Max Manci

Let's put greenhouses in gyms. Plants could actively replace the CO2 and thrive in the sweaty heat, and humans can enjoy the greenery and fresh air. We'll call them JUNGLE GYMS. 😀

@LungAssociation please update your "Marijuana and Lung Health" page so that it more accurately cites this important source. I strongly value and appreciate the work you do to promote public health, and I hope folks can continue to look to you for trustworthy information.

In this particular case, the entire context of the summary is changed by a single word: "-only". They were marijuana smokers, not marijuana-only smokers. The American Lung Association is careful in their other citations to include context and caveats -- it's also needed here.

To readers: this isn't intended as a harsh critique of the American Lung Association, and it's certainly not a critique of the research authors. This story simply illustrates why fact-checking is so important. When primary literature is cited, see what it actually says!

With all the talk of smoking regaining popularity and the unfortunate news of David Lynch's emphysema, I went on a quick dive and landed on the American Lung Association's page "Marijuana and Lung Health". I discovered one of their most critical sources is cited incorrectly. 🧵

With this in mind, the results of the study actually make sense. Smoking both marijuana AND tobacco seems to carry a higher risk than smoking tobacco alone. Reasonable and important data! And not at all what is implied by the American Lung Association's summary of the article.

And there it is, under Patient Characteristics: "There were 50 of 56 marijuana smokers who also smoked tobacco." So... 89%. There was NO marijuana-only group. While still inaccurate, there was essentially a marijuana + tobacco group, a tobacco-only group, and a control group.

Concomitant cigarette smoking?? That could certainly skew results. But let's check -- maybe only a handful of the marijuana-smokers also smoked cigarettes. To know for sure, we'll have to scroll down to the results section.

Let's first skip to the study's conclusion. See if you can spot the problem. "Airway inflammation and emphysema were more common in marijuana smokers... although... concomitant cigarette smoking among the marijuana-smoking cohort limits our ability to draw strong conclusions."

But wait! Let's actually look at the study they're citing. Because in my mind, if this is true, I'm immediately evangelizing my friends, my students, and everyone I know to stop smoking cannabis. So let's fact check! pubs.rsna.org/doi/full/10.11…

This suggests they looked at lung CT scans for 3 groups: people who smoke ONLY marijuana, people who smoke ONLY tobacco, and a control group that doesn't smoke. And (presumably) they found that marijuana smokers had the highest rates of emphysema! This shocked me.

The American Lung Association's page states: "... retrospective analyses of CT chest scans showed that marijuana-only smokers had greater airway thickening and inflammation as well as emphysema compared to both nonsmokers and tobacco-only smokers." lung.org/quit-smoking/s…

My aim was to determine whether smoking marijuana long-term carries a similar risk for developing emphysema as smoking cigarettes. Obviously, smoking of any kind isn't healthy, but I wanted to fact-check my assumption that smoking cannabis is "safer" in this particular regard.

@illk12z Thank you JP!! 😭 Out here trying to be the next Lynch/Diaz/McFarland, we really learned from the greats

@Super_Manci Congrats max!!!!!

Finished my PhD, had top surgery, and (drumroll) got a tenure-track teaching position! 🤩

Proud PhD papa! Great job ⁦@ac_arafat⁩ & ⁦@Super_Manci⁩!!!!!

😎💪🏽🙌I’m so proud of @Super_Manci and @ac_arafat. BOTH are newly minted PhDs today🥳👏🏻🤪

@ac_arafat Congrats, Arafat!! So happy for you!

So, yesterday was my Ph.D. dissertation defense and I passed it! It's the end result of years of researching symbiosis, and gotta say, it feels pretty good to have it all come together.

Staying up late writing on the couch, then finally crashing to bed to find @BriennaPorter, also still awake, also writing. For one, a dissertation; for another, a screenplay. Two night owl writers in love. ❤️

@AlexDainis Happy happy birthday, Alex! ❤️

Fingers crossed we don't make it 3/3 on the so-called tripledemic.

This is coming from someone who had covid not 2 weeks ago. I know it's different for everyone (esp with covid vaccination) but this feels worse.

For those who may have heard that RSV is "not that serious" for young adults, let this be a warning. In the scope of just over 24 hours, it has completely knocked me out, body and mind. Watch out and be safe. And for the love of god, stay home if you feel the slightest bit ill.