Researchers want people to appreciate their work and to get funding for more research, so they and the institutions for which they work want favorable publicity.

            Reporters want to get bylines and publishers want readers, because more readers mean more advertising dollars. Thus, news outlets have every incentive to trumpet research results as big news, breakthroughs that will attract “eyeballs.”

            Combine these aligned incentives with the fact that very few reporters have much background in science and you have a recipe for over-hyping minor advances or preliminary results as big news.

            How can you critically read a story about a supposed major medical advance and know if it is truly important?

            First, accept that mice are not humans. What works in mice may or may not work in people. Some 5% of initial promising results in lab rodents end up being similarly effective in humans. Even those that do cross over take a very long time before being useful – an average of 17 years between the first trial in mice and an approved human product.

            What about human studies?

            Be VERY skeptical of association as proving causation: the observational trial Researchers live in a “publish or perish” world and look for associations between habits or exposures and diseases or longevity that can form the basis of a published paper.

            Good medical science depends on a controlled clinical trial, in which people are randomly assigned to the treatment being studied and are generally otherwise very similar. Observational trials may suggest linkages but almost never prove them.

            The fact is that people who do one thing, like drink coffee, may do many other things differently. Coffee drinkers may be more likely to smoke, or eat donuts or work in offices than those who do not drink coffee. Unless the researchers have been able to match the people who do the thing studied with those who don’t, and can be sure that is the ONLY difference between them, the outcome may be due to something completely different.

            Good trials, in addition to randomly assigning people to the treatment(s) being studied are double blinded. This means that neither the people being studied nor the researchers know which treatment or placebo they are getting. Other than death, few outcomes of a trial are absolutes. There is a strong placebo effect for most conditions, and if people know they are getting the active drug, many will feel better for that reason.

            If researchers are heavily invested (emotionally or financially) in drug A being better than drug B, they will be tempted to ignore side effects or encourage feeling better in the group given A.

            Finally – be careful not to assume that “statistically significant” is always the last word. Statisticians devise ways to tell if trial results are purely due to chance. This is given as a “P value.” A P of 0.05 means there is only a 5% chance that the results were just luck; the lower the P value, the more likely there really was a difference between groups.

            Small differences in outcome may be called statistically significant when their clinical significance is minor. When a study result says that people given A lived significantly longer than those given B, look carefully to see how much longer.

            This is particularly common with trials of new cancer drugs. You may read a headline saying that cancer patients given X lived significantly longer than those given Y. Buried deep in the story may be the facts that those given X lived 6.5 months and those given Y lived 5.3 months – and that those given X had many more side effects and had to pay $50,000 more out of pocket. It is not so clear that you would always want to choose X.

            Edward Hoffer MD is Associate Professor of Medicine, part-time, at Harvard.

What Does The Doctor Say?

By Dr. Edward Hoffer

Trigger Warming! The opinions expressed in this opinion column are those of the opinion writer and may not be the opinions of the editor or publisher of this paper or its affiliates and are meant to stimulate the opinions, enjoyment, and entertainment of the reader. Got it?

            Recently our country celebrated Presidents Day, formally known as George Washington’s birthday until the woke crowd determined that old George was not worthy because he lied about cutting down a cherry tree. It therefore would be politically correct to honor all presidents, good and bad. Sort of every kid gets a trophy deal.

            One former president, also named George, came out of hibernation in Texas to offer an opinion on Presidents Day, specifically about General Washington our first president. (Who was actually our nineth president. Eight gentlemen were appointed before him by Congress to one-year terms to preside as “President of the United States in Congress Assembled”. John Hanson of Maryland was the first and John Hancock the fifth. But I digress.).

            To the surprise of many pundits, President Bush published an eloquent essay expounding on Washington’s leadership, humility, willingness to avoid becoming all powerful, and his loyalty to the country and the Constitution first. The 43rd president went on to note that Washington “understood that he didn’t know everything” deferring instead to experts. And he noted that Washington “set the standard for all presidents to live up to.”

            In so doing “Dubya” proved that he (or a ghostwriter) was a master of writing sentences that are meant to be read between the lines.

            The current tenant of the Peoples’ House, on the other hand, in a statement issued on his Truth Social media platform celebrated how the country is “bigger, better and stronger than EVER BEFORE!!!” and is “at the dawn of a new age of greatness…” never mentioning any of his predecessors. He then went back to planning the biggest celebration of our country’s 250th Anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of our Independence on July 4. Ben Franklin, who was reported to be a real party animal, knew how to celebrate independence. He suggested that there should be fireworks, parades, and celebrations throughout the land.

            You may have heard that the current leader of the free world is planning to build a 100,000-seat stadium on Lafyette Park across from the White House to celebrate the Semiquincentenial (also known as a Bisesquicentennial or a Sestercentennial, in case you were wondering.) by holding an historic UFC no-holds-bar fight. The winner coming out with a face celebrating the colors of the flag…red and blue.

            Later, in August, the celebration will continue with a “Freedom 250 Grand Prix” race through the streets of our nation’s capital. It will be the biglyest, the best, the grandest Grand Prix race ever, even outdoing the Grand Prix of Monaco thus alienating another close friend of the United States. If construction moves fast enough the expensive racing cars might be able to race around and through the new grand “Victory Arch” and under the giant gold eagle sitting on top that our chief executive is planning to build.

            Personally, I think they should be Ford and Chevy stock cars, but that’s just my opinion.

            Mattapoisett resident Dick Morgado is an artist and happily retired writer. His newspaper columns appeared for many years in daily newspapers around Boston.

By Dick Morgado

            Although I would describe myself as an outdoor enthusiast – winter finds me lagging a bit.  Needless to say, there is less to interact with as the outdoor world assumes a picture of still life – like Louise Penny’s debut novel but without the murder.

            Dormancy can have a dead look about it, but it depends on your point of view. From my desk is a scene that works wonders for the soul whatever time of year it happens to be. At close range is an ancient stone wall with daubs of lichen adding character. Against this is the skeletal structure of a Japanese Maple (Crimson Queen, maybe) one that just sprang up from the Earth, and I never moved it and there is no hope of moving it as it’s rooted beneath the wall. We prune it to preserve the path, and its appearance is somewhat like a bonsai. Overhanging the wall are my neighbor’s rhododendrons always lending a green brushstroke in winter’s dearth. Finally, there is a long strip of yellowed fringe against our house of the dried fronds of Japanese Forest Grass (Hakonechloa macra) …In spring and summer this footpath will be flanked by lilies, sedum and ferns and a solitary Jack in the Pulpit. At present the scene is quite sedate – other than a pair of squirrels animating it.

            While the dormant season plays out, my sights are turned toward my indoor plants (geranium, spider plant and cactus) that sit atop my desk where they get maximum light. A new acquisition – a dwarf weeping pussy willow tree – sits regally on a nearby table of the music room.I used to have many spread through the house and now I bring some to my classroom so as to spread the joy (and oxygen). Houseplants are a passion for some people. For others, myself included, they’re a stand-in for the outdoor garden.

            You don’t feel as deprived when you have plants to tend. They’ve been in my rooms since college (unfortunately not the same plants) and through various apartments, keeping me connected to nature and testing my nurturing abilities. Let’s just say that more than a few wound up in the dumpster.

            Too little or too much water, light or heat blighted a lot of my plants. Aphids and cats also wreaked havoc. I think many of us have had a plant tragedy along the way. I can remember finding my Corgi had tipped over a ficus tree in my bedroom (all over the cream-colored carpeting) only to have the cats spread it further as I walked in on the horrid scene. All was forgiven, but the tree never really revived.

            Who hasn’t on occasion had themselves to blame? Guilty as charged! I was late bringing in several plants this year as they looked so comfy out in the greenhouse. To keep them out there a bit longer before placing them inside the house, I tempted fate. Someone (I’m not pointing fingers) left the greenhouse door open one night and the coldness crept in and murdered several of the less hardy plants. So, you see I’m as much to blame as my pets or aphid outbreaks.

            Another case in point is our two lemon trees (one requiring two adults to maneuver into the entryway). Well human delays have consequences and in this case all of the leaves and some fruit were frazzled. I believe the plants were salvaged but will know better in a month or so. Just as a lot of plants are not impervious to even a moment of bone-chilling cold, many can’t cope with certain indoor conditions. This is the case in a lot of New England homes where dry heat is the norm.

            Any landscaper knows that you match plants to the environment and the same is true for the environment of your home, particularly in the cooler months when the heat is going full throttle. Thus, it makes sense to grow plants that thrive in a dry environment, such as plants from the Mediterranean… succulents, cacti, citrus (such as limes, kumquat, sour mandarin oranges) as well as camellia, rosemary, and myrtles.

            Choices have much to do with fragrance as providing a floral display. Nothing can surpass the sweet scent of citrus flowers or jasmine or gardenia, although it takes precision and tender loving care for the latter. Rosemary and herbs from the Mediterranean region always provide a fragrant moment when brushed against and are useful for cooking as well. Myrtle provides a rich green fine foliage that when crushed also provides fragrance so typical of Mediterranean foliage.

            My great grandmother – who was a huge inspiration to me as a gardener – used to have a hibiscus plant in her kitchen by a door that led to the balcony and in her store on the first floor she kept assorted plants including an array of colorful geraniums. These would go outdoors when the weather allowed.

            A nice feature to all of these houseplants is that they can be transferred to the outdoors in the warmer seasons. A good rule of thumb is to bring them outdoors mid-April and then back in by October 15.

            A south-facing sunny, indoor porch will provide sufficient sun. When moving plants in or out, take care to prepare them for their new climate, including humidity levels and light exposure. When moving plants outdoors, place them in the shade for the first few weeks before full exposure to the sun. Plants may have grown substantially during the warm light filled months outdoors, so they may require careful pruning to fit back into the house. While outdoors, plants may have acquired unobserved insect pests, so apply preventive organic soil drenches and foliar sprays weeks before moving plants indoors to prevent infestations inside.

            At the end of the day, there is nothing like a group of happy plants to lighten spirits and lend inspiration.

            “Plants are solar powered air purifiers whose filter never needs replacing.” – Khang Kijarro Nguyen.

The Seaside Gardener

By Laura McLean