 98.50 ( 66.92 ) \
\hline \text { End of study } & 47.11 ( 27.85 ) & 78.87 ( 60.65 ) \
\hline
\end{array}$$ Using significance level ?= 0.05, do the data provide evidence that urinary microalbumin is significantly lower in the herbal group than in the placebo group at the end of the study? [Note that the degrees of freedom is roughly 40 for this test.]

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The significant reduction in urinary microalbumin levels in the herbal supplement group compared to the placebo group, as indicated by the mean values at the end of the study (47.11 vs. 78.87), suggests a statistically significant difference, implying P < 0.05.

A Study Randomly Assigned 60 Adults Diagnosed with Metabolic Syndrome