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This is a follow up to a post I wrote in November 2009 (called How to complain about the NHS), in October 2009 several wards at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary were inspected and found to be dirty, with poor procedures for infection control, hand washing, waste disposal etc (you can read the details in my [...]  Okay, not a very weighty topic for a cancer blog, but here are some gorgeous looking cookies based on a scientific theme. You can see more examples of sciencey cookies on Ms Humble’s blog – Not so Humble Pie. If that has whet your appetite for all things geeky then visit “giantmicrobes.com” where you [...] This post is more a collection of various bits and pieces I have discovered on the internet over the last week, each link could warrant a whole blog post of it’s own but I don’t have time, so I’ll simply draw your attention to the links and if you want to follow them up [...] It’s freezing so now seems as good a time as any to mention Mamcillan’s campaign to Freeze out Fuel Poverty. According to Macmillan 1 in 5 cancer patients can’t afford to heat their homes. If you have cancer Macmillan provide a factsheet about help with fuel bills. In the first instance they suggest you [...] In September 2009 I drew your attention to an interview between Gordon Brown and the Chief Executive of Cancer Research UK, Harpal Kumar. In the interests of fairness, I thought I’d point out that Cancer Research UK have posted a similar interview with David Cameron called “David Cameron speaks exclusively to Cancer Research [...] Can positive thinking cure cancer? Personally I don’t think so. That’s not to say that attitude is not important, but the idea that it’s “your fault” if your cancer can’t be cured has no scientific basis. Some of the treatments we have now can cure some types of cancer sadly, not all treatments cure [...]  So you got a lidl microscope for Christmas and you are wondering what you can do with it? There are lots of websites out there that can help you get the most out of your microscope. Just goggling “amateur microscopy” will bring up 28,000 hits so there is plenty of stuff out there. A great place to start is “Emergency Kit of Things to See – What Can I see with my new microscope?” This is on the Microscopy UK website, which has a whole host of articles and information, although the site itself looks a bit dated and it is worth digging around to see what you can find. [...] Happy New Year! 2010 is here, and I will be updating my News blog again on a daily (or almost daily basis). I’ve had a quick scan of my favourite websites and there is lots to write about, several new bits of research have caught my eye including the effect of blood sugar levels [...] This is an experiment. I have saved a few of my posts from December as a newsletter. This means you can dowload and print off the posts to read offline*. Click on the link below to access the newsletter Understanding Cancer December 2009 Please let me know if you find this useful, fill in [...] Can a CT scan give you cancer? Yes, occasionally. A research study published on the 14th of December 2009 looked at whether CT scans increase your risk of cancer, this was covered in the Press and Journal “CT scans may increase risk of cancer“. CT scans (also known as CAT scans) use X-rays (a [...] Some of the first MRI scans in the world were carried out at Aberdeen University,the first patient was scanned in 1980. Aberdeen University continues to research and develop MRI technology. If you are interested, you can read about the technical details of the scanners at Foresterhill on the Aberdeen Biomedical Imaging Centre website. BUPA [...] This is a politics rant about cuts to the science and education budgets. One of the advantages of having your own website and working for yourself is that you can write what you like, please indulge me, I am about to have a rant… Obviously, I am a scientist and have spent most of [...] If you have been reading this blog for a while, you will know I bought a microscope in August 2009. I got it on offer, in Lidl for £50. Well, this post is to let you know that the microscopes are back in stock and should be available from the 17th December 2009. You [...] The UK government has a website called “Science and Society in the UK“, it is part of the Department for Business Innovation and Skills. They want to improve build public confidence in science and improve science communication. Apparently some expert groups are drawing up “action plans”. Beyond that, I got a bit confused, I’m [...] There are several news reports out today about a new way of turning off cancer causing proteins. These reports are based on a study in the journal Nature called “Direct Inhibition of the NOTCH transcription factor complex“, you will need to pay to read the article in it’s full technical detail, but there are [...] This post is inspired by the announcment of the winner of the first Wellcome Trust Book prize. The prize is awarded to outstanding works on the theme of health and medicine. Both fiction and non-fiction books are eligible. This year the winner is Keeper by Andrea Gillies, it is a non fiction book [...] Applications are now open for Wellcome PhDs starting in October 2010. To do a PhD (doctorate) you need to have an undergraduate degree and you usually need to get a first class or upper second class degree to get onto a PhD programme. The Wellcome Trust fund PhD’s on medical topics (usually these are [...] There have been two research studies done, looking at thousand of people to work out how many people with a certain symptom are likely to have cancer. If you are couching up blood, then you should make an appointment and mention this to your GP. The chances are it’s not cancer, but you need [...] Many people want to support cancer research, but don’t have lots of a) time b) money Cancer Research UK have launched a new service called “Action Teams”. The idea of action teams is that you are not committed to regular volunteering but you can still get involved. You will be offered a range of [...] I have written about p53 before and I am sure I will write about it again! We all have p53 inside us. We all have a p53 gene and this p53 gene makes p53 protein. Normally your p53 levels are low but if your DNA gets damaged your p53 increases, damaged cells can be [...] I am a scientist. Science is a good way of proving if something works, or not. The idea behind the “scientific method”, is that you can take an idea (any idea) and if you carry out a fair experiment you will know if your idea has a good chance of being right. Please read [...] Yesterday I mentioned that there had been a lot of cancer stories in the news this week as there had been a large cancer conference in Birmingham. You may have noticed a lot of science stories too, this is because the winners of the 2009 Nobel Prizes were also announced this week. Two of [...] You may have noticed there have been quite a lot of cancer related stories in the news this week. There is a reason for this. Every year there is a big conference, organised by the NCRI, the National Cancer Research Institute. The NCRI is a partnership of government, charities and industry. They oversee research [...] Apparently it’s only 85 shopping days until Christmas (not that I’m counting I don’t start Christmas shopping until December). Anyway, I know lots of people start early, so you might like to know that some of the Cancer Support charities have launched their Christmas catalogues, many of them also produce their own Christmas cards [...] The Cancer Research UK website has an “interview” between the Prime Minister, Gordon Brown and their Cheif Executive Harpal Kumar. You can read the interview here “PM Gordon Brown speaks exclusively to Cancer Research UK CEO Harpal Kumar“. I’ve posted it here because I thought that you might be interested to read what Gordon [...] This is a bit of a geeky post, if you are a research scientist here are some links that could make your life easier. Most of them are free (or have a free “basic” version). I haven’t used any of them (yet), but they all look worth a try. Mendeley – an iTunes for [...] The BBC are reporting a survey, carried out by the World Cancer Research Fund called “Over 55s – Less Aware on Cancer“. In the survey, 2,000 people were asked what things increase your risk of cancer. They were looking for answers like being overweight, not taking regular exercise, drinking alcohol and having a poor [...] I’ve been meaning to put some more book reviews on this site for ages but I never get around to writing them, hopefully this will be the first of many. If you’ve read any science books lately that you recommend please let me know by leaving a comment below. Here are the links to [...] If you are having treatment for cancer should you have the H1N1 (swine) flu vaccine? Short answer. Discuss it with your GP or your consultant. Long answer, it depends what sort of treatment you are having and what stage your treatment is at. Treatments like chemotherapy and radiotherapy can lower your immune system which [...] |
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NHS Grampian Health Plan - Have your say
Now is your chance to have your say on NHS Grampian’s proposed new priorities for the next three years. There is a 13 page booklet called the “GHB Consultation Document” available online, that you can read and send your comments back to NHS Grampian. It’s not too long and most of it is explained [...]