“Selection of statistical tests influence the interpretation of a study outcome” a comment on “Giriraja KV, Bhatnagar SK, Tomlinson L, Sancilio F. An open-label, multicenter, phase 2 study of a food enriched with docosahexaenoic acid in adults with sickle cell disease. Prostaglandins Leukot Es sent Fatty Acids. 2023 Jun; 193:102574. Doi: 10.1016/j.plefa.2023.102574. Epub 2023 Apr 7. PMID: 37121179.”

Giriraja et al. reported a decrease in C-reactive protein (CRP) levels in patients with sickle cell disease following omega-3 fatty acid intake [1]. The authors also reported statistically insignificant changes in the pro-inflammatory marker (docosahexaenoic acid (DHA)), anti-inflammatory marker (arachidonic acid (AA)), and vaso-occlusive pain scores. A smaller sample size (n=10) was mentioned as one of the probable reasons for the statistically insignificant results. However, the paired t-test used for the statistical analysis seems to violate the assumptions of the test.

Source: Prostaglandins, Leukotrienes and Essential Fatty Acids - October 12, 2023 Category: Biomedical Science Authors: Ashwin P Patel Tags: Short communication Source Type: research