Calder PC Mechanisms of action of (n-3) fatty acids. J Nutr. 2012 Mar;142(3):592S-599S. doi: 10.3945/jn.111.155259. Epub 2012 Jan 25.
Cholewski M, Tomczykowa M, Tomczyk M A Comprehensive Review of Chemistry, Sources and Bioavailability of Omega-3 Fatty Acids. Nutrients. 2018 Nov 4;10(11):1662. doi: 10.3390/nu10111662.
de Carvalho CCCR, Caramujo MJ The Various Roles of Fatty Acids. Molecules. 2018 Oct 9;23(10):2583. doi: 10.3390/molecules23102583.
Fialkow J Omega-3 Fatty Acid Formulations in Cardiovascular Disease: Dietary Supplements are Not Substitutes for Prescription Products. Am J Cardiovasc Drugs. 2016 Aug;16(4):229-239. doi: 10.1007/s40256-016-0170-7.
Grayling MJ, Mander AP, Wason JMS Blinded and unblinded sample size reestimation in crossover trials balanced for period. Biom J. 2018 Sep;60(5):917-933. doi: 10.1002/bimj.201700092. Epub 2018 Aug 3.
Harden M, Friede T Sample size calculation in multi-centre clinical trials. BMC Med Res Methodol. 2018 Nov 29;18(1):156. doi: 10.1186/s12874-018-0602-y.
Innes JK, Calder PC Marine Omega-3 (N-3) Fatty Acids for Cardiovascular Health: An Update for 2020. Int J Mol Sci. 2020 Feb 18;21(4):1362. doi: 10.3390/ijms21041362.
Liu Y, Xu H Sample size re-estimation for pivotal clinical trials. Contemp Clin Trials. 2021 Mar;102:106215. doi: 10.1016/j.cct.2020.106215. Epub 2020 Nov 18.
Preston Mason R New Insights into Mechanisms of Action for Omega-3 Fatty Acids in Atherothrombotic Cardiovascular Disease. Curr Atheroscler Rep. 2019 Jan 12;21(1):2. doi: 10.1007/s11883-019-0762-1.
Ryan, Thomas P 2013. Sample Size Determination and Power. John Wiley & Sons. New Jersey.
Sherratt SCR, Juliano RA, Mason RP Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) has optimal chain length and degree of unsaturation to inhibit oxidation of small dense LDL and membrane cholesterol domains as compared to related fatty acids in vitro. Biochim Biophys Acta Biomembr. 2020 Jul 1;1862(7):183254. doi: 10.1016/j.bbamem.2020.183254. Epub 2020 Mar 2.
Shibabaw T Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids: anti-inflammatory and anti-hypertriglyceridemia mechanisms in cardiovascular disease. Mol Cell Biochem. 2021 Feb;476(2):993-1003. doi: 10.1007/s11010-020-03965-7. Epub 2020 Nov 11.
Tsoumani ME, Kalantzi KI, Dimitriou AA, Ntalas IV, Goudevenos IA, Tselepis AD Antiplatelet efficacy of long-term treatment with clopidogrel besylate in patients with a history of acute coronary syndrome: comparison with clopidogrel hydrogen sulfate. Angiology. 2012 Oct;63(7):547-51. doi: 10.1177/0003319711427697. Epub 2011 Dec 5.
Tsoumani ME, Kalantzi KI, Dimitriou AA, Ntalas IV, Goudevenos IA, Tselepis AD Effect of clopidogrel besylate on platelet reactivity in patients with acute coronary syndromes. Comparison with clopidogrel hydrogen sulfate. Expert Opin Pharmacother. 2012 Feb;13(2):149-58. doi: 10.1517/14656566.2012.644536. Epub 2011 Dec 21.
Wang P, Chow SC Sample size re-estimation in clinical trials. Stat Med. 2021 Nov 30;40(27):6133-6149. doi: 10.1002/sim.9175. Epub 2021 Aug 25.
Woodman RJ, Mori TA, Burke V, Puddey IB, Watts GF, Beilin LJ Effects of purified eicosapentaenoic and docosahexaenoic acids on glycemic control, blood pressure, and serum lipids in type 2 diabetic patients with treated hypertension. Am J Clin Nutr. 2002 Nov;76(5):1007-15. doi: 10.1093/ajcn/76.5.1007.
Yagi S, Fukuda D, Aihara KI, Akaike M, Shimabukuro M, Sata M n-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids: Promising Nutrients for Preventing Cardiovascular Disease. J Atheroscler Thromb. 2017 Oct 1;24(10):999-1010. doi: 10.5551/jat.RV17013. Epub 2017 Aug 24.
Interventional studies are often prospective and are specifically tailored to evaluate direct impacts of treatment or preventive measures on disease.
Observational studies are often retrospective and are used to assess potential causation in exposure-outcome relationships and therefore influence preventive methods.
Expanded access is a means by which manufacturers make investigational new drugs available, under certain circumstances, to treat a patient(s) with a serious disease or condition who cannot participate in a controlled clinical trial.
Clinical trials are conducted in a series of steps, called phases - each phase is designed to answer a separate research question.
Phase 1: Researchers test a new drug or treatment in a small group of people for the first time to evaluate its safety, determine a safe dosage range, and identify side effects.
Phase 2: The drug or treatment is given to a larger group of people to see if it is effective and to further evaluate its safety.
Phase 3: The drug or treatment is given to large groups of people to confirm its effectiveness, monitor side effects, compare it to commonly used treatments, and collect information that will allow the drug or treatment to be used safely.
Phase 4: Studies are done after the drug or treatment has been marketed to gather information on the drug's effect in various populations and any side effects associated with long-term use.