Refer to the research article, “Effect of weight loss on circulating fatty acid profiles in overweight subjects with high visceral fat area” to answer the following questions. Note that visceral fat (fat within the abdominal cavity) leads to dysfunction in fatty acid metabolism, and this is thought to contribute to increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes in individuals with obesity. ‘Desaturases’ refer to fatty acid enzymes that add a carbon-carbon double bond to the fatty acid, increasing its unsaturation.
1. Based on the information in the abstract, describe each PICOT component:
2. Study Purpose
a. In what section of the research article (excluding the abstract) is the purpose of the study described?
b. What is the stated purpose of the study (OK to copy and paste)?
3. Study design
a. In what section of the research article (excluding the abstract) is the study design described?
b. What is the study design (OK to copy and paste)?
4. Statistical tests
Under the Methods section, look for the sub-heading, “statistical analysis.” For each statistical test below, describe how the test was used in this research study (take note of the format of the variables used in each statistical test).
a. Independent t-test was used to compare:
b. Paired t-test was used to compare:
c. For the above tests, what was the criterion for statistical significance?
5. Examine the results that compare between the Control and Weight-loss groups at baseline.
a. Which column of the table shows these results?
b. Were there any statistically significant differences between these groups at baseline?
c. What statistic was used to test for these differences?
d. What might explain why the two groups were quite similar at baseline?
6. Examine the results that compare between the Control and Weight-loss groups at follow-up.
a. Which column of the table shows this result?
b. List the statistically significant differences between these groups at follow-up.
c. What statistic was used to test for these differences?
d. Why was this statistical test used for comparing these two groups at each time point?
7. Examine the results that compare within each group between baseline and follow-up.
a. What statistical test is used for these comparisons?
b. Where are these results shown in this table?
c. Why was this statistical test used for this purpose?
d. Which dependent variables changed significantly within the control group?
e. Which dependent variables changed significantly within the weight-loss group?
8. Read the first paragraph of the Discussion. Paste below the two sentences in this paragraph that describe the main findings of the research study:
9. The authors describe three limitations of their study.
a. In what section are these limitations described?
b. What are the limitations noted by the authors? (bullet points are fine)
10. Indicate the reference cited that is a systematic review. Reference number:
11. Lastly, describe what modification you would have to make to change this study to a Quasi-Experimental design:
