February 2008
TSANZ 2008 Annual
Scientific Meeting
ANZSRS 2008 Annual Scientific
Meeting
WONCA Asia Pacific
Regional Conference
National Quality
Use of Medicines Awards 2008
New treatment target for asthma,
other respiratory disease
Research Funding Opportunities
General Practice research grant
opportunities
Asthma Foundation of Queensland Research
Grants for 2009
Conference Diary 2008
TSANZ 2008 Annual
Scientific Meeting
 The Thoracic Society of Australia and New Zealand
(TSANZ) will hold their 2008 Annual Scientific Meeting
at the Melbourne Exhibition and Convention Centre
from 30
March to 2 April. The format will follow that of
previous years with major plenary sessions, Special
Interest Group (SIG) oral and poster sessions, and
breakfasts featuring both the overseas keynote
speakers and local experts.
The overseas speakers are:
- Professor James Hogg,
University of British Columbia iCAPTURE Centre,
Vancouver, Canada
- Professor Sebastian L Johnston,
National Heart and Lung Institute,
Wright Fleming Institute of Infection & Immunity
& MRC & Asthma UK Centre in Allergic Mechanisms
of Asthma, UK
- Professor Jonathan Grigg,
Institute of Cell and Molecular Science,
Queen Mary University London, UK
 NAC Breakfast Session on
Wednesday 2 April
The National Asthma Council Australia will host a
presentation from Associate Professor Jo Douglass on More
Hair of the Dog? Immunotherapy In Respiratory
Allergies.
Primary Care SIG
The Primary Care SIG will hold two
sessions, Sunday March 30 and Tuesday 1 April.
Sunday March 30
- Australian Predictive Equations for the
Impulse Oscillometry System
Newbury W, Crockett A, Newbury J
-
Spiro-GP – A
Trial of Spirometry In General Practice
Abramson MJ, Schattner R, Thien FCK, Sulaiman ND,
Del Colle E, Aroni R
-
Strategies Used
In Recruitment For A RCT In Primary Care
Shah S, Roydhouse JK, Toelle B, Sawyer S,
Jenkins C
Tuesday 1 April
-
Smoking and
Treatment Interactions In COPD and Asthma
Christine Jenkins, Concord Hospital, NSW
-
Pharmacology of
Nicotine and Addiction
Matthew Peters, Concord Hospital, NSW
-
New
Pharmacotherapies
Ron Tomlins, University of Sydney, NSW
-
Brief
Interventions For Smoking Cessation: The 5As
Teri Snowden, RACGP, VIC
For more information see
2008 ASM TSANZ (http://www.thoracic.org.au/asm2008.html)
ANZSRS 2008 Annual
Scientific Meeting
 The
Australia and New Zealand Society of Respiratory
Science ASM has the broad theme of restriction of
the lungs. The organising committee has provide a
balance for healthcare professionals working across
the diverse roles and fields within respiratory
science, by including topics that cover clinical,
research, ICU, paediatric and adult domains.
Invited speakers include the international
speaker, Professor Martin Tobin, and eminent local
guest presenters Professor Andrew Bersten, Professor
Simon Gandevia, Associate Professor Anne Holland, Dr
David Berlowitz, Dr Chris Zappala, Dr Andrew Wilson,
Dr Samantha Ellis and Professor Don Campbell.
For more information see
2008 ASM ANZSRS
http://www.anzsrs.org.au/asm2008.html
WONCA Asia Pacific
Regional Conference
Family doctors, general practitioners and all
those interested in the practice of family medicine
are invited to Melbourne, Australia for the WONCA
2008 Asia Pacific Regional Conference which is being
combined with The Royal Australian College of
General Practitioners (RACGP) 51st Annual Scientific
Convention (ASC) on 1–5 October 2008.
The conference theme, 'A celebration of
diversity' explores the wide ranging, all
encompassing nature of the way primary care to
patients is provided, and how health care is
supported in our communities and nations.
The Scientific Program Committee is inviting
submissions for the following:
- Short Papers (approximately 15 minutes
duration)
- Workshops (1.5 - 2 hours duration)
- Posters
The major theme of the Conference ‘A celebration
of diversity' indicates that general practice
undertakes a wide range of activities to support
communities in different settings and countries.
Within this context, sub-themes have been arranged.
For details of the sub-themes see
http://www.wonca2008.com/callforabstracts.php
National Quality
Use of Medicines Awards 2008
The biennial National
Prescribing Service (NPS) National Quality
Use of Medicines (QUM) Awards recognise and
celebrate significant contributions to QUM at
national, state, regional and local levels.
Award categories are:
- Health Professional QUM
Award
- Community QUM Award
- Health Organisation QUM
Award
- Media QUM Award
- Student QUM Award
- NMS Poster Presentation
Award.
Entry details, the Awards' brochure, QUM
information, examples of QUM in action, and winning
entries from 2006 and 2004 are available online at
http://www.nps.org.au/site.php?page=3&content=/resources/content/qumAwards2008.html
.
Entries are open until 15 March 2008.
Posters displayed at the National Medicines
Symposium 2008 (NMS) are automatically entered in
the NMS 2008 Poster Award. Submission in this
category is by way of an abstract. Abstract
submissions close on 8 February 2008.
For abstract submissions go to
http://www.nps.org.au/site.php?page=3&content=/resources/content/mediainfo_nms2008.html
New treatment target for asthma,
other respiratory disease
An enzyme released by mast cells in the lungs
appears to play a key role in the tightening of
airways that is a hallmark of asthma - pointing to a
potential new target for treatment against the
illness.
US researchers from Weill Cornell Medical
College, explained that during an immune response,
mast cells release the enzyme - called renin - which
in turn produces angiotensin, a potent constrictor
of the smooth muscle that lines airways.
Mast cells are normally present in small numbers
in all organs, and are best known for their role in
allergy, shock, wound healing and defense against
pathogens.
"Back in 2005, our team was the first to discover
that mast cells in the heart released renin locally,
which elicited heart arrhythmias by triggering
angiotensin production within the heart," said
co-senior author Dr Roberto Levi, professor of
pharmacology at Weill Cornell Medical College.
"Now, we've expanded those findings to the lungs,
where similar mechanisms appear to work locally to
help trigger constriction in the airway," he says.
Renin is no stranger to medical research. For
decades, doctors have known that the enzyme is
produced by the kidney in relatively large
quantities for systemic use throughout the body. But
the Weill Cornell team was the first to discover
that mast cells also produced their own "local"
supply of the enzyme, at a variety of body sites.
"In the heart and now the lungs, this localized
production of renin appears to have a profound
effect on nearby tissues," said co-senior author Dr
Randi Silver, associate professor of physiology and
biophysics at Weill Cornell.
"More study is needed, of course, but our finding
suggests that drugs that target renin might prove
effective agents in dampening asthma or other
respiratory diseases," she said. "These types of
'renin inhibitors' are, in fact, currently being
developed by the pharmaceutical industry right now."
The genesis of the new study came through the
efforts of the study's lead author, Arul Veerappan,
now a postdoctoral researcher in Dr Silver's
laboratory. He looked closely at rings of bronchial
tissue from rodents, discovering that mast cells in
these rings released renin along with other
substances.
"You ended up getting the same biochemical
cascade that we had seen elsewhere - newly produced
renin bringing about a local rise in angiotensin in
tissues," Veerappan said.
Research led by co-author Alicia Reid, also a
postdoctoral associate in Dr Silver's lab, led to
another first. Using a technology Reid developed,
the researchers confirmed for the first time that
mast cells from human lung tissue release a form of
renin that is nearly identical to renin found in
human mast cells grown in culture or human kidney
renin.
"That's a big achievement, because it supports
the notion that the mechanism we have discovered is
not just a laboratory phenomenon. It's actually
occurring in the living human lung," Dr Levi noted.
New research suggested that local renin
production may also be crucial in diseases marked by
tissue fibrosis (stiffening). In fact, Dr Silver's
lab is now looking at the role locally produced
renin might play in a rare, deadly illness called
idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), where lung
tissue becomes increasingly inflexible over time.
"We're interested in any disease in which we can
also detect local renin/angiotensin production
because it appears to be linked to fibrosis,
vasoconstriction, and now bronchoconstriction,"
Dr
Silver explained.
The goal of all this research: new treatment
targets for a range of illnesses.
"Of course, we already have antihypertensive
medicines, such as ACE inhibitors and angiotensin
receptor blockers, that focus on curbing angiotensin
in a more systemic way," said Dr Levi. "But if we
could find agents that dampen this renin-angiotensin
cascade locally, in the heart or the lung, for
example, that could prove to be a formidable
new weapon against disease."
Reference
Veerappan A, Reid AC, Estephan R, O'Connor N,
Thadani-Mulero N, Salazar-Rodriguez M, Levi R, and
Silver RB. Mast cell renin and a local
renin–angiotensin system in the airway: Role in
bronchoconstriction PNAS 2008 105: 1315-1320;
published online on January 17, 2008,
10.1073/pnas.0709739105
Research Funding Opportunities
| The National Asthma Council Australia would be
pleased to list funding opportunities that may be available for
asthma research. Submit brief details for consideration by email to
editor@nationalasthma.com.au. |
General Practice research grant
opportunities
The Royal Australian College of
General Practitioners is committed to supporting new
and emerging general practitioner researchers to
conduct research into primary health care and
general practice.
In 2008, up to 12 research grants
are available to RACGP member general practitioners
or general practice registrars through the RACGP
Research Foundation. New and emerging general
practitioner researchers are encouraged to apply.
Support is in the form of networking with
experienced researchers, allocation of CPD points
for research participation and the opportunity to
apply for one of the grants and scholarships awarded
each year.
Grants, Scholarships, Fellowships and Awards
The Research Foundation administers the grants, scholarships,
fellowships and awards listed below to members of the RACGP.
To find out more about the funding opportunities (how to apply,
eligibility, selection criteria, etc) please visit
www.racgp.org.au/researchfoundation/guidelines for reporting guidelines.
Applications for 2008 grants open on 4 February 2008.
Applications will close on 14 April 2008.
Asthma Foundation of Queensland
Research Grants for 2009
Funds available up to $250,000
Applications are invited for grants in research relating to
asthma. The research, which must be undertaken in Queensland, may be in either
basic medical sciences or clinical fields.
Grants will be awarded only to individuals and to institutions
with access to appropriate research facilities under the supervision of a
responsible investigator. Grants may cover salaries for research, technical, or
other assistance as well as the cost of minor equipment, materials and other
necessary items.
Further information and application forms are available for
downloading at the Foundation’s website at
www.asthmaqld.org.au
or from:
The Managing Director
The Asthma Foundation of Queensland
PO Box 394
Fortitude Valley Qld 4006
Email: info@asthmaqld.org.au
(07) 3252 7677 or 1800 645 130
Applications close on 1 May 2008.
Conference
Diary
Submit brief conference/meeting details to
the National Asthma Council Australia for possible posting in our
Conference Diary by email to
editor@nationalasthma.com.au.
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64th Annual Meeting of American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology
7-11 March 2008
Philadelphia, United States
http://www.aaaai.org/
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16th Annual Meeting of The Asian Society For Cardiovascular Surgery
13-16 March 2008
Singapore
http://www.ascvs2008.com/
mice@themeetinglab.com
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World Immune Regulation Meeting-II
17 20 March 2008
Davos, Switzerland
http://www.wirm.ch/WTM/Registration.html |
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ESAP Tuberculosis in the Asia-Pacific Region in the 21st
Century 29 March 2008,
JW Marriott Hotel Hong Kong
http://www.apsresp.org/education/esap/esap-200803-hongkong.php |
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2008 Annual
Scientific Meeting
30 March - 2 April 2008
Melbourne Convention Centre
Melbourne, Victoria
2008 ASM TSANZ
(http://www.thoracic.org.au/asm2008.html) |
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2008 Annual
Scientific Meeting
30 March - 2 April 2008
Melbourne Convention Centre
Melbourne, Victoria
2008 ASM ANZSRS
http://www.anzsrs.org.au/asm2008.html |
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World
Asthma & COPD Forum
26-29 April 2008
Dubai, UAE
http://www.wipocis.org/
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ATS, Annual meeting of the American Lung Association & American Thoracic Society
16-21 May 2008
Toronto, Canada
http://www.thoracic.org/
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The 4th IPCRG World Conference:
Building bridges among diversity
May 28 - 31, 2008
Seville, Spain
http://ipcrg-seville2008.unicongress.com/ |
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XXVII
Congress of the European Academy of Allergology and
Clinical Immunology
7-11 June 2008
Barcelona, Spain
http://www.eaaci2008.com |
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48th Annual Meeting of the Japanese Respiratory Society
15-17 June 2008
Kobe, Japan
http://www.jrs.or.jp/english/information/meeting48.html
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2nd
Australian Lung Cancer Conference
21–24 August 2008
Holiday Inn – Surfers Paradise
Queensland
http://www.alcc.net.au/ |
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WONCA
2008 Asia Pacific Regional Conference
1–5 October 2008.
Melbourne, Australia
http://www.wonca2008.com |
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ERS Annual Congress
4-8 October 2008
Berlin, Germany
http://www.ersnet.org/
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CHEST, Annual International Scientific Assembly of the American College of Chest Physicians
25-30 October 2008
Philadelphias United States
http://www.chestnet.org/CHEST/
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American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology
7-12 November 2008
Seattle, United States
http://www.acaai.org/
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13th APSR Congress
19-22 November 2008
Bangkok, Thailand
http://www.apsr2008.org
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Annual Meeting of Taiwan Society of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine
6-7 December 2008
Taipei, Taiwan
spccm@mars.seed.net.tw
http://www.tspccm.org.tw/
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