APSR Newsletter

Welcome to Beijing for the 4th Congress of the Asian Pacific Society of Respirology October 4th-8th, 1996.

The 4th Congress of the Asian Pacific Society of Respirology is coming soon. Participants and their accompanying persons are cordially welcomed to this great event. The preparations for this Congress are going on smoothly and fruitful achievement is expected. More than one thousand of participants are coming soon to join this great event. There will be eminent speakers of the world to give the latest information and experiences on topics like:

• Recent progress in the research of cell mechanics
• Acute lung injury
• Immune system in allergy
• Genetic aspects of airways diseases
• Gene therapy
• Tuberculosis and AIDS
• Long-term effects of viral infections of the airways
• Sleep apnea
• Natural history of asthma
• pharmacological prevention in asthma

More than one thousand of free papers will be presented, oral and poster discussions will take place.

The opening ceremony will be held on the 4th of October at 16:00, 1996. Art shows will be performed. Participants and their accompanying persons are invited to the opening ceremony.

Dr. Wei-Ci Luo, M.D.

Registration inquiry:

Hotel accommodation inquiry:

The inaugural issue of the APSR quarterly journal 'Respirology' was published in March and the second issue was distributed in June, 1996.

In order to subscribe to Respirology, simply join the APSR membership by paying APSR annual dues. For the fiscal year of 1996, (April 1, 1996 to March 31, 1997) the APSR annual dues are JP¥3,000. Or, directly request the publisher at; Blackwell Science Pty Ltd, 54 University Street, PO Box 378, Carlton South, Victoria 3053, Australia (fax: 61-3-9347-8057). The subscription prices for non-APSR members are US$200/AU$282, per annum, post fee for 1996.

Submission of original papers is strongly encouraged. Notice to Contributors, manuscript checklist and copyright assignment form can be obtained at the APSR Office in Tokyo. The manuscripts should be sent to;

Kuala Lumpur - A one-week course on Respiratory Epidemiology was held in Selesa Hillhomes, 40 miles north to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia between 17-23 March 1996. The course was jointly organized by the APSR, IUATLD, Malaysian Thoracic Society and Institute of Respiratory Medicine, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital (Sydney). Nineteen participants from Malaysia, Thailand, Philippine, Vietnam, Taiwan, China Indonesia and Australia took part in the course. Members of faculty included Professor Peter Burney (London), Professor Ann Woolcock (Sydney), Professor Craig Medllis (Sydney), Professor Najib Rafee (Kuala Lumpur), Professor Azizi Hj Omar (Kuala Lumpur), Ms. Julie Simpson (Bangkok) and Dr. Ann Kong (Rangoon).

The venue, located at the foothill of Genting Highland, a hill resort was a calm, quiet and free from distractions of city activities. The participants spent most of the time in the day attending lectures and tutorials, doing exercises and developing research protocols. Subjects covered included study designs, biases, measurement of exposure and outcomes, biostatistics, questionnaires, diagnostic test and screening, descriptive statistics, and hypothesis testing. Apart from lectures which took about 30% of the time, the remaining course was conducted in small group discussion and exercise which included exercise on computer EPI INFO Program. Twelve research protocols were developed and presented at the end of the course.

Despite hectic course program, the organizer had spared one afternoon for city tour and shopping. This was followed by a cultural show and dinner in a floating sea food restaurant.

From the course evaluation, most participants felt that the course had been well organized, informative, relevant, useful and had helped to improve their knowledge on epidemiology, in particular on how to plan and conduct research. Most participants also felt that similar course should be conducted from time to time to allow more people to participate and a follow up course or workshop should be organized to see what progress has been made in term of research as a result of the course.

It is hoped that more epidemiology data on respiratory diseases will be available form this region by this pioneer group of participants as a result of this course.

BMZ Zainudin, M.D.
Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia
Malaysia

Utsunomiya, Japan - The first APSR workshop of the Japan Society of Chest Diseases (JSCD) was held on April 4 in Utsunomiya City. The JSCD offered full support for all participants of the workshop in order to facilitate the exchange of knowledge in respiratory science as well as mutual understanding among physicians in the membership counties of the APSR. The program, shown below, consisted of two special lectures by leading authorities from ATS and ERS and six original presentations by nominated young investigators from six countries.

The workshop was a great success with attendance of over 300 JSCD members. Professor Satoshi Kitamura, the President of JSCD for 1995-96, awarded a special appreciation certificate to each speaker of the workshop. The second APSR workshop will be organized in April 1997 at Yokohama Pacifico under the presidency of Professor Takao Okubo of Yokohama City University.

APSR Workshop Program 15:00-18:00 April 4, 1996

Yoshinosuke Fukuchi, MD
Juntendo University
Japan

During the ATS/ALA International Congress in New Orleans, an APSR Informal Executive Meeting was held.

Date: May 13, 1996 (11:30-15:00)
Place: Crowne Plaza Hotel - Mississippi Ballroom A
Attendants: N Berend, T de Guia, Y Fukuchi, KT Luh, WC Tan, T Takizawa, AJ Woolcock, YJ Zhu (Observer), C Mori (Secretary)

at the Executive Meeting of APCDC, 23 June 1996, Bali, Nusa Duah

On the occasion of the 14th APCDC business meeting, I would like to first of all congratulate Dr. Hadiarto Mangunnegoro on his excellent preparations and for the success of the meeting. I would like to express my gratitude to be allowed to address you, in my capacity of one of the governors of the ACCP in Japan and also as Secretary General of the APSR.

I think it is indeed a time for celebration, thinking of the efforts of the late Dr. Chuzo Nagaishi and our various predecessors in many countries in the Asia-Pacific region and also ACCP which has given us and our colleagues so much support and has been what we might call the mother body of the APCDC, all of which have made it possible to have our 14th meeting. This 14th meeting of the APCDC has contributed to increase the level of diagnosis and treatment of respiratory and cardiovascular disease. I would like to express my personal gratitude for the efforts and co-operation of everybody who has been involved for so many years.

With the heightening of knowledge and awareness, there has also occurred the formation of organization active in the speciality of respiratory diseases. In particular from about 10 years ago, the efforts of the ATS to make their annual meeting become a meeting for the entire world on respiratory diseases has encouraged the two previously existing European societies to join together to form the new ERS. It has also promoted awareness in our region of the world and has participated the formation of a society which can stand together with ATS and ERS. In 1985, more than 10 years ago, the APSR was founded with this goal in mind.

While it is not necessary today to give a detailed history of the process of the development of the APSR, most of you know that there are 11 countries and regions belonging to the APSR. We have had 3 international congresses and beginning this year we have established a quarterly journal, Respirology, published by a highly reputable science publisher. This October we will see the 4th international congress of the APSR in Beijing. What I would particularly like to emphasise at this point is that the ATS, ERS and IUATLD, representative societies in respiratory diseases, have favorably evaluated the progress of the APSR in the past 10 years and have decided to hold, together with APSR, a world meeting on respiratory diseases in the year 2000. This will be a true world meeting on respiratory diseases, probably attended by 8,000 people, and progress in preparation for it is going smoothly. Now the APSR is no longer limited to this region. At this annual meeting held this year in New Orleans the ATS, with the wish to introduce the APSR to investigators throughout the world, were kind enough to ensure that both the APSR and the ERS had a booth detailing their activities on the same scale. I think in future ATS, ERS, IUATLD and APSR will respectively have booths for each other to make a common secretariat at each of their meeting.

The achievements of the APCDC have also been truly exceptional. Through the activities of the APCDC, all of us in this region have been able to keep abreast of the latest developments in the world and to respond to them. Our activity has in fact been made possible because of the APCDC. However, one point that I would like all of us to consider is the historical background in Europe in which two societies join together to form ERS. It is only natural that if there are similar societies active in one region, this fact poses difficulties for both of the organizations, and the interests and efforts of the members become divided and disunited. In addition the financial strain is considerable. As a result it is difficult for both organizations to fully maintain their functionality. Perhaps we should look at the example of the ERS and, in an effort to promote further development, join together so that we can mutually contribute with all the strength that is available to us through our members.

At this point I would like to make an important proposal. With all due respect, I would like to suggest that the 1998 meeting of this organization to be held in Manila should be the last that this organization be dissolved, not in a negative manner, but rather for better and greater progress, joining together with the APSR to combine our mutual strength. I would like to express my gratitude from the bottom of my heart for the co-operation and consideration that has been shown by the ACCP. I also hope that they will continue to look kindly upon the APSR, which is an organization of and for the region, and continue to extend the same degree of co-operation as they have in the past. In order to promote future co-operation with ATS, ERS and IUATLD, the APSR has to become even stronger than it is today. Of course it goes without saying that we will co-operate in promoting the ACCP, with its long traditions among our individual members and respective country. Needless to say I will promote this to the best of my ability as one of the ACCP governors in Japan.

I fully echo the concerns raised by Dr. Kira, Dr. Zhang and Dr. Ham and would like to add to these as follows:

1. The APCDC and the Congress of the APSR are both biannual events and the timing of the meetings, the overlap of the spectrum of the topic challenge the demand on time, resources of the potential delegates and the traditional sources of the financial sponsorship. Although the fundamental aim of the APSR is to promote research and to provide state-of-the-art update on a wide range of respiratory topics, in practice the contents of the congress overlap considerably with that of the APCDC.
2. The APSR is a regional society. Many committee members are also ACCP members. There is inevitably a conflict of interest, with the APCDC appearing as a direct challenge on a recurring basis. A more reasonable approach would be direct collaboration between the regional APSR and the parent society of the APCDC, namely ACCP.

The tentative proposal for discussion is summarized below. The concept would involve the ACCP in a supportive and inclusive role in the respiratory and educational activities of the Asia-Pacific region.

1. The ACCP would work through the regional chapters in holding annual meetings / workshops / postgraduate courses with respective national thoracic societies.
2. The ACCP would collaborate directly in a joint congress every few years (frequency and interval could be worked out) with the APSR. The joint programme should reflect the expanded aims of both societies.

We felt that this combination of activities would mutually enhance the aims of the two societies which care for the promotion of continuing education, and research in respiratory diseases and health of the Asia-Pacific region in particular and world wide in general.

The Hong Kong Thoracic Society (HKTS), currently under the Presidency of Dr. Mary Ip of the Division of Respiratory Medicine, University of Hong Kong, has a membership of 254. Its main activities in 1995-1996 included the following (often in collaboration with the HK & Macau Chapter of the American College of Chest Physicians):

1. Scientific Meeting at our Annual General Meeting on 27 April 1996, with participation by overseas speakers:
   • Sleep apnea and heart failure (Dr. M Naughton, Australia)
   • The assessment and management of life-threatening airflow obstruction (Prof. JB Hall, USA)
   • New therapeutic approaches to respiratory tract infections (Dr. R Grossman, Canada)
   In addition, there is a Workshop on Management of Sleep Apnea and free paper presentations.
2. With the support of the International Association of Allergology and Clinical Immunology, the First Hong Kong Allergy Forum was held on 25-26 November 1995 at the Hong Kong Sheraton Hotel & Towers, with over 240 overseas and local participants. Leading overseas guest speakers included from Australia Drs. J Weiner, F Thien, K Yan; from the UK Drs. P Howarth, M Greaves; and from the USA Drs. D Hoffman, H Sampson, R Simon, R Naclerio, M Ksaliner and R Marby. Topics included asthma, allergic rhinitis, eczema, food allergy, drug allergy and others.
3. Other scientific meetings on asthma, pneumonia, lung cancer and tuberculosis with overseas speakers participating (Dr. SR Norrby, Sweden, Dr. GK Crompton, UK, Dr. Naruke, Japan, Dr. AL Roldaan, Netherlands, Dr. C Lofdaki, Switzerland, Dr. T Platts-Mills, USA, Dr. JL Stanford, UK and Dr. T Haahtela, Finland).
4. Organization of monthly clinical meetings which were presented on a rotating basis by the 14 accredited respiratory training centers/units.
5. Publication of a quarterly Newsletter with academic editorials, summary of clinical meetings, meeting notices, society and professional news (both local and international), etc.
6. Sponsorship for overseas inter-national conference attendance and presentation of papers. (In the past year, we sponsored 20 members to attend 8 conferences, including the ATS Meeting, the 19th ICC, the ERS conference, and the 8th European Congress of Intensive Care Medicine)
7. Organization of Educational "Teach-in" and "update" sessions for respirology trainees and fellows, and giving expert advice to the Hong Kong Academy of Medicine on training for pulmonologists in Hong Kong. In addition, members served in various medical advisory panels and boards related to respirology, and 15 members served as medical advisors to the patient-based Hong Kong Asthma Society.
8. Issue of a joint statement on the paper from the Hong Kong Government Environmental Protection Department on "Cleaner Air: Further proposal to reduce emissions from diesel vehicles".
9. A working group has been formed to address the need and logistics of revision of our Asthma Management Guidelines in Hong Kong written in 1994.
10. Under the joint auspices of the HKTS and HK & Macau Chapter of the ACCP, the Hong Kong Lung Foundation (Trust Fund) was established in April 1996 (Chairman: Prof. WK Lam) with the following objectives:
    1. to foster public education in respiratory health and diseases
    2. to support medical, nursing and other paramedical staff education and training in respirology
    3. to support research in respirology

We now have structured training programs in respiratory medicine in 14 accredited training centers in Hong Kong under the Subspecialty Board in Respiratory Medicine of the Hong Kong Academy College of Physicians (Board Chairman: Prof. WK Lam), with strong participation from the HKTS. We very much wish to exchange ideas with all thoracic societies in the Asia-Pacific region and beyond regarding the practice and training in respirology.

Wah-Kit Lam, M.D.
University of Hong Kong
Hong Kong

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