#Friends of ANCHOR

[uniofaberdeen]

Health and geology experts work together to improve early detection of oral cancer

University of Aberdeen experts across the institutes of Dentistry, Medical Sciences and The School of Geosciences will work together to improve the ability to detect malignant changes in precancerous lesions which can develop into oral cancer in a £250k project.

Oral cancer is a growing health problem that has seen little improvement in survival rates, mainly because of late diagnosis when the disease has progressed beyond a cure.

One of the main challenges clinicians face is the lack of ways to reliably predict malignant changes in oral potentially malignant disorders (OPMDs) which carry a higher risk of developing into cancer.

The researchers will use techniques typically used in geological and material science to develop methods that can detect disease progression to help identify patients at early stages when the potential of a cure is more likely.

Funded by Cancer Research UK, the multidisciplinary team from the University of Aberdeen, including Dr Rasha Abu-Eid of the Institute of Dentistry, Professor Valerie Speirs from the Institute of Medical Sciences, and Dr Dave Muirhead, Head of the School of Geosciences, will work with specialists around the world including Professor WM Tilakaratne and Dr TG Kallarakkal from the University of Malaya in Malaysia, Professor BSMS Siriwardena  from the University of Peradeniya in Sri Lanka and Professor J James from Queen’s University Belfast, Northern Ireland.

Dr Rasha Abu-Eid explains: “In recent years we have seen a rise in oral cancer rates globally and despite advances in treatment, the mortality rates remain high.

“But like many other cancers, if oral cancer is caught early, there is a better chance of successful treatment. Therefore, identifying cancerous changes in premalignant lesions will help with early detection.

“Our work will use Raman Spectroscopy, a technique commonly used to identify the chemical composition and structure of minerals and materials, to generate chemical ‘fingerprints’ of tissues from the mouth. We will then use digital pathology to characterise the morphology of tissue images at the microscopy level. The two techniques will then be combined to identify profiles that can better predict the risk of developing cancer.

“This project represents a strong international multidisciplinary team that will tackle a growing global health problem. Methods used by the researchers will have wider applications for the study of different types of cancer. The findings will have great translational clinical potential that could aid in improving patient outcome.”

This study, to be conducted within the Aberdeen Cancer Centre, is expected to begin next month, and builds on pilot work funded by local charity Friends of ANCHOR.

Sarah-Jane Hogg, the charity’s director, added: “We’re very pleased to hear of the success Dr Abu-Eid has had in applying for significant grant funding for this important work into the early diagnosis of oral cancers. Early stage pilot research is the bedrock on which these vital, large-scale studies are built, which is why we commit up to £100,000 a year to fund up to seven such pilot projects.

“It’s thanks to the support of donors and fundraisers that we’re able to provide this funding, which has seen 79 projects supported since 2010. We’re fortunate in the North-east to have such pioneering minds right here in our city, whose work drives forward our understanding of the causes of cancers, and works to find better, faster ways to diagnose and treat these diseases.”

[lucabyte]

Hmmm just gonna spit this headcanon out in text post form since A. I don't think I could exposit it well enough in image form and B. It's not actually textually/thematically substantiated and I don't like actually staking my stuff on just vibes alone*

But anyway. I'd say it's pretty evident that all the islanders forgot their names, right? King obviously. Because why the hell else would he do that, but also Siffrin No Middle Names No Last Name.

They're 'pretty sure' they've 'always' been 'Just Siffrin' 'as long as they can remember'. It's a pretty cruel twist of the knife to say that they don't even get to keep their birth name as a memento, which is why I'm saying as such.

My utterly unsubstantiated claim is I think it'd be cute to say that Sisyphus *is* the name Siffrin initially picked, assuming the myth of King Sisyphus is recontextualised as idk, just a play or something in the setting. But I like the idea of Siffrin going 'oh shit 🫵 he's just like me fr' at a tortured fictional character long before the irony kicks in.

As for how Sisyphus -> Siffrin. I think that chronic mumbler and emotional doormat Sif just did not correct people who misheard the name during their time travelling, and went through enough places with incompatible phonologies (pronounceable sounds in the language) without ever really writing it down that it just got kinda. Changed until it was unrecognisable, and Siffrin just went with it until the earlier pronunciations slipped out of their swiss-cheese brain. And they just kinda don't remember any of that.

Also, something something the horrid realisation that Siffrin also named themselves after a King. Just not as blatantly.

*(though I think there's something here about Siffrin, a guy from a belief system that seems to thoroughly disincentivise autonomy and self-motivated choice continuously having their hand forced to make changes/choices they don't want but have no choice but to... It's not solid enough to really back this up tbh, but it informs it.)

Anyway.

[underestimated-shadow]

“Fight…with your wish in my heart. Your wish for everyone to have a chance to be happy.”

You have a big heart. It may be difficult for you to express it, but I know that deep down, you really do care.

[palmettoshenanigans]

You know that post on here detailing exactly how horse people become horse people through a process of extremely intentional and carefully cultivated empathic and compassionate understanding and constant self-regulation in order to keep a horse calm enough to trust you and let you ride it that ultimately results in a bond forged between man and horse so profound that of course you become a horse girl, you had no fucking chance of not?

Andrew would absolutely be amazing with horses. No I will not elaborate, if you've read AFTG then I don't need to. Give that man a ranch and some 'troubled cases' and watch that man master the equestrian art. But also,

Neil is so The Horse coded. I will continue to not elaborate, y'all know what I'm getting at.

[thatsbelievable]

[fidgetspringer]

This is going to interest exactly no one except myself, but still.

We've all seen the chaos that is the Flight Radar right?

That's a lot of planes.

But are you ready for the insanity that is the Ship Radar?

Because it's nuts.

(Red are tankers, green are cargo.)

And if you watch for long enough you'll start to realise some vessels do some weird things. Like this tiny tug boat that has been doing exactly this for going on three days straight.

You good??

[tomialtooth]

I love that Bell and Adler relationship is basically that of a highly reactive dog or neurotic race horse and it's emotional support buddy that brainwashed it and is secretly controlling it

[drivebypainter]

Been stressed over finals! So as a break and as a way to calm myself I drew Shen Qingqiu (Jiu)!

[artaxlivs]

What if Scott is so confused and lost over Allison and the break up because he thinks she's his anchor but his anchor is really his best friend? His anchor is Stiles, the guy who tossed lacrosse balls at his face to teach him control, the guy who dug through all the lore he could find to help Scott understand himself, the guy who consistently stood back to back with Scott against the world.

What if pulling away from Stiles because he's distracted by Allison is what makes Scott unable to find his footing in either world?

What if platonic love is really what keeps us all grounded and we've been taught it was romantic love which is why we're all a fucking mess?

[joenhead]

“You taught me how to love”

Is this a suitable apology for my last two posts? Sol and Albin best friendism do you know how bright you shine for me,,,A wizard boy and his frog pal. I will be thinking abt the piggy (froggy?) back ride for days now this has given me peace of mind.

[nottspocket]

Mermaid AUs are so lovely to see. Are they childhood friends in yours, too?

Maybe, i imagine Katsuki has kept gifts Izuku might have brought to him. Seashells, or nice looking rocks, probably with a few fossils inside them?

Ohoho I’m so glad you see my vision (prev here)

Ramblings in the tags

[brutalitybunny]

i truly love....... pompadours

[astralhope]

I keep thinking about this moment.

Even in that terrible pain, even if the chaos was taking over him once again, Astral's gaze softened the moment he looked at Yuma.

And immediately after that, Astral was able to contrast 96's power.

Even if he was being hurt, he kept protecting Yuma until the end.

And before doing what would destroy him, Astral gave Yuma one last tender look.

I think about it a lot.

[elderwisp]

◁ || ▷ now playing

Gabriel: Find anything good? 

Theo: Nah, a lot of the newer stuff is kinda blegh. 

Gabriel: We could always look at those cool picture books with birds. I like those. 

Theo: Of course you would like the picture books.

Gabriel: No shame. 

Theo: He likes to drink milk with his bedtime stories.

Gabriel: Oh so you got jokes?

Theo: Plenty. Hilarious ones too. 

Gabriel: [ snickers ] Maybe you should be a comedian. 

Theo: If dancing doesn’t work out, I just might.

Gabriel: I mean, hypothetically, what would happen if things didn’t work out?

Theo: Oh I’d simply be devastated. No, things have to work out.

Gabriel: I mean, you always got family to fall back on, no?

Theo: Well, that would be my last option.

Gabriel: Huh.

-

Gabriel: You cool with your family, Theo?

Theo: Hm? Oh yeah. Everything’s normal.

Gabriel: Normal’s such a unique concept because what’s normal to me, might be the complete opposite for you. 

Theo: I dunno. A lot of concepts don’t make sense, you know? 

Gabriel: So it’s better to not ask questions.

Theo: You might not like the answer.

Gabriel: Try me.

Theo: I- [ sighs ] Things were fine, then they weren’t. It always starts that way. My parents are close-minded folk and they couldn’t stand the idea that their kid didn’t want to conform. I’m good now.

Gabriel: I see. 

Theo: Things need to work out for me here, Gabriel.

Gabriel: So let’s make sure of it, yeah?

Theo: Deal.

[the-readers-archive]

The one and only. She never disappoints me. Her works are great modern day classic literature in my humble opinion.

[haunted-planes]

Some Cars Npcs for Lost Anchor