Figure 3

Linear discriminant analysis showing discriminant 2 versus 1 of synovial fluid eicosanoid profiles. Samples were taken at four separate time points (0, 8, 24, and 168 hours) from individuals treated with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) (n = 6) or placebo (n = 6) over the course of transient acute synovitis. Linear discriminant analysis finds a linear combination of features ('discriminants') that characterize or separate two or more classes of subjects (in this case, samples). Seven classes were predefined: 0 hours (baseline, no treatment administered yet), 8 hours of placebo, 8 hours of NSAID, 24 hours of placebo, 24 hours of NSAID, 168 hours of placebo, and 168 hours of NSAID. The x- and y-axes denote discriminant 1 (D1) and discriminant 2 (D2), respectively. D1 has a slightly higher weighing factor than discriminant 2 (D2) as D1 explains 24.9% of the observed variance between classes and D2 22.6%. The distance between groups in this plot denotes the degree of dissimilarity between samples belonging to each group.