Free Associations

Latest Episodes:

Episode 34 - The born to run episode: Exercise and mental health Nov 06, 2018

Show notes

Matt, Chris, and Don look at a massive cross-sectional study on the relationship between exercise and mental health, the gang discusses whether critiquing science gives fodder to those who wish to dismiss science, and Don finally solves all our manuscript issues.

Journal club article:

Exercise and mental health study

Episode 33 - The target trial episode: The case of diclofenac and cardiovascular disease Oct 23, 2018

Show notes

Matt, Chris, and Don look at a study that used a unique approach, analyzing observational data like a randomized trial, to look at the effect of a common NSAID on cardiovascular disease, the gang discusses a study attempting (and often failing) to reproduce results originally published in Nature and Science, and Chris, yet again, finds a way to talk about bees.

Journal club article:

Diclofenac study

Episode 32 - The sleep episode: melatonin for a sleep disorder Oct 09, 2018

Show notes

Matt, Chris, and Don look at a trial that focuses on whether melatonin can help people with a sleep disorder, the gang discusses a provocative editorial that says nutritional epidemiology is deeply flawed, and Chris learns the dangers of ignoring Matt’s emails.

Journal club article:

Melatonin study

Episode 31 - Is smog really affecting our minds? Sep 25, 2018

Show notes

Matt, Chris, and Don take on a study from China on the relationship between smog and cognitive function, the gang discusses a new policy by EU funders preventing their grantees from publishing in paywalled journals, and Chris insists he gets two Amazing and Amusings.

Journal club article:

Smog and cognitive function

Episode 30 - The best of Amazing and Amusing Sep 11, 2018

Show notes

It’s our one year anniversary! Chris and Don are away this week so rather than have Matt talk to himself, we thought we’d go back and revisit some of our favorite Amazing and Amusing segments from the past year. Thanks for listening and for a great year!

Episode 29 - Is low-dose aspirin for everyone? (Guest host!) Aug 28, 2018

Show notes

Matt, Chris, and Jen talk about a study of whether low-dose aspirin to prevent vascular events should be weight dependent, the gang revisits placebo effects and wonders if it is all just regression to the mean, and Jen focuses on the empathy of our dogs.

Journal club article:

Low dose aspirin study

Episode 28 - Should we pay people to quit smoking? (Guest host!) Aug 14, 2018

Show notes

Jennifer Rider joins us in the studio as our first ever guest host. Matt, Chris, and Jen discuss a pragmatic trial of smoking cessation, the gang examines the pros and cons of surrogate endpoints, and Chris schools us all on horse dentistry.

Journal club article:

Smoking cessation trial

Episode 27 - Does food labeling reduce calorie consumption? Jul 31, 2018

Show notes

Matt, Chris, and Don review the literature on whether food labelling can reduce purchase and consumption of calories, the gang discusses a series of trials that were found to have errors and what it means for science, and Chris calculates the sum total of all living things on earth.

Journal club article:

Food labelling and calorie consumption

Episode 26 - Can a vaccine treat diabetes? Jul 17, 2018

Show notes

Matt, Chris, and Don examine a study that looked at whether a vaccine to prevent tuberculosis can treat Type 1 diabetes, the gang discusses the “Loss of Confidence Project” and what to do when you no longer have faith in one of your studies, and Matt reports on an N of 1 study that suggests red wine may be good for blood sugar.

Journal club article:

BCG vaccine and Type 1 diabetes

Episode 25 - The napping episode: Does weekend sleep influence mortality? (Live!) Jul 03, 2018

Show notes

Matt, Chris, and Don do their second ever live podcast, exploring a study on the effects of sleep on mortality, the gang discusses a proposal to change the definition of statistical significance, and Chris goes rogue and has three amazing and amusing articles.

Journal club article:

Sleep duration and mortality study

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected