A Randomized, Parallel-Group, Controlled Clinical Trial Evaluates the Effectiveness of an Anti-Inflammatory

question 750

Multiple Choice

A randomized, parallel-group, controlled clinical trial evaluates the effectiveness of an anti-inflammatory intervention as treatment for neuropathic pain following spinal cord injury.  Participants with varying levels and severities of spinal cord injury are randomly assigned to either a 24-week, anti-inflammatory diet treatment group or a control group.  Primary outcomes consist of changes in pain scores and markers of inflammation at 6 months.  Preliminary analyses reveal a significant reduction in pain scores in the treatment group from baseline to 6 months (p = 0.03) .  There was a significant reduction in pain scores among nonobese subjects (p = 0.01) and a nonsignificant increase in pain scores among obese subjects (p = 0.06) .  Which of the following is the best explanation for these differences in findings between obese and nonobese subjects?

• A)Confounding bias
• B)Effect modification
• C)Hawthorne effect
• D)Randomization failure
• E)Selection bias

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Definitions:

Cytokinesis

Cytokinesis is the process during cell division in which the cytoplasm of a single eukaryotic cell is divided into two daughter cells.

G₁ Phase

The first of four phases of the cell cycle in which the cell grows in size and synthesizes mRNA and proteins in preparation for subsequent steps leading to mitosis.

G₂ Phase

A phase of the cell cycle following DNA synthesis (S phase) and preceding mitosis (M phase), during which cells prepare for division and undergo growth and protein synthesis.

Meiosis

A type of cell division that reduces the chromosome number by half, resulting in the production of four genetically distinct haploid cells.