A Study Randomly Assigned 60 Adults Diagnosed with Metabolic Syndrome

Multiple Choice

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) ":
$$\begin{array} { | l | l | l | } \hline & \text { Herbal Supplement } & \text { Placebo } \\\hline \text { Start of study } & 101.58 ( 75.39 ) & 98.50 ( 66.92 ) \\\hline \text { End of study } & 47.11 ( 27.85 ) & 78.87 ( 60.65 ) \\\hline\end{array}$$ Is there evidence that urinary microalbumin differed significantly between the two groups at the start of the study? Based on the data, what is the absolute numerical value of the t statistic for the appropriate test?

A) 0.17
B) 0.87
C) 1.54
D) 3.08