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Glucosamine Information Center recognizes that some of the terms may be difficult to understand, so a glossary of terms is provided below.
Randomised, placebo-controlled, double-blind trials
A type of clinical study in which neither the researchers nor the patients know which medications used in the study are being evaluated and which are simply "dummy" pills. Studies are conducted "double blind" to prevent bias.
Osteoarthritis
A type of arthritis that impacts joint movement and ability
Nutraceutical glucosamine hydrochloride
A dietary supplement that has been shown to maintain joint cartilage and the structural integrity of joint connective tissue. The active ingredient is glucosamine, which is commonly mixed with either sulfate or hydrochloride which act as a carrier.
T.i.d.
The amount shown was taken three times per day. The total amount taken was 1500 mg of glucosamine
Acetaminophen
A common pain reliever also known as Tylenol
ACR criteria
Assessment criteria established by the American College of Rheumatology
Placebo
A capsule designed to look exactly like the active capsules, but containing no active ingredients. Some refer to it as a "dummy" pill.
Rescue medication
A medication used to provide relief from pain
Ibuprofen
A common pain reliever
Lequesne index
A widely recognized scale used to evaluate OA severity
ITT population
Intent-to-treat population. A statistical method that evaluates data from actual patients enrolled in the study, not just those who completed it.
LOCF approach
Last observation carried forward. If a patient drops out of the study, the last available measurement for that patient is used as the end-of-study measurement.
WOMAC index
Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Arthritis (WOMAC) Index. It is a questionnaire used to assess the symptoms of pain, stiffness and physical function in patients with osteoarthritis of the hip or knee.
OARSI-A
Osteoarthritis Research Society International (OARSI)
GLM-ANOVA, with Dunnett's pairwise comparisons
Statistical analysis method used by the researchers
Chi-square test
A statistical analysis method used by the researchers
Baseline
Measurements taken at the start of the study. Measurements were taken at six months were compared with the baseline data to help determine if the glucosamine, placebo and celecoxib made a difference
P or P-value
Probability that the observed result was actually caused by the tested product, and did not occur due to chance
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