No. 126 (January 2020)
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APSR News - 7 APSR news items
Regional society news - 6 societies' news
Health news - Two New Reports Show Dramatic Health Benefits Following Air Pollution Reduction, plus COPD update
Education - 2 news items
APSR Membership - 10 news items

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APSR News

Message from our new president


Dr Nakanishi

Congratulations

Congratulations Professor Chau and committee members of the VietNam Respiratory Society for such a successful congress APSR 2019. I express sincere appreciation to the Local Congress Committee team members as well as Professor Matsunaga and Central Congress Committee team members for their tremendous effort.

Our Mission

The objectives of the APSR are the advancement and promotion of knowledge of the respiratory system in health and disease. As is well known, in this region, there live over 4.5 billion people (more than 60% of world's population), and face serious environmental problems resulting from rapid industrialization. Therefore, we have responsibility to accomplish the objectives and utilize our knowledge to protect our lung health.

FIRS

The Forum of International Respiratory Societies (FIRS) is the global forum consisting of the ATS, ERS, APSR, CHEST, The Union, ALAT, PATS, GINA, and GOLD. Its aims are to promote advocacy in matters of global respiratory health and the identification of new areas for global initiatives. In particular, air pollution is an urgent issue for activities of the Forum. The APSR has been collaborating and discussing with the other members of FIRS to safeguard our lung health, as a main partner of the FIRS.

Finances

Under outstanding efforts by the APSR Immediate Past President, Dr Kwun Fong, and Society members, the financial base of the APSR has been steadily strengthened. Our goal is to provide enough funds for research activities by members and education for young investigators, and to improve the levels of respiratory medicine in the Asia-Pacific area.

Our Future

The future of the APSR shall be one of the leading societies working as a team to safeguard lung health, keeping high motivation for research and patient care, by increasing educational opportunities for younger members, under a strong financial base.

Presidency

As a president of the APSR, I will do my best for the further development of the APSR and our lung health. Still, there exists many problems and issues in our society and our world. Let's work together.

I sincerely appreciate your understanding and support. Thank you very much.

Yoichi Nakanishi

Happy New Year

From the APSR Secretariat

APSR secretariat office will be closed from Saturday 28 December 2019 to Sunday 5 January 2020. We will then continue working hard on all the new projects and initiatives for 2020 (a few of which are mentioned below) to make your Society stronger and more effective in the fight for better respiratory health.

We are looking forward to an exciting year for us all!

New APSR Officers and committee chairs

As promised in last month's Bulletin, we are pleased to announce the following APSR Executive Committee members and APSR committee chairs. As with the list of assembly leaders and Education Committee members listed last month, we welcome the new officers who are taking over from those who completed their terms at the end of the Congress in Hanoi, November 2019


Yoichi Nakanishi
President

Kwun Fong
Immediate Past President

Philip Bardin
Co-Editor in Chief

Paul Reynolds
Co-Editor in Chief

We'll announce the new Treasurer and Secretary General as soon as their appointments have been confirmed.

Further Executive Committee members

Yoichi Nakanishi (Chairperson)
Arata Azuma
Philip Bardin
Teresita de Guia
Kwun Fong
Yoshinosuke Fukuchi
Shu Hashimoto
Mary Sau-Man Ip
Ki-Suck Jung
Young Whan Kim
Kazuto Matsunaga
Michiaki Mishima
Arth Nana
Paul Reynolds
Wan-Cheng Tan
Faisal Yunus

Chairpersons of the Permanent Committees

Yoichi NakanishiSteering Committee
Mary Sau-Man IpStrategic Planning Committee
Young Whan KimResearch Committee
Arata AzumaEducation Committee
Yoshinosuke Fukuchi  Nomination Committee
(TBA)Finance Committee
Faisal YunusMembership Committee
Kazuto MatsunagaCentral Congress Committee

Central Congress Committee

Kazuto MatsunagaChairperson
Yoichi NakanishiPresident
(TBA)Secretary General
(TBA)Treasurer
Young Whan KimChairperson of the Research Committee
Arata AzumaChairperson of the Education Committee
Philip BardinJoint representative of the Editorial Office
Paul ReynoldsJoint representative of the Editorial Office
Chau Ngo QuyPresident of the previous congress
Shu HashimotoPresident of the next congress
Heads of Assemblies 
(please see apsresp.org/index-assemblies.html)

En Bloc Society - APSR Joint Symposium

An exciting new initiative has recently been approved by the APSR Executive Committee, which will benefit all en bloc societies, all members, and strengthen respirology in the Asia-Pacific region.

The APSR now invites any en bloc society to have a joint symposium with the APSR at the en bloc society's annual conference.

The theme and topics will be decided by the en bloc society with APSR consultation and collaboration.

The en bloc society will host the event, and organise the time schedule and room for a 2- to 3-hour educational symposium, generally with 30-minute talks by 4 to 6 speakers accordingly, with 50% en bloc speakers and 50% APSR speakers

The objective is to increase regional cooperation to strengthen respirology in the AP region. The APSR fully recognises that en bloc societies are key to fulfilling the APSR mission and vision.

En bloc societies independently organise high quality conferences, which are increasingly appealing to international audiences as more are using English as their main language.

These Joint Symposia may encourage other APSR members and their students/trainees to attend and participate, therefore increasing collaboration and cooperation between respirology health care workers and researchers in the AP region by building new networks for the future.

To find out more on how your society can take advantage of this opportunity, see apsresp.org/education/joint-symposium.php.

APSR Multi-Country Research project

An APSR Multi-Country Research project has been approved by the Executive Committee and will be launched soon

Look out for announcements from your assembly head, and in the next Bulletin.

APSR Congress news

2020 Congress in Kyoto

The website www.apsr2021.jp is now open for the 2020 congress at the Kyoto International Conference Center (ICC Kyoto), Japan, 15–18 October 2020, hosted by the Japanese Respiratory Society (JRS)

The Congress Committee continues planning for the Congress and invites you to submit ideas for sessions and talks so that we can ensure the Congress meets your needs of our membership. Please submit suggestions to www.surveymonkey.com/r/APSR2020.

For your safety, please be aware of fraudulent websites linking to the APSR Congress to offer registrations, hotel bookings and other services. The APSR does not accept any responsibility for bookings made via unofficial websites/agencies or any money lost as a result.

apsr2021.jp is the official and only APSR Congress website.

Respiratory Updates

The December issue (Vol 11.12) features Imaging in diffuse lung diseases:

  • CT features of diffuse lung disease in infancy
  • Isolated Cystic Lung Disease: An Algorithmic Approach to Distinguishing BirtHogg-Dubé Syndrome, Lymphangioleiomyomatosis, and Lymphocytic Interstitial Pneumonia
  • Lung US Surface Wave Elastography in Interstitial Lung Disease Staging
  • A Stepwise Diagnostic Approach to Cystic Lung Diseases for Radiologists
  • Sarcoidosis: A Diagnosis of Exclusion
  • Inter-observer agreement in identifying traction bronchiectasis on computed tomography: its improvement with the use of the additional criteria for chronic fibrosing interstitial pneumonia
  • Clinical and radiological features of pulmonary tuberculosis in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis
  • Probable UIP: What is the Evidence that Compels this Classification and How is it Different from the Indeterminate Category?
  • Computer-Aided Diagnosis of Pulmonary Fibrosis Using Deep Learning and CT Images
  • Progression of probable UIP and UIP on HRCT

Inside Respirology

Respirology Vol. 25 Issue 1

25th ANNIVERSARY REFLECTIONS
6Twenty-five years of Respirology: From the Editors
Philip G Bardin FRACP, PhD; Paul N Reynolds FRACP, PhD, MD, FThorSoc, FAPSR
10.1111/resp.13751
7The rise and rise of Respirology: A 25-year journey
Philip J Thompson MBBS, FRACP, FAPSR, FThorSoc, FCCP, MRACMA
10.1111/resp.13731
Commentaries
11Twenty-five years of Respirology: Advances in asthma
Richard Beasley DSc; Peter Gibson MBBS, FRACP, DMed
10.1111/resp.13735
14Twenty-five years of Respirology: Advances in bronchiectasis
Sanjay H Chotirmall MD, PhD; Anne B Chang MBBS, PhD, MPH
10.1111/resp.13738
17Twenty-five years of Respirology: Advances in COPD
Fanny W S Ko MD; Don D Sin MD
10.1111/resp.13734
20Twenty-five years of Respirology: Advances in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis
Francesco Varone MD; Yoshikazu Inoue MD, PhD; Luca Richeldi MD, PhD
10.1111/resp.13733
23Twenty-five years of Respirology: Advances in interventional pulmonology
David Fielding MBBS FRACP MD; Noriaki Kurimoto MD PhD
10.1111/resp.13740
26Twenty-five years of Respirology: Advances in lung cancer
Mei-Kim Ang MBBCHIR, MRCP (UK); Tony S K Mok MD
10.1111/resp.13745
32Twenty-five years of Respirology: Advances in respiratory infections and tuberculosis
Cynthia B E Chee MBBS, FRCP; David S C Hui MD, FRACP, FRCP
10.1111/resp.13737
35Twenty-five years of Respirology: Advances in paediatric lung disease
Andrew Bush MBBS (Hons), MA, MD, FHEA, FRCP, FRCPCH, FERS, FAPSR, ATSF; Dominic Fitzgerald MBBS, PhD, FRACP
10.1111/resp.13739
38Twenty-five years of Respirology: Advances in pleural disease
Macy M S Lui MBBS, MRCP, FHKCP, FCCP; Y C Gary Lee MBChB, PhD, FCCP, FRCP, FRACP
10.1111/resp.13742
41Twenty-five years of Respirology: Advances in sleep
Ron Grunstein MBBS, MD, PhD, FRACP; Fang Han MD
10.1111/resp.13741
EDITORIALS
43The microbiome in bronchiectasis: Cutting a lung story short
Alexandria H Smith; James D Chalmers MBChB, PhD, FRCPE, FERS
10.1111/resp.13697
45Suboptimal asthma care: Lessons from Australia and a way forward
André Schultz MBChB, PhD, FRACP; Peter le Souef MBBS, MD, FRACS; Melanie Barwick PhD, CPsych
10.1111/resp.13661
47Airway inflammation in COPD: Is it worth measuring and is it clinically meaningful?
Jodie L Simpson BSc (Hons), PhD, FThorSoc
10.1111/resp.13656
49Lung function and endothelial dysfunction: Is there a relationship without the presence of lung disease?
Clara E Green MBChB (Hons), PhD
10.1111/resp.13573
51Incomplete control of obstructive sleep apnoea with continuous positive airway pressure therapy: Time for a personalized therapy approach?
Sutapa Mukherjee MBBS, FRACP, PhD
10.1111/resp.13685
INVITED REVIEW
53Hypoxia-inducible factor and bacterial infections in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
Shakti D Shukla, E Haydn Walters, Jodie L Simpson, Simon Keely, Peter A B Wark, Ronan F O'Toole, Philip M Hansbro
10.1111/resp.13722
ORIGINAL ARTICLES
Bronchiectasis
64Composition of airway bacterial community correlates with chest HRCT in adults with bronchiectasis
Katherine O'Neill, Gisli G Einarsson, Stephen Rowan, Leanne McIlreavey, Andrew J Lee, John Lawson, Tom Lynch, Alex Horsley, Judy M Bradley, J Stuart Elborn, Michael M Tunney
10.1111/resp.13653

This study reports on the relationship between airway bacterial community composition as measured by high-throughput sequencing of the 16S rRNA marker gene, chest high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) and clinical measures in bronchiectasis (BE). The association between loss of diversity and chest HRCT severity suggests that bacterial dominance with pathogenic bacteria may contribute to disease pathology.

Asthma and Allergy
71Assessing appropriateness of paediatric asthma management: A population-based sample survey
Nusrat Homaira, Louise K Wiles, Claire Gardner, Charlotte J Molloy, Gaston Arnolda, Hsuen P Ting, Peter Hibbert, Claire Boyling, Jeffrey Braithwaite, Adam Jaffe, on behalf of the CareTrack Kids Investigative Team
10.1111/resp.13611

This study provides comprehensive findings on the quality of health care received by children with asthma care across different healthcare settings in Australia. There was marked variation in the quality of both pharmacological and non-pharmacological management of paediatric asthma and children received quality care for <60% of occasions.

COPD
80Airway inflammatory profile is correlated with symptoms in stable COPD: A longitudinal proof-of-concept cohort study
Marco Contoli, Simonetta Baraldo, Valentina Conti, Giulia Gnesini, Brunilda Marku, Paolo Casolari, Paola Scrigner, Paolo Morelli, Marina Saetta, Antonio Spanevello, Alberto Papi
10.1111/resp.13607

The symptom severity and variability negatively impact the short- and long-term prognosis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Our study showed an association between symptoms and the sputum inflammatory profile. In particular, changes in cough and dyspnoea were correlated with changes in neutrophils and eosinophils, respectively, providing novel information on the mechanisms of disease manifestation.

89Associations between lung and endothelial function in early middle age
Robert J Hancox, Lathan Thomas, Michael J A Williams, Malcolm R Sears
10.1111/resp.13556

Chronic lung disease is associated with endothelial dysfunction, which may lead to cardiovascular disease, but it is unknown when this association develops. In a population-based cohort of 38-year olds, we found that low lung volumes and airflow obstruction were associated with endothelial dysfunction in women but associations in men were weaker and less convincing.

Pulmonary Vascular Disease
97Pulmonary hypertension with a low cardiac index requires a higher PaO2 level to avoid tissue hypoxia
Rika Suda, Nobuhiro Tanabe, Jiro Terada, Akira Naito, Hajime Kasai, Rintaro Nishimura, Takayuki Jujo Sanada, Toshihiko Sugiura, Seiichiro Sakao, Koichiro Tatsumi
10.1111/resp.13574

Patients with pulmonary hypertension and a decreased cardiac index (CI) often have tissue hypoxia, which results in a poor prognosis, even though their arterial oxygen tension (PaO2) is ≥60 mm Hg. Conventional oxygen supplementation might be insufficient, and adequate oxygenation and medical treatment that could increase CI are important for these patients.

Sleep and Ventilation
104Partial failure of CPAP treatment for sleep apnoea: Analysis of the French national sleep database
Sébastien Bailly, Najeh Daabek, Ingrid Jullian-Desayes, Marie Joyeux-Faure, Marc Sapène, Yves Grillet, Jean-Christian Borel, Renaud Tamisier, Jean-Louis Pépin
10.1111/resp.13650

Residual apnoea events during continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) treatment of obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) contribute to treatment drop-out. Patients with over five residual breathing events per hour of sleep were sedentary older men with severe OSA and cardiac co-morbidities using orofacial masks. This knowledge may help physicians to personalize CPAP therapy

LETTER FROM ASIA-PACIFIC AND BEYOND
112Letter from Thailand
Kittipong Maneechotesuwan MD, PhD
10.1111/resp.13732
FORUM AND DEBATE
Correspondence
114What are the best criteria for Birt–Hogg–Dubé syndrome-related pneumothorax?
Huajie Xing MD, Deruo Liu MD, Chaoyang Liang MD
10.1111/resp.13717
115Incremental shuttle walking test in patients with asthma: Shedding light on its measurement properties
Afroditi K Boutou MD, MSc, PhD; Ioannis Stanopoulos MD, PhD; Despoina Papakosta MD, PhD
10.1111/resp.13719

Inside Respirology Case Reports

The following cases have been selected for inclusion in the January 2020 Respirology Case Reports, Volume 08 Issue 1

Case Series

Human herpesvirus 8-related primary effusion lymphoma in four HIV-uninfected patients without organ transplantation
Hung-I Kuo, Yu-Ting Yu, Kung-Chao Chang, Po-Lan Su, Sin-Syue Li, Tang-Hsiu Huang
DOI: 10.1002/rcr2.508

Primary effusion lymphoma has a predilection for body cavities and is closely related to human herpesvirus 8. We provide a detailed report of this rare non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in four patients all without known history of acquired immunodeficiency.

Case Reports

Bronchial artery laceration and haemothorax complicating transbronchial needle aspiration
William Grier, Or Kalchiem-Dekel, Jean Jeudy, Van Holden, Ashutosh Sachdeva, Edward Pickering
DOI: 10.1002/rcr2.497

Haemothorax following an endobronchial ultrasound-guided guided transbronchial needle aspiration (EBUS-TBNA) as a result of bronchial artery laceration resolved with small-bore chest tube drainage.

Intrapleural urokinase directly under medical thoracoscopy for the diagnosis of tuberculous pleurisy
Satoshi Terashita, Hiroaki Kawachi, Tomoko Tajiri, Susumu Noguchi, Tatsuyoshi Ikeue, Takakazu Sugita
DOI: 10.1002/rcr2.498

Intrapleural urokinase directly under medical thoracoscopy for the diagnosis of multiloculated pleural effusions seem to be convenient. Moreover, the fibrinolytic effect occurs very rapidly. This procedure may expand the diagnostic capability of medical thoracoscopy.

Tracheal granular cell tumour presenting with throat discomfort
Kensuke Nakagawara, Mamoru Sasaki, Shojiroh Morinaga, Naoto Minematsu
DOI: 10.1002/rcr2.499

We report a rare case of tracheal granular cell tumours (GCT) presenting with throat discomfort as an initial symptom. While the symptom was atypical for a tracheal tumour, an early laryngoscopy and bronchoscopy led to the correct diagnosis.

Extensive bronchial occlusion with N-butyl-2-cyanoacrylate for bronchopleural fistula and a destroyed lung
Yasunori Kaminuma, Masayuki Tanahashi, Eriko Suzuki, Naoko Yoshii, Hiroshi Niwa
DOI: 10.1002/rcr2.500

Here, we report a case of chronic empyema with bronchopleural fistula and destroyed lung in which bronchial occlusion with N-butyl-2-cyanoacrylate and lipiodol resulted in the improvement of respiratory distress and recurrent pneumonia.

Relapsing polychondritis with large airway involvement
Christiaan Yu, Simon A Joosten
DOI: 10.1002/rcr2.501

Relapsing polychondritis is a rare, life-threatening, autoimmune condition. We present a previously undescribed occurrence of relapsing polychondritis with acute large airway involvement requiring short-term positive airway pressure therapy in the context of a respiratory viral infection.

Isolated laryngeal sarcoidosis
Aslan Ahmadi, Fatemeh Dehghani Firouzabadi, Mohammad Dehghani Firouzabadi, Maryam Roomiani
DOI: 10.1002/rcr2.502

To improve diagnosis and treatment of laryngeal sarcoidosis, we present a rare case of upper airway obstruction of unclear aetiology, with life-threatening complication in a 19-year-old boy.

Pleural cryobiopsy during local anaesthetic thoracoscopy in dry pleural dissemination
Ayn Marie Lao, Yuji Matsumoto, Midori Tanaka, Takafumi Matsunaga, Shinji Sasada, Takaaki Tsuchidabr>DOI: 10.1002/rcr2.503

A diagnosed case of primary non–small-cell carcinoma in an 85-year-old female with dry pleural dissemination with low fluoro-deoxyglucose uptake. Metastatic carcinomatous pleuritis was subsequently confirmed with the aide of pleural cryobiopsy. Local anaesthetic thoracoscopy with pleural cryobiopsy can be safely performed even without effusion with the aide of real-time transthoracic ultrasound.

Successful treatment of post-operative peripheral bronchopleural fistulas using endobronchial Watanabe spigots
Shinichi Yamamoto, Masaya Sogabe, Hideki Negishi, Sayaka Mitsuda, Tomoki Shibano, Shunsuke Endobr>DOI: 10.1002/rcr2.504

A 70-year-old man who developed a post-operative peripheral bronchopleural fistulas (BPF) after a left upper lobectomy. Bronchial occlusion with endobronchial Watanabe spigots (EWS) was performed because the target bronchi responsible for BPF were clearly detected by a chest computerized tomography scan. The effectiveness of the occlusion was confirmed with the use of a digital drainage system immediately after the procedure was completed.

An enlarged azygos vein traversing an azygos lobe reveals a connection between the inferior vena cava and azygos vein
Hiroyuki Miura, Shinichi Goto, Jun Miura, Keisei Tachibana, Ryota Tanaka, Haruhiko Kondobr>DOI: 10.1002/rcr2.506

We report a rare case of the inferior vena cava connecting to the azygos, in a 16-year-old male patient who presented with an abnormal shadow on chest X-ray. The azygos vein was enlarged and ran through an azygos fissure, inviting the diagnosis.

Bronchoscopic management of haemoptysis due to endobronchial metastasis of papillary thyroid carcinoma
Stephen J Kuperberg, Daniel C Mockler, Andrzej Kudelkabr>DOI: 10.1002/rcr2.509

Endobronchial disease secondary to metastatic thyroid cancer may lead to airway obstruction and result in haemoptysis. We describe a rare case of metastatic papillary thyroid carcinoma resulting in endobronchial involvement diagnosed by bronchoscopic biopsy, and successfully managed with argon plasma coagulation ablation.

Subclinical community-acquired Acinetobacter pneumonia associated with mature cystic teratoma masquerading as lung abscess
Sai-on Ling, Pak-yuen, Anthony Yau, Hoi-yee Kwan, Chie-wai Yim, Yik-ning Poon, Thomas Mokbr>DOI: 10.1002/rcr2.510

We hereby report a case of subclinical community-acquired Acinetobacter pneumonia in association with a mature cystic teratoma masquerading as a lung abscess.

Clinical Image

Endobronchial lipoma: a rare cause of subsegmental bronchial obstruction
Pavel V Pavlov, Andrey P Kiryukhin, Kirill B Puzakov, Ramin T Rzayev, Aleksandr A Derinovbr>DOI: 10.1002/rcr2.505

Endobronchial lipoma is benign lung tumor with an incidence of less 1% of all lung neoplasms. The case of 72-year-old man is presented with endobronchial lipoma arising from a-subsegment of the left posterior basal segment (LB10a).

Regional society news

The spotlight this month is on

KOREA

Each month we share details of activities of a particular country, region or society.

If you would like the spotlight to be on your country, region or society next month, contact the Bulletin Coordinator or APSR Secretariat.

KATRD activities in 2019

The 2021 APSR Congress in Seoul is almost two years away, but the KATRD is already busy with preparations. As you can see below, they are an extremely active society!

The Councillor representing Korea reported at the APSR Congress in Hanoi on the recent activities of the Korean Academy of Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases. Here is his report:

Korean Academy of Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases (KATRD)
Activity report for 2019

The KATRD held the 127th conference on 13 April at the Alpensia resort in Pyeongchang. The symposium topics of the conference were "Hot Issues in Respiratory Medicine" and "Controversies in Respiratory Medicine". The 14th Lung Cancer Symposium and the 48th Workshop (Respiratory Review of 2019) were held successfully along with the conference.

The KATRD held the following further events in 2019:

9 FebruaryWinter Clinical Study Workshop Korean Molecular Lung Cancer Study Group
16 FebruaryAsthma Study Group & COPD Study Group Joint Symposium
16 MarchILD School
23 MarchEnvironmental Lung Diseases Study Group Symposium
18 MayPrivate Public Mix Tuberculosis Management Symposium
1 JuneCOPD school
15 JunePulmonary Rehabilitation Study Group Symposium
22 JuneSleep Disordered Breathing Study Group Symposium
29 JuneFusion Symposium of Study Groups
13 JulyAsthma Study Group Workshop
27 JulyLung Cancer School
31 AugustECMO Symposium
31 AugustSummer Clinical Study Workshop Korean Molecular Lung Cancer Study Group
21 SeptemberAsthma School
19 October2nd KATRD TB/NTM International Symposium
7-8 NovemberKATRDIC (KATRD International Conference) in Seoul

For public awareness of COPD, the KATRD held the 17th Lung Day event on 25 September. The event was held successfully in the Seoul Madang along with World Lung Day

Other regional news:

Australia

Philippines

COPD Olympics

In support of the World COPD Day 2019 (20 November 2019), the Philippine College of Chest Physicians (PCCP), held its annual "COPD Olympics – Minute to Breathe It" on 3 November 2019 to raise the awareness of COPD and educate patients on COPD. COPD is one of the top ten causes of death in the Philippines. Base on a study, it has a 14% prevalence rate in Metro Manila and 20% in rural areas.

On 3 November, healthcare professionals and COPD patients from thirteen different institutions (hospitals) came together to take action against one of our country's most prevalent respiratory disease which is very apt to this year's World COPD Day theme 'All Together to End COPD'.

The COPD Olympics started off with the marching and parade of each training institution/hospital together with their chants and colourful banners followed by playing of the national anthem. A lecture on COPD was given to educate the patients on COPD; risk factors, diagnosis, prevention and management including the role of pulmonary rehabilitation. The traditional flame lighting ceremony signalled the commencement of the battle from elimination rounds to the championship round until the last hospital standing wins.

This sport event not only raised the awareness of COPD, fostered camaraderie and support among COPD patients but also showed us that patients living with COPD could still stay active and win challenges in sport activities as well as challenges of having COPD.

May the flames of the COPD Olympic torch continue to burn in our hearts as we strive to end COPD together.

Submitted by:

Bernice Ong-dela Cruz, MD, FPCCP
Chairman, Council on COPD and Pulmonary Rehabilitation

Singapore

The Singapore Thoracic Society (STS) reported that over 320 members of the public participated in their annual World COPD Day event (20 November 2019) at Changi General Hospital, Singapore.

Co-organised with GSK, participants across three locations in eastern Singapore tried out fun and informative activities, and also had the opportunity to speak with STS respiratory specialists about why lung health is important.

The photos on the right are from Changi General Hospital (click image to enlarge)

Vietnam


A/Prof. Lan

A/Prof Le Thi Tuyet Lan, Chair of the Hochiminh City Asthma, Allergy and Clinical Immunology Society, has kindly sent the following photos from a spectacularly successful event for COPD Day in Hochiminh City on 24 November 2019.

As you can see, the event was very well attended!

Click any photo to enlarge.

Major international society news:

America

ATS 2020 Early Registration is Now Open!

Early Registration is now open for the ATS 2020 International Conference, 15-20 May in Philadelphia.

Booking your conference hotel
As numerous events will be taking place in and around Philadelphia during ATS 2020, reserving your hotel room early is the easiest way to secure housing and get your first choice of hotel. When you register for the conference and book your hotel now, you'll receive a significantly discounted nightly rate.

Destination Philadelphia
To help you achieve the full Philadelphia experience, whether you're traveling alone or bringing along the family, we've highlighted just a few of the many can't-miss sights the city has to offer. From American history to cheese steaks, we've got you covered. Take a look!

The ATS Goes Green
The ATS is working hard to be an environmentally responsible global citizen, and we're looking forward to continuing our efforts at ATS 2020. To date, we've discontinued bottled water and instituted the ATS Hydration Station, which provides refillable water bottles for attendees to use throughout the conference, and continue to reduce the amount of paper we use across the board. Learn more about our greening efforts.

IMPORTANT NOTICE
CDS (for registration) and Experient (for housing) are officially authorized ATS agents; do not register for the conference or book your hotel with other operators. The ATS does not accept responsibility for any losses that result from registering or booking via unofficial vendors or websites.

Health news

Two New Reports Show Dramatic Health Benefits Following Air Pollution Reduction





  1. Reductions in air pollution yielded fast and dramatic impacts on health-outcomes, as well as decreases in all-cause morbidity, according to findings in "Health Benefits of Air Pollution Reduction," new research published in the American Thoracic Society's journal, Annals of the American Thoracic Society.

    The study by the Environmental Committee of the Forum of International Respiratory Societies (FIRS) reviewed interventions that have reduced air pollution at its source. It looked for outcomes and time to achieve those outcomes in several settings, finding that the improvements in health were striking. Starting at week one of a ban on smoking in Ireland, for example, there was a 13 percent drop in all-cause mortality, a 26 percent reduction in ischemic heart disease, a 32 percent reduction in stroke, and a 38 percent reduction in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Interestingly, the greatest benefits in that case occurred among non-smokers.

    "We knew there were benefits from pollution control, but the magnitude and relatively short time duration to accomplish them were impressive.," said lead author of the report, Dean Schraufnagel, MD, ATSF. "Our findings indicate almost immediate and substantial effects on health outcomes followed reduced exposure to air pollution. It's critical that governments adopt and enforce WHO guidelines for air pollution immediately."

    In the United States, a 13-month closure of a steel mill in Utah resulted in reducing hospitalisations for pneumonia, pleurisy, bronchitis and asthma by half. School absenteeism decreased by 40 percent, and daily mortality fell by 16 percent for every 100 µg/m3 PM10 (a pollutant) decrease. Women who were pregnant during the mill closing were less likely to have premature births.

    A 17-day "transportation strategy," in Atlanta, Georgia during the 1996 Olympic Games involved closing parts of the city to help athletes make it to their events on time, but also greatly decreased air pollution. In the following four weeks, children's visits for asthma to clinics dropped by more than 40 percent and trips to emergency departments by 11 percent. Hospitalisations for asthma decreased by 19 percent. Similarly, when China imposed factory and travel restrictions for the Beijing Olympics, lung function improved within two months, with fewer asthma-related physician visits and less cardiovascular mortality.

    In addition to city-wide polices, reducing air pollution within the home also led to health benefits. In Nigeria, families who had clean cook stoves that reduced indoor air pollution during a nine-month pregnancy term saw higher birthweights, greater gestational age at delivery, and less perinatal mortality.

    The report also examines the impact of environmental policies economically. It highlights that 25 years after enactment of the Clean Air Act, the U.S. EPA estimated that the health benefits exceeded the cost by 32:1, saving 2 trillion dollars, and has been heralded as one of the most effective public health policies of all time in the United States. Emissions of the major pollutants (particulate matter [PM], sulfur oxides, nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide, volatile organic compounds, and lead) were reduced by 73 percent between 1990 and 2015 while the U.S. gross domestic product grew by more than 250 percent.

    Given these findings, Dr. Schraufnagel has hope. "Air pollution is largely an avoidable health risk that affects everyone. Urban growth, expanding industrialization, global warming, and new knowledge of the harm of air pollution raise the degree of urgency for pollution control and stress the consequences of inaction," he says. "Fortunately, reducing air pollution can result in prompt and substantial health gains. Sweeping policies affecting a whole country can reduce all-cause mortality within weeks. Local programs, such as reducing traffic, have also promptly improved many health measures."

    Download the Annals report here.

  2. A new report launched on 6 December 2019 calls policy-makers and political leaders to urgently implement cost-effective actions to achieve quick results for cleaner air.

    Air pollution is a public health emergency, not only in Delhi, India but for 90 percent of us worldwide who live in areas of dangerous air pollution, which breach the World Health Organisation's air quality guidelines. Measures to tackle air pollution deliver rapid results for health as well as co-benefits for the climate.

    The report "Clean Air Now", co-authored by the Forum of International Respiratory Societies (FIRS) of which the APSR is a founding member and the NCD Alliance (NCDA), is released today to coincide with the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP25) taking place in Madrid (Spain) from 2-13 December 2019.

    The report includes examples from every continent of measures taken to rapidly reduce air pollution, including in Olympic host cities, and shows how quickly benefits are realised for health. After the introduction of clean air measures, significant health benefits can be observed within just a few weeks, for example in reduced hospital admissions. Over the longer term, benefits of clear air measures include significant increased life expectancy, fewer premature births, fewer heart attacks, strokes, respiratory diseases and early deaths.

    "We knew that controlling air pollution would result in better health, but the promptness of major benefits was surprising," said Dean Schraufnagel, Executive Director of FIRS and lead author of the paper.

    Nina Renshaw, Director of Policy and Advocacy at NCD Alliance added: "Governments everywhere should roll out clean air policies urgently to tackle this global health emergency. Measures to tackle pollution pay for themselves many times over, in terms of lives saved and reduced costs for our health services, and are also measures to prevent climate breakdown and worsening health impacts of an overheating planet."

    Air pollution penetrates and affects nearly every organ in the body, as well as our mental health and wellbeing. It is a leading risk factor for non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as stroke, heart disease, lung cancer and respiratory diseases. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that over seven million people die prematurely every year from exposure to polluted air. Most air pollution, and the associated health impacts and premature deaths, are preventable.

    The report makes a series of recommendations, including:

    • Adopt and strictly enforce emission standards for all pollutants in all relevant sectors, including industry, energy, transport, waste and agriculture.
    • Include air quality measures in urban, rural and transport planning at city, regional and national level, including measures to encourage modal shift and active mobility, noting the additional benefits to health and wellbeing, the curbing of climate change, and the reduction of health inequalities.
    • Rapidly phase our health-harmful subsidies for fossil fuels and polluting industries and introduce penalties for polluters and/or taxes on pollution.
    • Redirect investment to health-promoting, accessible alternatives including clean transport and renewable energy, and towards the provision of universal health coverage.
    • Improve housing conditions and ensure access to clean energy sources for indoor cooking, heating and lighting.

    NCD Alliance is a member of the Global Climate and Health Alliance which is co-hosting with World Health Organisation, a Global Climate and Health Summit on 7 December 2019 in Madrid. For more details please see GCHA website.

    The NCD Alliance (NCDA) is a unique civil society network, dedicated to improving NCD prevention and control worldwide. Today, our network includes NCDA members, national and regional NCD alliances, over 1,000 member associations of our founding federations, scientific and professional associations and academic and research institutions in 170 countries. Together with strategic partners, including the World Health Organization, United Nations and governments, NCDA is uniquely positioned to transform the global fight against NCDs through its core functions of global advocacy, accountability, capacity development and knowledge exchange.

About the Forum of International Respiratory Societies (FIRS)

World COPD Day

The following press release from the Forum of International Respiratory Societies (FIRS) was not available for the previous issue of the Bulletin, but the message remains just as important:

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a preventable and treatable disease that causes breathlessness, chronic sputum production and cough. There are 300 million current cases of COPD in the world. COPD is currently the third leading cause of death globally and is highly prevalent in low-resource countries. Exposure to tobacco smoke and other inhaled toxic particles and gases are the main risk factors for COPD, though recent research has identified that suboptimal lung growth before and after birth can also increase the risk of COPD later in life.

World COPD Day is an annual global initiative run by the Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD), who, along with the APSR, are members of the Forum of International Respiratory Societies (FIRS).

The goal of World COPD Day is to raise awareness and present new knowledge and novel therapeutic strategies for COPD worldwide. This year, the 18th annual World COPD Day will take place on 20 November 2019. This year's theme, "All Together to End COPD" emphasises the fact that many people are involved in the fight to end COPD. At every stage and at any age, there is an opportunity to prevent or treat COPD. From care providers, families and patients, to policy makers and employers - everyone can make an impact.

Initiatives to reduce the burden of COPD are taking place worldwide, including smoking-cessation programmes, fighting against both indoor and outdoor air pollution, as well as examining childhood disadvantage factors. Although there is no current cure for COPD, action can take place at any stage of the disease by a variety of individuals in many types of settings.

Employers can strive for safe breathing environments, citizens can be good stewards of air cleanliness, and both patients and families can help advocate for more research and better access to care. Providers and policy makers can work together to improve access to spirometry, essential medications, and other treatments like pulmonary rehabilitation, in addition to furthering research to improve patient outcomes.

FIRS invites everyone to participate in World COPD Day events on the 20 November 2019. Further information about World COPD Day can be found here.

Education

Teaching Library

At last, the Teaching Library is now open for your self-study. Challenging yourself to choose the correct procedure for any of the 91 cases in the Library.

Click the link on any page on the website (Education → Teaching Library) or go to apsresp.org/education/teaching-library/index.php.

We are still collecting cases to add to the Library. Any member is welcome to submit a case through the same link as above.

New educational article

The following article has recently been selected from Respirology for its specific educational value. Previous articles on further topics can be seen at apsresp.org/education/articles/index.html


Table 2 of 10.1111/resp.13653
(Click image to enlarge)

Of special interest to those working in:
* Respiratory Structure and Function
* Respiratory Infections (non-TB)
* Clinical Respiratory Medicine

Composition of airway bacterial community correlates with chest HRCT in adults with bronchiectasis Katherine O’neill, Gisli G Einarsson, Stephen Rowan, Leanne Mcilreavey, Andrew J Lee, John Lawson, Tom Lynch, Alex Horsley, Judy M Bradley, J Stuart Elborn, and Michael M Tunney (DOI: 10.1111/resp.13653)
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/resp.13653/full (Jan 2020)

Comment by Dr Mark Lavercombe:
In this study the authors demonstrate associations between sputum bacterial community characteristics and both structural and clinical measures in patients with bronchiectasis. Increase in blood inflammatory markers levels correlated with lower bacterial diversity, while reduced bacterial diversity, richness and evenness were associated with structural abnormalities on HRCT. The authors suggest a potential role for pathogenic bacterial dominance contributing to disease state.

APSR Membership

Donations received

The following members have kindly sent their donation towards the Society's goals, as outlined at apsresp.org/members/donors.php.

  • Dr Kwun Fong FAPSR
  • Dr Yun Wing Thomas Mok FAPSR
  • Dr Yoshinosuke Fukuchi FAPSR
  • Dr Gajendra Vikram Singh FAPSR
  • The Woolcock Institute of Medical Research, Vietnam office

The APSR is profoundly grateful for their generosity.

New Fellows of the APSR

Congratulations to the following members who have recently become Fellows of the APSR:

  • Dr Mansoor Hameed FAPSR
  • Dr Binu Krishnan FAPSR
  • Dr Navin Kumar Mishra FAPSR
  • Dr Gajendra Vikram Singh FAPSR

Our Members, Our Future

Continuing this series, we are delighted to share a tribute to Prof. Arth Nana, prepared by Dr Suree Sompradeekul.

This series complements our APSR Members' Honour Roll, on which as a member, you are welcome to add your appreciation of your mentor(s) at any time.


Prof. Nana

Professor Nana received his medical degree from the Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University in 1975. He completed his Internal Medicine Residency training at the same institution and became a faculty member of the Department of Medicine in 1979. Prof Nana had expanded his study in respiratory disease in Australia and gained “Doctor of Medicine" degree from the University of Melbourne, Australia in 1985. He then returned to Bangkok and started his academic career as an Instructor of Medicine in the Department of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, becoming a Professor of Medicine in 1999. He served as Head of the Division of Respiratory Disease and Tuberculosis, Department of Medicine from 2002 to 2016.

His early research interest was in respiratory physiology, which was extended into clinical respiratory diseases such as airway disease and sleep disorder. Professor Nana has produced numerous publications and book chapters both locally and internationally.

Professor Nana was the co-founder of the first Pulmonary Medicine Fellowship training programme in Thailand, which started at Siriraj hospital in 1990. Now the training programme has expanded into 11 institutions throughout the Kingdom of Thailand and has produced many generations of respiratory specialists. He earned the Distinguished Academic Award from the Royal College of Physicians of Thailand in 2007.

Professor Nana served as the president of the Thoracic Society of Thailand under the Royal patronage from 2006 to 2010. He was also a pioneer in sleep disorder breathing in Thailand, participating in setting up the sleep laboratory and sleep centre in Siriraj hospital at first, and eventually leading to the establishment of the Sleep Society of Thailand in 2009. Moreover, Professor Nana was a core member of the APSR Executive Committee for decades and served as the president of the APSR from 2012 to 2014. He was the congress president of the successful 13th Congress of the APSR in Bangkok in 2008, and also facilitated another magnificent congress, the 21st Congress of the APSR in 2016, as an honorary advisor to the Local Congress Committee. He was a member of the Board of Directors of the American Thoracic Society from 2016 to 2017 and also a representative of Thailand to the European Respiratory Society. Beyond the scope of Respiratory Medicine, Professor Nana has had special interest and contribution to sports medicine in Thailand. He was dean of the College of Sports Science and Technology, Mahidol University from 2007 to 2016. He continues to serve as a chair or board member of many Thai sports societies and organizations.

Despite his retirement from the University in 2016, he remains active in academic activities in the respiratory and medical community. He is currently president of the Anti-TB Association of Thailand under the Royal patronage, working closely with the Ministry of Public Health to develop a National TB Strategy to control tuberculosis in Thailand.

Professor Nana is well accepted by his colleagues and students as a great teacher and advisor, by his patients as a distinguished physician who has a gentle, prudent and soothing personality.


Dr Sompradeekul

Prepared by
Suree Sompradeekul, MD, FCCP.
Associated Professor of Medicine
Division of Respiratory Disease & Tuberculosis, Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University
Secretary General, The Thoracic Society of Thailand under the Royal patronage

Dr Sompradeekul has been a student, a mentee and then a colleague of Professor Nana at the Faculty of Medicine Siriraj hospital, Mahidol University for the past 20 years

Awards and Awardees

In additon to those mentioned below, several new opportunities are being added to the lengthening list of APAR awards. The Awards Index page will be updated for 2020 very soon!

APSR Travel Award to the
ATS International Conference in Philadelphia, USA, 15–20 May 2020

The APSR is pleased to announce the availability of Awards for two members to attend the ATS International Conference in Philadelphia, 15–20 May 2020.

The two awardees will be those judged by the APSR Research Committee to have submitted the best abstracts. Abstracts must be submitted to the ATS, not to the APSR.

Late breaking abstract submission to the ATS.
Deadline Wednesday, 29 January 2020.
Submission details and guidelines: here

The deadline for applying to the APSR Secretariat for the award is 1 March 2020.

Awards include:

  • Return economy airfare from the awardee's usual place of residence to Philadelphia
  • Cost of accommodation at an ATS-designated hotel
  • Conference registration

Eligibility:

Each awardee must be:

  • An APSR member (en bloc or individual)
  • Aged ≤40
  • 3-7 years post-PhD (or equivalent) or 3-7 years post-certification as a professional respiratory specialist
  • the First Author of an accepted abstract and able to attend the Conference in person.

Abstract submission:

  • Normal abstract submission closed on 30 October 2019. Late breaking abstract submission will close on 29 January 2020.

Application procedure:

  • A copy of your abstract sent to the ATS
  • An outline of the benefits to you in attending the ATS Conference
  • A brief curriculum vitae including a list of publications, and the year the postgraduate qualifications were obtained
  • Deadline: Applications must be emailed to the APSR Secretariat rina.kishigami@theapsr.org by 1 March 2020.

Post-conference requirements:

  • Each awardee is required to send a report (circa 500 words) of their experience at the Conference, together with their photo at the Conference, to the APSR Secretariat within one month after the Conference. The report may be published on the Young Investigators webpage, APSR Bulletin and/or Newsletter.

Visa processing times:

  • Note that visas for the US can take a long time to process, depending on nationality and location. Contact your local US Embassy for details.

APSR Travel Award to the
ERS International Congress 2020 in Vienna, Austria, 5-9 September 2020

Abstract submission deadline: 13 February 2020

The APSR is pleased to announce the availability of Awards for two members to attend the ERS International Congress 2020 in Vienna, Austria, 5-9 September 2020.

The awardees will be those judged by the APSR Research Committee to have submitted the best abstracts. Abstracts must be submitted to the ERS, not to the APSR.

Awards include:

  • Return economy airfare from the awardee's usual place of residence to Vienna
  • Cost of accommodation at an ERS-designated hotel
  • Congress registration

Eligibility:

You must be:

  • an APSR member (en bloc or individual)
  • aged ≤40
  • the First Author of an accepted abstract for the ERS International Congress 2020 and able to attend the Congress in person.

Post-congress requirements:

  • Each awardee is required to send a report (circa 500 words) of their experience at the Congress, together with their photo at the Congress, to the APSR Secretariat within one month after the Congress. The report may be published on the Young Investigators webpage, APSR Bulletin and/or Newsletter.

Abstract submission:

APSR Short-Term Research/Training Scholarship
Post-training report

Ho Lam Nguyen

Research/training:University Medical Center (UMC), Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
5 August 2019 – 4 November 2019
Host institute:Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Republic of Korea
Host supervisor:Professor Yoon-Seok Chang

Learning about cough was the main purpose throughout my training project. I hope that I could obtain more knowledge and skills to take care of Vietnamese patients with cough.


Photo 1

I was very lucky and honoured to become an international fellow under the supervision of Professor Yoon-Seok Chang at Asthma and Allergy department of the Seoul National University Bundang Hospital (SNUBH) (Photo 1). I successfully finished the short-term training with the support from SNUBH and the APSR scholarship. I have learned many things associated with cough, as follows:


Photo 2

Firstly, I got more knowledge in diagnosis and treatment for chronic cough patients. Determining underlying etiologies of chronic cough from both upper and lower airways (common causes including allergic rhinitis, chronic rhinosinusitis, cough variant asthma, and eosinophilic bronchitis) shows an important role. As a pulmonologist, I only have a little bit of experience in diagnosis of upper airway cough syndrome (UACS), an interesting issue noticed from my supervisor. I learned about chronic cough via many cases at the outpatient clinic of SNUBH, in which we discussed definitive diagnosis and treatment for each patient. I also had several seminars at which I presented topics such as allergic rhinitis, chronic rhinosinusitis, methacholine bronchial provocation test (MBPT) (Photo 2), using antihistamine in UACS.


Photo 3

Secondly, I learned about useful tests in determining the cause of chronic cough. Among of them, analysis of induced sputum and MBPT may be the most interesting. Although two types of test were conducted worldwide a long time ago, they have not been available or seldom done in Vietnam. Photo 3 shows me together with two kind technicians performing the analysis of induced sputum at the laboratory room. This test usually takes two stages: (1)  induction with hyper saline (NaCl 3%) to collect sputum and (2)  handling and analyzing the sputum specimen. Therefore, the test consumes so much time that it is only indicated in the medical research because of its validity in identifying eosinophilic inflammation (% eosin in sputum >3%). In current clinical practice in Korea, the FeNO is used as a surrogate in evaluating airway eosinophilic inflammation. To MBPT, I studied and observed the conducting protocol via many cases in which the technician used one of two methods: a method with activated breathing via dosimeter, and a method with two-minute tidal breathing via nebulizer.

Thirdly, I have taken part in chronic cough research. My supervisor is a famous allergist and helped me to have a new insight about the correlation between allergic condition and chronic cough, a terminology of "allergic respiratory diseases". I have been attending a study protocol about this topic which will be conducted in Korea by my supervisor and professor Soon-Haen Kim. Moreover, I believe that the first requirement to conduct further cough research is an objective tool to evaluate patient with cough. With my supervisor's suggestion, I have been conducting a study to translate the Leicester Cough Questionnaire from English to Vietnamese. With these researches, I could get not only more research skills but also knowledge to take care of patients effectively. Although three months is not long enough to make a person become a specialist in chronic cough, I think this is the basic step to develop in future. I ascertain that the role of professor Yoon-Soek Chang as my dedicated supervisor will not end with this training but continue forever afterwards.

In conclusion, I would like to thank professor Yoon-Seok Chang, a kind teacher always facilitating for me to learn the best, and his working team at SNUBH. I also thank the secretary and the APSR Education Committee who gave me a scholarship with the wonderful study opportunity. I am very grateful my home supervisors including Prof. Tran Van Ngoc, Prof. Le Thi Tuyet Lan, Dr Nguyen Nhu Vinh and Dr Le Thuong Vu, who supported me to join this course.

Click any image to enlarge

Respirology Case Reports Poster Award 2019
Nai-Chien Huan

Respirology Case Reports congratulates APSR member Dr Nai-Chien Huan
Department of Respiratory Medicine, Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia
Winner of the Respirology Case Reports Poster Award 2019

The award formed part of the 'Meet the Editor-in-Chief' event, which was organized for the first time at the APSR Congress 2019 in Hanoi, Vietnam.

Respirology Case Reports Editor in Chief Dr Chris Lai and Deputy Editor Dr Paul Reynolds were able to talk to many presenters of case report posters about their cases and the consideration of publishing their case report in a peer review journal.

The award provides an opportunity for Dr Nai-Chien Huan to submit his case report manuscript to Respirology Case Reports, receive assistance by the Editorial Office to improve the manuscript where needed to enhance its eligibility for peer review. If accepted for publication, the article processing charges for publication in Open Access will be waived for Dr Huan.

The team at Respirology Case Reports wishes Dr Huan the best of luck with this guided experience to write and publish, and thanks all other poster presenters of case reports for their participation in the event.

Click either image to enlarge

Fukuchi Award for 2019

For the best original paper published in Respirology in the year preceding the APSR Congress

Ning-Hung Chen
Director of the Sleep Center
Chief of the Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine
Chang Gung Memorial Hospital
Taiwan

Three-dimensional photography for the evaluation of facial profiles in obstructive sleep apnoea

My Memories from APSR 2019, Hanoi, Vietnam

On 30 July 2019, I received a letter from the Editors of Respirology, congratulating me and my co-authors on being the 2019 recipient of the Fukuchi Award for our article "Three-dimensional photography for the evaluation of facial profiles in obstructive sleep apnoea". Our article was selected by an international panel as the best original research article published in Respirology in 2018. One of the authors was invited to attend the 2019 APSR Congress in Hanoi, Vietnam, to accept the Award. It came as a surprise and honour for all of our authors.

I decided to cancel a previous appointment and plan my travel to Hanoi to accept the Award on behalf of all the authors. I was looking forward to my first visit Vietnam. At previous international meetings, I met some physicians from Vietnam who gave me a gentle and polite impression. Vietnam's beef noodle soup is one of my favourite dishes in Taipei. And the beautiful Vietnam landscape also appealed to me.


(Click image to enlarge)

Some time after, the Head of the APSR Respiratory Neurobiology and Sleep Assembly, Dr Oku, nominated me for the Head-Elect position and I was successfully elected. The Assemblies meet every year at the APSR Congress, which was another reason for me to attend.

After arriving Hanoi, I joined the Assembly meeting on the evening of November 15th, at which the Award winners of the 'Respiratory Neurobiology and Sleep' poster section presented their study in 3-5 slides. The presenters subsequently received feedback from the Assembly Heads and one member from Education Committee. It was a good opportunity for the presenters to explain and discuss their research, and most presenters responded well to the comments and had good discussions with the audience.

On the afternoon of November 16th, I was invited to moderate the 'Respiratory Neurobiology and Sleep' poster section. Eight posters were presented; some of the posters presented well-executed studies while others were case presentations requiring more information to reach a final diagnosis. I had discussions with each presenter about their poster.


(Click image to enlarge)

Finally, the most important event of my visit to Hanoi was receiving the Fukuchi Award at the Congress Gala dinner. I was the first Award winner to be called to the stage during the Banquet. I received the Award Certificate and Wiley voucher from the Editor in Chief of Respirology, Dr Paul Reynolds.

I want to thank all our research team members, especially our good friends in Sydney, Dr Kate Sutherland and Dr Peter A Cistulli. Thanks to their help, this study was published and selected for the journal cover page and for an editorial introduction. And finally, it was also selected as the best Respirology article of the year. This has encouraged our team to increase its focus on the craniofacial study of the disease. I also want to thank the editors of Respirology and the Fukuchi Award selection panel again for choosing our paper. It is really a great honour for the team.

Ning-Hung Chen MD

Assembly news

Awards and opportunities for APSR Assembly members

APSR Assembly Education Awards give an opportunity for Young Investigators to experience presenting at an APSR Congress, and get immediate feedback and advice from experts.

Click any of these photos from the APSR Congress 2019 in Hanoi to enlarge.


COPD Assembly

Lung Cancer Assembly

Tuberculosis Assembly

Critical Care Medicine Assembly

Interstitial Lung Disease Assembly

Paediatric Lung Disease Assembly

Cell and Molecular Biology Assembly

Clinical Respiratory Medicine Assembly

Respiratory Neurobiology & Sleep Assembly

Respiratory Infections (non-tuberculous) Assembly

Bronchoscopy and Interventional Techniques Assembly

Respiratory Structure and Function Assembly and
Pulmonary Circulation Assembly

Clinical Allergy and Immunology Assembly and
Environmental & Occupational Health and Epidemiology Assembly

New assembly members

A warm welcome to the following members who have recently joined APSR assemblies. They will undoubtedly enjoy working with and networking with their assembly colleagues.

Park Hye Yun COPD
Asthma
Youlim Kim COPD
Environmental & Occupational Health and Epidemiology
Asthma
Binu Krishnan Asthma
Bronchoscopy and Interventional Techniques
Clinical Allergy & Immunology
Alexander Mullin Clinical Respiratory Medicine
Tuberculosis
Asthma
Farih Raharjo Bronchoscopy and Interventional Techniques
Critical Care Medicine
Lung Cancer
Nirmal Kanti Sarkar Bronchoscopy and Interventional Techniques
Interstitial Lung Disease
Tuberculosis
Gil Myeong Seong Critical Care Medicine
Pulmonary Circulation
Respiratory Infections (non-tuberculous)
Amitabh Das Shukla COPD
Bronchoscopy and Interventional Techniques
Tuberculosis
Thitiwat Sriprasart Bronchoscopy and Interventional Techniques
Asthma
Paediatric Lung Disease
Yusup Subagio Sutanto Bronchoscopy and Interventional Techniques
Critical Care Medicine
Lung Cancer
Umer Ahmed Syed COPD
Lung Cancer
Interstitial Lung Disease
Prince George Varughese Clinical Respiratory Medicine
Bronchoscopy and Interventional Techniques
Respiratory Infections (non-tuberculous)
Gajendra Vikram Singh Interstitial Lung Disease
Bronchoscopy and Interventional Techniques
Tuberculosis
Yina Wang Clinical Respiratory Medicine
Respiratory Neurobiology and Sleep
COPD

Future Pulmonology Events

Here are the main respiratory events in Asia-Pacific region for the next few months. You can see our full listing on the APSR Calendar.

  • The Australian Lung Cancer Conference 2020
    19-21 February 2020, Melbourne, Australia
    Details)
  • The Thoracic Society of Australia and New Zealand ASM 2020
    27-31 March 2020, Melbourne, Australia
    Details)
  • 129th Conference of the Korean Academy of Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases (KATRD)
    11 April 2020, Daejeon Metropolitan City, Korea
    (Details)
  • 60th Annual Meeting of the Japanese Respiratory Society
    24-26 April 2020, Nagoya, Japan
    (Details)
  • Asthma & COPD Outpatient Care Unit (ACOCU) Network Day
    17 May 2020, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
    (Details)

For more pulmonology events, see apsresp.org/calendar.html
(These events are for information only and APSR endorsement should not be assumed.)

Contact

If you have news of interest to APSR members, please send details to one of the Bulletin Coordinators; Prof. A Azuma (a-azuma@nms.ac.jp) or Prof. C K Rhee chinkook77@gmail.com).


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