Problem:
An herb for depression? Does the herb SaintJohn's-wort relieve major depression? Here are some excerpts from the report of a study of this issue. The study concluded that the herb is no more effective than a placebo.
Required:
(i) "Design: Randomized, double-blind, placebocontrolled clinical trial...." A clinical trial is a medical experiment using actual patients as subjects. Explain the meaning of each of the other terms in this description.
(ii) "Participants ... were randomly assigned to receive either Saint-John's-wort extract (n= 98) or placebo (n =102).... The primary outcome measure was the rate of change in the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression over the treatment period." Based on this information, use a diagram to outline the design of this clinical trial.