For those of you attending my first panel at Balticon tomorrow, here are the links to the two journal articles I will be discussing during The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of Medical Studies: A Skeptical Journal Club at 4pm. Paper copies (ancient technology, I am aware) will be available at the panel itself. Both are from open-access journals, so are free to access without paying or signing in.

The first, from BMJ Open, is “The effect of simvastatin on inflammatory cytokines in community-acquired pneumonia: a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial” (translated: seeing if a common cholesterol medicine can help pneumonia get better by reducing inflammation).

The second, from Arthritis, is “The Safety and Efficacy of an Enzyme Combination in Managing Knee Osteoarthritis Pain in Adults: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial” (translated: seeing if an odd mix of “alternative medicine” enzymes makes arthritis knee pain better).

Happy reading, and see you there!