Understanding Cancer » Local to Aberdeen/shire

Breast Cancer in the News

Avril — Mon, 10 May 2010 20:32:56 +0000

There have been several interesting stories about new research into breast cancer. Firstly, a local one that I whole heartedly agree with, is a study at Aberdeen University to look at how Vitamin D levels might affect breast cancer. We get most of our vitamin D from the sun (and a bit from oily [...]

Relay for Life – Huntly 2010 – Help Wanted

Avril — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 20:21:29 +0000

Relay for Life Huntly, is taking place on the 3rd-4th July 2010. The event raises money for Cancer Research UK and last year’s was great fun. We will have a large information marquee, with information on local cancer support charities. If you would like a stall at the event, please contact me, the more [...]

Sponsors wanted for Aberdeen Race Night

Avril — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 16:15:04 +0000

UCAN, the local charity that supports people with urological cancers (kidney, bladder prostate and testicular) are looking for sponsors for a race night to be held in Aberdeen Northern Hotel on Friday the 16th of April 2010. The event is being organised by the Rotary Club of St Machar and they are looking for [...]

Cleanliness at ARI – Update March 2010

Avril — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 20:45:33 +0000

In November 2009 and January 2010 I wrote about the Healthcare Environment Inspectorate Report that criticised the standards of cleaning at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary. A follow up inspection was carried out on the 17th of February 2010 and a report of their findings has been published today (the 29th March 2010). The follow up [...]

Foresterhill – Cancer Talk 12th March 2010

Avril — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 19:50:17 +0000

I have some more details about events going on in and around Aberdeen for National Science and Engineering Week (12th to 21st March 2010). All are open to anyone (though you may have to register in advance for some events).

For a list of all the events in Aberdeen and a downloadable program, visit [...]

National Science and Engineering Week 12th to 21st March 2010

Avril — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 21:52:07 +0000

I though I’d point out that National Science and Engineering Week starts, next week and runs from the 12th to the 21st of March 2010. You can find out more here. There are a couple of events in Aberdeen/Aberdeenshire, on the 13th of March there will be some events on at the new shopping [...]

Ig Nobels are coming to Dundee (and Aberdeen, sort of…)

Avril — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 11:44:20 +0000

The Ig Nobel awards are given to research that makes you laugh and makes you think. It takes place at Dundee University on Saturday the 13th of March at 6pm. The event is open to the public and tickets are free (but you need to book in advance). You can book tickets online (under [...]

Waiting Times Update

Avril — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 22:06:27 +0000

Figures out this week show that 96 % of people who were urgently referred and then diagnosed with cancer were treated within 62 days. This means the 95 % target has been reached every quarter for the past year. The average wait was 35 days. NHS Grampian treated 96.8% of people within 62 days.

[...]

Cancer Research Grant for Aberdeen

Avril — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 20:21:35 +0000

The local cancer research charity CRANES – Cancer Research Aberdeen and North East Scotland, have been able to give a grant of £23,000 to Aberdeen University. This is going to be used to research the links between obesity and cancer. To start the study they will be looking at people who have been treated [...]

Not cancer, but science… Diabetes Talk and Healthy Eating

Avril — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 20:26:40 +0000

As the title says, this isn’t about cancer but it is about science, on Monday the 15th of February, there will be a talk at Foresterhill about diabetes, over 22, 000 people in Grampian have diabetes so this will probably be of interest to a lot of people. The talk is open to anyone [...]

NHS Websites – There are a lot of them…

Avril — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 09:21:04 +0000

This post is as much for my benefit as anyone elses, the NHS have umpteen different websites, many of which have “News” sections, however very few of these have RSS feeds, so it is very hard to keep up to date with them. If I make a list of them here, hopefully I’ll be [...]

How clean is Aberdeen Royal Infirmary?

Avril — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 19:19:25 +0000

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 [...]

Local Event and National Competitions – Biology and Health

Avril — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 08:03:33 +0000

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 [...]

Little Scientist Days at the Satrosphere

Avril — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 10:51:17 +0000

For those of you close to Aberdeen, the Satrosphere (Aberdeen’s Science Centre, near the beach), run “Little Scientist Days“, aimed at kids from 3 to 5 years old. It costs £4.75 for adults, and £3.5o for kids (under three’s are free). The next Little Scientist day is based on living things and runs [...]

What can I do with a lidl microscope?

Avril — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 19:22:49 +0000

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. [...]

Upcoming Events

Avril — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 12:39:49 +0000

This post lists some of the upcoming events happening in Aberdeen City/Aberdeenshire in 2010, including talks and lectures, fundraisers and professional classes and courses.

This events list is loosely based on a scientific/medical theme. If you would like to add an event to this list, please use the contact form to get in [...]

Dates for your Diary – 2010

Avril — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 19:52:36 +0000

If you are in Aberdeen/Aberdeenshire and you are interested in Science/Medical topics here are a few dates for your diary. In 2010 there will be THREE cafe scientifique’s running, in Union Street, Foresterhill and Banchory (Woodend Barn).

These events are free (or by donation) and are open to anyone, the speaker will give a [...]

MRI Scans at ARI

Avril — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 13:01:03 +0000

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 [...]

Candles of Hope – WCRF

Avril — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 21:04:00 +0000

The charity World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF) are promoting their annual “Candles of Hope“ appeal. As part of this, 30 cathedrals across the UK will hold a memorial service for those who have been lost to cancer on Christmas Eve. The cathedrals will also burn a memorial candle from Christams Eve until the twelth [...]

How to complain about the NHS

Avril — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 22:26:49 +0000

In light of todays news story about the poor standards of cleanliness at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary, now seems as good a time as any to write a post on how to complain about NHS services.

On the 13th of October 2009, the Healthcare Environment Inspectorate (HEI) visited Foresterhill and examined A&E and wards 11, [...]

Exhibition – Aberdeen Satrosphere

Avril — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 10:49:12 +0000

If you are looking for something to do this weekend then there is an exhibition on at the Satrosphere (Aberdeen’s Science Centre) called “Where tomorrow begins“. The exhibition runs until Sunday the 22nd of November 2009 and usual admission prices apply.

If you can’t get to the Satrosphere, still check out the website, there [...]

CLAN in Aberdeen and Area

Avril — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 21:39:32 +0000

CLAN, Cancer Link Aberdeen and North is a cancer support service, based in Aberdeen. It’s open to anyone affected by cancer including partners, carers, parents and children. You can read more here.

So what sort of support is available? The centre has a library and you can visit without making an appointment. They have [...]

National Pathology Week 2009 – Aberdeen Event at the Satrosphere

Avril — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 09:43:11 +0000

Pathology? Most people think “euch, dead bodies, that doesn’t interest me”. This is a myth, encouraged by crime shows on tv. Most pathologists work on samples from living people. In fact there are only about 100 forensic pathologists in the UK (the sort beloved of tv crime shows).

Over 70 % of diagnosis in [...]

NHS Grampian Health Plan – Have your say

Avril — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:09:19 +0000

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 [...]

Medical Talks at Aberdeen University – November 2009

Avril — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 19:38:00 +0000

I thought I’d let you know about three talks coming up at Aberdeen University in November. They are about medicine and disability (not cancer) but all of them look interesting. The first one is on Friday the 13th of November from 6:30pm to 9:30pm, it is an evening of story telling called “Five centuries [...]

Aberdeen University – Course in Applied Epidemiology

Avril — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 14:55:07 +0000

This post is aimed at scientists and medics. Aberdeen University run an intensive (week long) course in Applied Epidemiology (click here for the advert) from the 1st-5th of March 2010. These courses have run in Aberdeen since 2007, having previously been offered at the University of Manchester.

What is epidemiology? Why is it interesting? [...]

Why is cancer research so expensive?

Avril — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 18:05:41 +0000

The Huntly Relay For Life 2009 finished on Saturday with the announcement of the final total, a fantastic sum of £85,000 was raised for Cancer Research UK. Plans are already underway for another Relay in 2010.

At the final meeting I gave a talk called “Why is cancer research so expensive?”. Obviously £85, [...]

Aberdeen Study – Can fruit and veg prevent cancer and heart disease?

Avril — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 09:43:09 +0000

This is an update to a post I wrote last week called “Clinical Trials – How can I help?“. The Rowett research Institute (part of Aberdeen University) are looking for volunteers to take part in a study looking at the effect of fruit and vegetables on disease. They are looking for healthy people aged [...]

Clinical Trials – How can I help?

Avril — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 12:31:16 +0000

A trial is used to test out an idea or a drug, a clinical trial means one that is conducted by doctors and nurses, usually in a hospital. There are lots of different trials and it can be confusing trying to work out what they show and why they are different.

A clinical trial [...]

Huntly – Pink Pamper Evening – Friday 9th October 2009

Avril — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 09:46:01 +0000

October is “Breast Cancer Awareness Month”, which was started in the 1980′s by the drug company Astra Zeneca, the company that makes Tamoxifen. Breast Cancer Awareness month is used to raise money for breast cancer charities and increase awareness of the disease.

In Huntly, on Friday October the 9th at 7pm, you can come [...]