APSR Newsletter

Editor:	Shiro Kira
Associate Editors:	Yoshinosuke Fukuchi Takashi Horie J. Patrick Barron

In this issue

• Respirology in Index Medicus and MEDLINE
• APSR Executive Committee Meeting
• The APSR Asthma Guidelines Workshop
• Report from Australia
• Report from China
• Report from Malaysia
• Japanese Respiratory Society (JRS); the new name of the Japan Society of Chest Diseases
• World News
• Secretarial Report
• Obituary
• Forthcoming Meetings
• APSR Members
• Officers of the APSR
• National Representatives
• International Advisory Committee
• Past Congress Presidents

Respirology has been selected to be indexed and included in Index Medicus and MEDLINE

It is a signal honour that after only two volumes our Society journal has been recognized in this way by the US National Library of Medicine. Moreover, all issues from Volume 1 onwards will be indexed. This is a significant tribute to our contributors and editorial board, and underlines the timeliness and the import of the work our society is doing. Thank you all for your support.

APSR Executive Committee Meeting

An APSR Executive Meeting was held two separate days in conjunction with Asthma Consensus Meeting in Singapore.

Dates:	July 26, 1997 (9:00-16:30) July 27, 1997 (9:00-12:30)
Place:	National University of Singapore
Attendees:	G Marks, N Berend, JP Seale, AJ Woolcock, WC Luo, M Hadiarto, S Kira, Y Fukuchi, JP Barron, YS Shim, A Mahayiddin, T de Guia, WC Tan, SP Yang, SH Kuo, S Charoenratanakul, C Mori (Secretary)

The APSR Executive Committee held its annual business meeting in Singapore on July 26 & 27, 1997. The agenda of the meeting focused on solutions to pressing issues and allowed ample time for detailed discussion on a wide range of topics which included: essential changes of the Society Charter and Bylaws, review of the financial health of the Society, membership drives, the journal Respirology and the Newsletter, the APSR Congress (Sydney in 1998 and Florence in 2000), our relationship and collaboration with other international societies such as the ATS, ERS and IUATLD. All present came away with the satisfaction that many problems had been resolved and decisions taken on major issues concerning the Society.

The APSR Asthma Guidelines Workshop

A one-day workshop on asthma guidelines was held on July 25, 1997 prior to the Executive Meeting in Singapore. This was initiated since it was obvious to country members of the Asia-Pacific region that there was a need for a forum to discuss in depth complex issues that could influence asthma comanagement in countries of the Asia-Pacific region. These countries range from the very affluent to the least affluent where competition for limited health care resources exists at a basic level, where healthcare systems vary from a fully nationalized comprehensive system to one with significant shares of privatized medical care; where the doctor/patient relationship may vary from transient to long-term, where popularity of unconventional or traditional medicine may influence management plans. A bringing together of an expert panel of 34 doctors from institutional, private and general practices in 12 countries of the region would provide the opportunity to explore similarities and differences of practice in an attempt to resolve problems in the implementation of guidelines.

The specific aims of the one day workshop were:

1. to construct practical algorithms for asthma management, based on different types (and levels of sophistication) of healthcare systems
2. to attempt consensus on major issues
3. to develop APSR position papers for presentation, and
4. to initiate collaborative studies using standardized APSR study protocols to evaluate the outcome of implementation of the algorithms.

The proceedings of the workshop consisted of:

1. a review of the published Australian, British and Global Initiative For Asthma (GINA) guidelines
2. brief presentation of the current asthma management guidelines (AMGs) of all countries of the region with highlights on the country workshop groups to facilitate discussion and to attempt consensus.

It was not possible to achieve all the aims in one day, but the main problems were identified and some resolutions for future strategies in improving asthma care and information were made. The detailed APSR statements on asthma management will be published in a forthcoming issued of the Society's journal Respirology.

Wan-Cheng Tan, M.D.
National University of Singapore

Report from Australia

The Thoracic Society of Australia and New Zealand (TSANZ) is the professional and scientific Society in Australasia which represents the interests of respiratory disease. The discipline of thoracic medicine as a distinct branch of internal medicine began in Australasia in the 1940's when the interests of tuberculosis physicians expanded progressively to include the full spectrum of respiratory disease. The TSANZ now has over 900 members, comprising practicing respiratory physicians, thoracic surgeons, respiratory scientists, respiratory nurses, and physicians specializing in sleep-related respiratory disorders.

Planning for the 5th APSR Congress 9-12 October 1998

The Congress will be held at the Sydney Convention Centre at Darling Harbour. This purpose-built Conference Centre is set in 50 hectares of parkland, gardens, museums and shopping malls. The venue is situated on the foreshore of Sydney Harbour, with spectacular views across the water to the City. Several hotels are within walking distance of the Centre and a monorail provides a 5-minute trip to the centre of the City.

Scientific Program

The Program Committee was impressed with the success of the Plenary Symposia at the Beijing Congress so there will be adequate provision for similar educational session. Important aspects of respiratory disease such as environmental pollution, lung cancer, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, respiratory infection including tuberculosis and sleep-related respiratory disorders, together with lung transplantation will be featured on the program. There will be ample opportunity for the presentation of original work as oral & poster communications.

Committees

Organizing Committee: JP Seale (Chair), CW Clarke, J Burdon
Scientific Program Committee: N Berend, JP Seale, WC Tan, AJ Woolcock, DH Yates

Inquiries about the 5th APSR Congress 1998

Inquiries about the Congress should be directed to: APSR '98 Secretariat, GPO Box 128, Sydney NSW 2001, Tel: 612 9262 2277, Fax: 612 9262 3135, Email: tourhosts@tourhosts.com.au

Other activities of the National Society

The TSANZ has an Annual Scientific Meeting and this year it was held in Wellington, New Zealand from the 6th - 10th April 1997. This is a forum where original research is presented and typically there are 500 registrants and approximately 300 abstracts presented as oral or poster communication. The invited guest for the Wellington Meeting was Professor Malcolm Sears, who is the Director of Respiratory Medicine at the Hamilton Hospital in Canada. Malcolm Sears, who was originally from New Zealand, conducted important research on the problems associated with regular beta agonist therapy. He is interested in the epidemiology of asthma and its natural history.

Every two years the Society has an Advanced Course which features workshops and discussion groups as basis of extending knowledge, experience and technical skills. It will be held in September 1997 and will address the important topics of respiratory infection.

"Educating Medical Students About Tobacco: Planning and Implementation" has been published to provide a valuable resource for medical teachers, personnel, researchers, administrators, policy makers, students and interested lay persons.

Leading international experts contributed to this publication to present information on the practical aspects of teaching about tobacco; other practical issues such as dealing with the media; broader issues such as global tobacco control; the roles that medical students and doctors can play in the fight against tobacco; and the pharmacological aspects of nicotine and nicotine replacement therapies.

As has been suggested by both Professor Henry Walton (Immediate Past-President, World Federation for Medical Education) and Dr. Nils Billo (Executive Director, International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease), it is hoped that this book will play a role in improving the education of medical students and so help stem the escalating tobacco epidemic worldwide.

Also this book will provide a valuable tool for medical practitioners wishing to implement smoking cessation Programs.

J.P. Scale, M.D.
Chair, Organizing Committee
5th APSR Congress 1998

Report from China

1. Scientific conferences on bronchial asthma, pulmonary function, and Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome were held separately in May and August, 1997 in China. Guidelines for managing bronchial asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases, (COPD) were discussed.
2. Meeting of subspecialties of pulmonology; such as: sleep respiratory disorders, infections of the respiratory tract and interstitial diseases, and lung cancer, will be held separately in Beijing, Shanghai, and Dalian in 1998 under the auspices of the Chinese Society of Respirology.
3. The 10th World Congress on "TOBACCO OR HEALTH" was held in Beijing in August, 1997. It was reported that there are 300 million people smoking in China, and that the increment of the consumption of cigarettes in China from 1970 to 1990 was 260%. President of China, Mr. Jiang Ze-min attended the World Congress and made an address, indicating that the Chinese government and the community have fully recognized the harmful condition of smoking. Ten Chinese cities declared that no tobacco advertisements would be allowed in those cities. The serious condition of the Asia-Pacific region was also discussed. Elimination of smoking for a more healthy world needs more cooperation in this area.

The plenary congress of Chinese Society of Respirology will be held in the year 2000; however, the exact date has not been fixed. The President of the Congress for Respirology in China is Professor Yuan-Jue Zhu of Peking Union Medical College Hospital.

Wei-Ci Luo, M.D.
Peking Union Medical College
President, APSR

Report from Malaysia

On the 8th of August 1997, the Malaysian Thoracic Society (MTS) held its 7th annual general meeting, and new office bearers were elected for the year 1997/1998. The new office bearers are:

President: Vice President: Secretary: Asst. Secretary: Treasurer: Asst. Treasurer: Committee Members:

Dr. Aziah Ahmad Mahayiddin Prof. Dr. Zainudin Md Zin Dr. Jeffrey Hassan Dr. Ronnie Chong Prof. Dr. Liam Chong Kin Dr. Jessie de Bruyne Prof. Dr. Azizi Hj Omar Dr. Dalbir Singh

Year 1996 and the first half of 1997 has seen the MTS organizing many major activities. MTS guidelines on the management of adult asthma were received and endorsed by Ministry of Health of Malaysia and also the Academy of Medicine. Talks were held in most states of Malaysia in order to disseminate this guideline as widely as possible.

A new committee was set up headed by Prof. Zainuddin to look into the feasibility of preparing a guideline for the management of chronic obstructive airways disease in Malaysia.

The MTS also produced its first newsletter recently entitled "Paru Paru", which in English means "The Lung". It is intended to be issued quarterly.

The major events of the year were the Asthma Camp in May 1997 and the weekend course on "Chronic Respiratory Failure and Sleep Disordered Breathing in Adults and Children" in July l997. For the asthma camp organized in Port Dickson, one of the most popular beach towns of Malaysia, over 100 asthma patients and parents of children with asthma signed up for 2 days of educational asthma activities. For the weekend course MTS invited four speakers from overseas namely Dr. Stephen Spiro from London, Prof. Collin Sullivan and Dr. Peter Cistulli from Sydney and Dr. Stephen Stick from Perth. It was a very successful meeting attended by more than 120 participants.

The next MTS activity will be the Combined Scientific Meeting of Malaysian and Singapore Thoracic Societies that will be held in Singapore in March l998.

Aziah Ahmad Mahayiddin, M.D.
President, MTS
Kuala Lumpur Hospital
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Japanese Respiratory Society (JRS); the new name of the Japan Society of Chest Diseases

The Japan Society of Chest Diseases (JSCD) has been applying to become an officially chartered academic organization approved by the Ministry of Education of Japan. In order to facilitate this movement, the JSCD has adopted a new society name as of April 10, 1997. The new name is the Japanese Respiratory Society (JRS).

The JRS will hold its 38th Annual Meeting from March 30 to April 1, 1998 in Kumamoto, Japan. The meeting will be organized under the presidency of Professor Masayuki Ando of Kumamoto University School of Medicine.

The 3rd APSR Workshop will be held on March 31, 1998 in conjunction with the JRS annual meeting. Two distinguished scientists will give special lectures. Five young investigators will be nominated from within the APSR membership countries to give general presentations. Main themes to be addressed in this workshop are:

1. The frontiers of research in respirology in each country.
2. Exotic infections or environmental pollution which may be related to traveler's diseases.

Yoshinosuke Fukuchi, M.D.
Chairman of IRC, JRS
Juntendo University, Tokyo, Japan

World News

American Lung Association (AJA)
American Thoracic Society (ATS)

1998 International Conference
24-29 April, Chicago, Illinois, USA

The scientific program for the 1998 International Conference will cover all aspects of respiratory diseases (including asthma, tobacco control, critical care, tuberculosis, pediatric pulmonology, sleep apnea, environmental and occupational lung disease, nursing studies, cell biology, lung structure and function, and AIDS).

Programs in health education and intervention will also be offered.

The Advance Program contains preliminary programs for symposia and postgraduate courses. A registration form and hotel accommodation form will also be included. Advance programs may be obtained from the ATS office at:

American Thoracic Society, 1740 Broadway,
New York, NY 10019-4374. USA
Te1: (1) 212 315 8780 Fax: (1) 212 315 6498

European Respiratory Society (ERS)

One day devoted to postgraduate courses and a four-day scientific program running in 19 parallel sessions including:

• over 10 ERS symposia daily plus sponsored evening symposia
• oral presentation of selected abstracts
• thematic poster and poster discussion sessions

ERS 1998 Congress
19-23 September, Geneva, Switzerland

The scientific program for the 1998 congress will cover all aspects of respiratory diseases (including lung disease in children, asthma, lung cancer, peak expiratory flow, smoking, etc.)

The first announcement was published in May 1997 and may be obtained from the ERS office in Lousanne. Please note that the deadline for submission of abstracts is 3 March 1998.

European Respiratory Society
1 Boulevard de Grancy
CH-1006 Lausanne, Switzerland
Te1: (41) 21 613 0202 Fax: (41) 21 617 2865

Secretarial Report

Annual dues

The APSR journal and activities are supported by membership annual dues. Please pay your 1997 membership dues (JP¥5,000) before March 15, 1998. The APSR fiscal year runs from April 1 until March 31 of the following year. The membership card (valid through March 31, 1998) will be air mailed as a receipt. Your annual dues can be paid through any of the four major credit cards (VISA, Master, Diners, and Amex). Please remember that bank drafts are not accepted. If you must send a bank draft, please pay a total of JP¥9,500 (1997 membership dues of JP¥5,000) plus bank handling fees JP¥4,500).

APSR Secretariat in Tokyo

On November 1, l997, Ms. Sora Yuki replaced Ms. Chie Mori for all secretarial work. All correspondence regarding secretarial materials should be addressed to Ms. Yuki. The Secretariat would like to express its gratitude to Ms. Mori for her hard and dedicated work for the APSR.

Obituary

On behalf of the Asian Pacific Society of Respirology, we write to express our deep regret and sadness on learning of the death of Professor Kenneth Moser.

Professor Moser was not only a great supporter and founder advisor of the APSR but a dear friend and colleague. The pulmonary world has lost one of its great leaders.

In 1985, Professor Moser was enthusiastic and supportive of the concept starting a new society of respiratory medicine in the Asia-Pacific region, with the primary aim of addressing the special needs in research and clinical practice of the countries involved. Together with Dr. John Murray, he gave the fledging society invaluable advice and brought in the support of the American Thoracic Society of which he was then President. For this and for his continuing help to the APSR, we owe him lasting gratitude. Professor Moser was a member of the International Editorial Board of the APSR Society Journal Respirology.

Forthcoming Meetings

March 30-April 1, 1998
APSR Workshop during the JRS 38th Congress (Kumamoto, Japan)

April 24-29, 1998
ALA/ATS International Conference (Chicago, IL USA)

September 19-23, 1998
ERS meeting (Geneva Switzerland)

October 9-12, 1998
5th APSR Congress (Sydney, Australia)

December 10-13, 1998
World Asthma meeting (Barcelona, Spain)

August 30-September 3, 2000
6th APSR Congress / World Lung Health Conference (Florence, Italy)

APSR Members

(as of September 1, 1997)

Argentina Australia Brazil Canada Egypt France Germany Hong Kong Indonesia Italy Japan Kuwait Malaysia New Zealand Pakistan P.R. China Philippines Republic of Korea Saudi Arabia Sweden Taiwan Thailand USA United Kingdom Vietnam	1 50 1 5 1 1 1 17 15 3 306 3 6 4 1 127 27 18 4 2 58 8 11 4 3
Total	677

Officers of the APSR

President: President elect: Past President: Secretary General: Treasurer:

Wei-Ci Luo Ann J Woolcock Wan-Cheng Tan Shiro Kira Yoshinosuke Fukuchi

National Representatives

Australia: Beijing, China: Hong Kong: Indonesia: Japan: Republic of Korea: Malaysia: Philippines: Singapore: Taiwan: Thailand:

J Paul Seale Wei-Ci Luo Wah Kit Lam H. Mangunnegoro Masayuki Ando YoungSoo Shim AA Mahayiddin Teresita S. de Guia Wan-Cheng Tan Sze-Piao Yang C. Nuchprayoon

International Advisory Committee

Yoshinosuke Fukuchi, J. Patrick Barron, Norbert Berend, Wan-Chen Tan

Past Congress Presidents

1st APSR Congress, Tokyo, 1988: 2nd APSR Congress, Bali, 1990: 3rd APSR Congress, Singapore, 1993: 4th APSR Congress, Beijing, 1996: 5th APSR Congress, Sydney, 1998:

Michiyoshi Harasawa Hood Alsagaff Wan-Cheng Tan Wei-Ci Luo J Paul Scale