In the online article “Comparing the Effects of Fluoxetine and Imipramine on Total Cholesterol, Triglyceride, and Weight in Patients with Major Depression” (Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Vol. 21, No. 4), E. Ananloo et al.

study the effect of antidepressants on lipid profiles. Nineteen females who suffered from depression were given the drug fluoxetine and their total cholesterol level, in milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL), was measured before and after a 4-week testing period. The findings are summarized in the table below.

Patient Before After Patient Before After 1 212 194 11 137 129 2 142 159 12 212 212 3 200 202 13 195 164 4 180 160 14 175 149 5 115 105 15 176 180 6 184 134 16 225 214 7 211 219 17 233 189 8 202 179 18 185 231 9 165 137 19 228 187 10 173 175 At the 5% significance level, is there sufficient evidence to conclude that, for females who suffer from depression, the mean total cholesterol level is lower after a 4-week treatment of the antidepressant fluoxetine? Apply the paired Wilcoxon signed-rank test.

Working with Large Data Sets