Does Placebo Information Affect the Trial Outcomes and Participant Blinding?

NCT ID: NCT04182295

Last Updated: 2020-09-02

Study Results

Results pending

The study team has not published outcome measurements, participant flow, or safety data for this trial yet. Check back later for updates.

Basic Information

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Recruitment Status

COMPLETED

Clinical Phase

NA

Total Enrollment

89 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2019-10-07

Study Completion Date

2019-12-20

Brief Summary

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This is a randomised sham-controlled trial involving healthy volunteers to determine the effect of information on placebo, i.e., sham acupuncture, given in the informed consent, on the trial outcomes and blinding status of participants in a trial.

Detailed Description

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A total of 89 healthy volunteers will be recruited and randomly allocated to one of the 4 groups at an identical ratio. Four groups differ in acupuncture and placebo information. It is summarized as follows:

1. to receive real acupuncture and to read fully disclosed sham acupuncture information (e.g., fake acupuncture) written in the informed consent
2. to receive real acupuncture and to read partially disclosed sham acupuncture information (e.g., different kind of acupuncture) written in the informed consent
3. to receive sham acupuncture (Park Sham Needle) and to read fully disclosed sham acupuncture information written in the informed consent
4. to receive sham acupuncture to read partially disclosed sham acupuncture information (e.g., different kind of acupuncture) written in the informed consent.

They will read informed consent with differently described placebo information following their allocation. After participants repeatedly lift a dumbbell with their non-dominant arm to induce delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) in their biceps brachii, they are given allocated acupuncture treatment once a day for three consecutive days including the very first visit to compare outcomes (i.e., relief of DOMS measured with pressure pain threshold and visual analogue scale) and blinding property (the participants will be asked 'which type of acupuncture do you think you have received?' and choose 1 answer out of real, sham, or don't know options).

Conditions

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Muscle Soreness

Study Design

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Allocation Method

RANDOMIZED

Intervention Model

PARALLEL

Primary Study Purpose

TREATMENT

Blinding Strategy

DOUBLE

Participants Outcome Assessors

Study Groups

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real acupuncture-full disclosure

Participants in this group will be given real acupuncture once a day for three consecutive days including the very first visit and fully disclosed sham acupuncture information in the informed consent (i.e., fake acupuncture).

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

acupuncture

Intervention Type DEVICE

A sterilised stainless steel needle (diameter 0.25mm X length 40mm, Dongbang Acupuncture Inc., Boryeong, Chungchenongnam-do, Korea) will be given at PC3, LI4, LI11, and LU5 of non-dominant arm for 15 minutes once a day for 3 days (immediately after inducing delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS), and 2 consecutive days after inducing DOMS).

real acupuncture-partial disclosure

Participants in this group will be given real acupuncture once a day for three consecutive days including the very first visit and partially disclosed sham acupuncture information in the informed consent (i.e., different kind of acupuncture).

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

acupuncture

Intervention Type DEVICE

A sterilised stainless steel needle (diameter 0.25mm X length 40mm, Dongbang Acupuncture Inc., Boryeong, Chungchenongnam-do, Korea) will be given at PC3, LI4, LI11, and LU5 of non-dominant arm for 15 minutes once a day for 3 days (immediately after inducing delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS), and 2 consecutive days after inducing DOMS).

sham acupuncture-full disclosure

Participants in this group will be given sham acupuncture once a day for three consecutive days including the very first visit and fully disclosed sham acupuncture information in the informed consent (i.e., fake acupuncture).

Group Type SHAM_COMPARATOR

Park Sham Needle

Intervention Type DEVICE

A Park Sham Needle (Meridius Medical Ltd. \& DongBang Acuprime Ltd., Exeter, UK), non-penetrating sham acupuncture, will be given at two points on the belly of biceps brachii, 1 cun proximedially from LI11, and 1 cun laterally from PC3 of non-dominant arm for 15 minutes once a day for 3 days (immediately after inducing delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS), and 2 consecutive days after inducing DOMS).

sham acupuncture-partial disclosure

Participants in this group will be given sham acupuncture once a day for three consecutive days including the very first visit and partially disclosed sham acupuncture information in the informed consent (i.e., different kind of acupuncture).

Group Type SHAM_COMPARATOR

Park Sham Needle

Intervention Type DEVICE

A Park Sham Needle (Meridius Medical Ltd. \& DongBang Acuprime Ltd., Exeter, UK), non-penetrating sham acupuncture, will be given at two points on the belly of biceps brachii, 1 cun proximedially from LI11, and 1 cun laterally from PC3 of non-dominant arm for 15 minutes once a day for 3 days (immediately after inducing delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS), and 2 consecutive days after inducing DOMS).

Interventions

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acupuncture

A sterilised stainless steel needle (diameter 0.25mm X length 40mm, Dongbang Acupuncture Inc., Boryeong, Chungchenongnam-do, Korea) will be given at PC3, LI4, LI11, and LU5 of non-dominant arm for 15 minutes once a day for 3 days (immediately after inducing delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS), and 2 consecutive days after inducing DOMS).

Intervention Type DEVICE

Park Sham Needle

A Park Sham Needle (Meridius Medical Ltd. \& DongBang Acuprime Ltd., Exeter, UK), non-penetrating sham acupuncture, will be given at two points on the belly of biceps brachii, 1 cun proximedially from LI11, and 1 cun laterally from PC3 of non-dominant arm for 15 minutes once a day for 3 days (immediately after inducing delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS), and 2 consecutive days after inducing DOMS).

Intervention Type DEVICE

Other Intervention Names

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sham acupuncture

Eligibility Criteria

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Inclusion Criteria

* age over 18
* not participating in other studies at the time of study participation
* voluntary participation

Exclusion Criteria

* resistance training for more than 6 months
* experience of fracture of any of four limbs
* pregnancy or breast-feeding at the time of study participation
* analgesics within 24 hours before participation
* any other diseases or conditions that might prevent the participant from receiving acupuncture
Minimum Eligible Age

18 Years

Maximum Eligible Age

65 Years

Eligible Sex

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Sponsors

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University of California, Davis

OTHER

Sponsor Role collaborator

Kyunghee University

OTHER

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

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Hyangsook Lee, KMD, PhD

Professor

Responsibility Role PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Principal Investigators

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Hyangsook Lee, Doctor

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Kyunghee University

Locations

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Acupuncture & Meridian Science Research Centre

Seoul, , South Korea

Site Status

Countries

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South Korea

References

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Bang H, Ni L, Davis CE. Assessment of blinding in clinical trials. Control Clin Trials. 2004 Apr;25(2):143-56. doi: 10.1016/j.cct.2003.10.016.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
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Bishop FL, Adams AE, Kaptchuk TJ, Lewith GT. Informed consent and placebo effects: a content analysis of information leaflets to identify what clinical trial participants are told about placebos. PLoS One. 2012;7(6):e39661. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0039661. Epub 2012 Jun 27.

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Cheon S, Park HJ, Chae Y, Lee H. Does different information disclosure on placebo control affect blinding and trial outcomes? A case study of participant information leaflets of randomized placebo-controlled trials of acupuncture. BMC Med Res Methodol. 2018 Jan 18;18(1):13. doi: 10.1186/s12874-018-0474-1.

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Fleckenstein J, Niederer D, Auerbach K, Bernhorster M, Hubscher M, Vogt L, Banzer W. No Effect of Acupuncture in the Relief of Delayed-Onset Muscle Soreness: Results of a Randomized Controlled Trial. Clin J Sport Med. 2016 Nov;26(6):471-477. doi: 10.1097/JSM.0000000000000259.

Reference Type RESULT
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Fleckenstein J, Simon P, Konig M, Vogt L, Banzer W. The pain threshold of high-threshold mechanosensitive receptors subsequent to maximal eccentric exercise is a potential marker in the prediction of DOMS associated impairment. PLoS One. 2017 Oct 6;12(10):e0185463. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0185463. eCollection 2017.

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Reference Type RESULT
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Kam-Hansen S, Jakubowski M, Kelley JM, Kirsch I, Hoaglin DC, Kaptchuk TJ, Burstein R. Altered placebo and drug labeling changes the outcome of episodic migraine attacks. Sci Transl Med. 2014 Jan 8;6(218):218ra5. doi: 10.1126/scitranslmed.3006175.

Reference Type RESULT
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Lin MJ, Nosaka K, Ho CC, Chen HL, Tseng KW, Ratel S, Chen TC. Influence of Maturation Status on Eccentric Exercise-Induced Muscle Damage and the Repeated Bout Effect in Females. Front Physiol. 2018 Jan 5;8:1118. doi: 10.3389/fphys.2017.01118. eCollection 2017.

Reference Type RESULT
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Reference Type RESULT
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Shimano T, Kraemer WJ, Spiering BA, Volek JS, Hatfield DL, Silvestre R, Vingren JL, Fragala MS, Maresh CM, Fleck SJ, Newton RU, Spreuwenberg LP, Hakkinen K. Relationship between the number of repetitions and selected percentages of one repetition maximum in free weight exercises in trained and untrained men. J Strength Cond Res. 2006 Nov;20(4):819-23. doi: 10.1519/R-18195.1.

Reference Type RESULT
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Webster RK, Weinman J, Rubin GJ. Positively Framed Risk Information in Patient Information Leaflets Reduces Side Effect Reporting: A Double-Blind Randomized Controlled Trial. Ann Behav Med. 2018 Oct 22;52(11):920-929. doi: 10.1093/abm/kax064.

Reference Type RESULT
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Other Identifiers

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KHSIRB-19-173

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id

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