What does "even though" mean here?

[NewHopeR]

I don't see the good logic between "even though we are conducting a safety trial" and "the early clinical follow-up's good indications".

We can say "even though the road was rough, I drove the car very fast." But "even though the road was safe (and flat) , I drove the car very fast" would sound funny.


Context:

"In addition, even though we are conducting a safety trial, the early clinical follow-up of the patients treated with the stem cells shows indications of beneficial clinical effects, such as an improvement in breathing and swallowing ability as well as in muscular power."

 

[shannico]

although.
Hope it helps.

 

[NewHopeR]

It seems to mean that even in the early stages of the investigation there are indications that there are benefits to the patients. I assume that such benefits would normally only show up after extensive trials. I added "only" in your text to see if it would help you understand the sentence better.

Yes, it helped.

Thanks.

PS. I've tried substitute although for "even though" , but that did not help.

 

[5jj]

Gillnetter's reading is possible, but I thought the implication was slightly different.

I think that the contrast imlied by 'even though' suggests that the writer is implying something like -The fact that we are conducting a safety trial may make you think that there are problems with this (treatment with stem cells), but the early clinical follow-up of the patients treated with the stem cells shows indications of beneficial clinical effects, such as an improvement in breathing and swallowing ability as well as in muscular power.

 

[Raymott]

My reading is different again. To me it means:
"Even though this was a safety trial (having nothing to do with proving any clinical benefit, but purely to make sure our treatment was safe) we can, nevertheless, report indications of a clinical benefit."

Your road/car/example isn't analogous. Here's another example:
"Even though I went to the store for bread and milk, I also enjoyed the walk."
My primary objective was not to enjoy a walk; and the researchers' primary objective was not to prove a clinical benefit.

PS: It helps to know that, even though a treatment might be universally acknowledged to cure cancer, further trials might be necessary to make sure the treatment doesn't kill patients at a higher rate from something else.

 

[NewHopeR]

My reading is different again. To me it means:
"Even though this was a safety trial (having nothing to do with proving any clinical benefit, but purely to make sure our treatment was safe) we can, nevertheless, report indications of a clinical benefit."

Your road/car/example isn't analogous. Here's another example:
"Even though I went to the store for bread and milk, I also enjoyed the walk."
My primary objective was not to enjoy a walk; and the researchers' primary objective was not to prove a clinical benefit.

PS: It helps to know that, even though a treatment might be universally acknowledged to cure cancer, further trials might be necessary to make sure the treatment doesn't kill patients at a higher rate from something else.

Excellent!
Thank you all.

 

[shannico]

My reading is different again. To me it means:
"Even though this was a safety trial (having nothing to do with proving any clinical benefit, but purely to make sure our treatment was safe) we can, nevertheless, report indications of a clinical benefit."

Your road/car/example isn't analogous. Here's another example:
"Even though I went to the store for bread and milk, I also enjoyed the walk."
My primary objective was not to enjoy a walk; and the researchers' primary objective was not to prove a clinical benefit.

PS: It helps to know that, even though a treatment might be universally acknowledged to cure cancer, further trials might be necessary to make sure the treatment doesn't kill patients at a higher rate from something else.

Could you not explain all that by saying although instead of even though? They are both adversative conjunctions, though I am aware that although/though may be employed differently at times.

Maybe it's easier to do so if we switch the sentence order as follows

I enjoyed the walk, although I went to the store for bread and milk (only).

 

[Raymott]

Could you not explain all that by saying although instead of even though? They are both adversative conjunctions, though I am aware that although/though may be employed differently at times.

No, because the NewHopeR wrote "PS. I've tried substitute although for "even though" , but that did not help." And then he wrote, after all the explanation, "Excellent! Thank you all."
So, there's direct evidence against the claim in your first sentence above.

Maybe it's easier to do so if we switch the sentence order as follows

I enjoyed the walk, although I went to the store for bread and milk (only).

If you switch the word order like that, "even though" sounds better to me.

 

[shannico]

Agreed. But the two could easily be interchangeable in the examples provided.
What do you think?

 

[Raymott]

Agreed. But the two could easily be interchangeable in the examples provided.
What do you think?

Honestly? I was thinking what a refreshing change this was, being able to talk about two similar phrases without this word "interchangeable" intruding to confuse things.
I've mentioned that one phrase sounds better to me in this context. If your definition of "interchangeable" allows for one of a pair of phrases to alter the quality or the nuance of a sentence, then yes, they are more or less interchangeable, as are many other phrases that mean something like what you really intend, but do not express it as well. If by "interchangeable", you mean that there must not be any possible change to the connotations or style or comprehensibility of a sentence, then no, I'd say they are not.

 

[shannico]

Is that a yes??? I take your point. However, sometimes interchangeability helps learners get over a difficult task more easily and faster.

 

[5jj]

Is that a yes?[STRIKE]??[/STRIKE] I take your point. However, sometimes interchangeability helps learners get over a difficult task faster and more easily [STRIKE]and faster[/STRIKE].

However, the idea of 'interchangeability' can suggest that two words or expressions have exactly the same meaning. This is rarely true in English.

 

[shannico]

Fine. However, interchangeable refers to although/even though in the example provided before.
I did make a premise that although may be used differently as well in a previous post.

 

[Raymott]

Is that a yes??? I take your point. However, sometimes interchangeability helps learners get over a difficult task more easily and faster.

You could use either phrase for the original question about the safety trials.