One of the purposes of a study by Liu et al. (A-5) was to determine the effects of MRZ 2/579

(a receptor antagonist shown to provide neuroprotective activity in vivo and in vitro) on neurological deficit in Sprague–Dawley rats. In the study, 10 rats were to receive MRZ 2/579 and nine rats were to receive regular saline. Prior to treatment, researchers studied the blood gas levels in the two groups of rats. The following table shows the pO2 levels for the two groups.
Saline (mmHg) MRZ 2/579 (mmHg)
112.5 133.3 106.3 106.4 99.5 113.1 98.3 117.2 103.4 126.4 109.4 98.1 108.9 113.4 107.4 116.8 116.5 Source: Data provided courtesy of Ludmila Belayev, M.D.
May we conclude, on the basis of these data, that, in general, subjects on saline have, on average, lower pO2 levels at baseline? Let a ¼ :01.