Preface

Abstract

Atomi Y Arii S On behalf of the Japanese Society of Gastroenterology (JSGE) and Japan Society of Hepatology (JSH), we are delighted to have sponsored the Second International Symposium on Alcoholic Liver and Pancreatic Diseases (ALPD) and Cirrhosis, as part of JDDW2007 in Kobe, Japan. This symposium followed an overwhelming success of the first symposium held in Marina del Rey, California in 2006 and was made possible through joint sponsorships of JSGE, JSH, the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), a component of the National Institutes of Health within the US Department of Health and Human Services, and the Southern California Research Center for ALPD and Cirrhosis. The symposium marked the first major collaboration between these cosponsors, setting an important precedent as we have taken steps towards our global initiative to elucidate the molecular mechanisms that underlie ALPD and cirrhosis. In many nations, ALPD are the two most common alcohol-associated lifestyle diseases. As the liver and pancreas share developmental, anatomical, biological, and pathological commonalities, it makes sense to unite leading experts in these two areas to engage in discussions on the scientific disciplines common to both. In fact, this year's symposium united more than 150 participants from 17 nations, with 41 invited speakers/moderators and 40 poster presenters who discussed the most current and cutting-edge research on ALPD and cirrhosis. The primary presentation themes included cell death and survival; oxidant stress and inflammation; clinical research on ALPD; metabolism, cancer, and genetics; stellate cell biology and fibrosis; and global networking. A gathering of such a uniquely diverse body of distinguished presenters and attendees was unparalleled, and the resulting discussions were most enlightening. We would like to acknowledge the presence and invaluable contributions of two particularly distinguished guests, Dr Ting-Kai Li, Director of the NIAAA, who delivered an opening lecture for the symposium; and Dr Bertrand Nalpas from INSERM, the sole French public organization dedicated to biological, medical, and public health research, who made special remarks on the alcohol-research program of INSERM for the global networking session. It is satisfying to know that the excitement of this symposium will be passed onto the third symposium now scheduled to take place under the leadership of Dr Jose Mato in Bilbao, Spain in July 2008. Furthermore, proposals to host the fourth and fifth symposia in Egypt and France in 2009 and 2010, respectively, have already been made during the meeting in Kobe. We would like to take this opportunity to thank all the sponsors for their financial and logistic support, and the organizing committee for its excellent planning and coordination, without which this symposium would not have been possible. We also wish to extend our gratitude to all attendees, many of whom traveled a great distance to take part in this landmark scientific event.