In episode 343, Mike and James talk about a paper they recently published about how we need to think about confidence intervals and how one can think overall about the results of clinical trials. The bottom line is to be more pragmatic and less dogmatic and remember the answers are rarely yes and no.

Show notes

Are potentially clinically meaningful benefits misinterpreted in cardiovascular randomized trials? A systematic examination of statistical significance, clinical significance, and authors’ conclusions.

BMC Med. 2017 Mar 20;15(1):58. doi: 10.1186/s12916-017-0821-9

In episode 342, James and Mike talk about yet another Vitamin D meta-analysis and explain why it really changes nothing when it comes to Vitamin D. But then we talk about a novel RCT on ultrasound treatment for serious hand tremor and it makes us shake all over.

Show notes

1) Vitamin D supplementation to prevent acute respiratory tract infections: systematic review and meta-analysis of individual participant data

BMJ 2017;356:i6583 http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmj.i6583 

2) A Randomized Trial of Focused Ultrasound Thalamotomy for Essential Tremor

N Engl J Med 2016;375:730-9

In episode 341, James and Mike talk about the long awaited trial of evolocumab that evaluated the impact it has on cardiovascular outcomes. Certainly not a homerun – maybe a very expensive full swing bunt with an error that leads to a single. 

Show notes

1) Evolocumab and Clinical Outcomes in Patients with Cardiovascular Disease 

DOI: 10.1056/NEJMoa1615664 

2) mystudies.org

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