European Meeting Research Articles

Special Issue: 19th European Meeting on Complement in Human Diseases, September 2-6, 2024, Lübeck, Germany.

Special Issue: 19th European Meeting on Complement in Human Diseases, September 2-6, 2024, Lübeck, Germany.

Current approaches to the treatment of hypertensive patients in view of modern guidelines

The issues of diagnosis and treatment of hypertension (HTN), as well as the prevention of its complications, are an urgent problem in cardiology. On June 21, 2023, the Journal of Hypertension published guidelines on HTN from the European Society of Hypertension (ESH), which were first presented to the public at the annual European Hypertension Meetings on June 24, 2023 in Milan. This publication describes the highlights and key updates of the guidelines and outlines its clinical significance. Russian experts also discussed current problems of pathogenesis, diagnosis and treatment of HTN.

BENEFITS, CHALLENGES, AND INFORMATION NEEDS IN HYPERTENSION APPS – FIRST RESULTS OF A QUANTITATIVE SURVEY AMONG CARDIOLOGISTS IN GERMANY

Objective: In Germany, approximately 30 million people suffer from hypertension. Digital applications, such as apps, can assist individuals with hypertension in monitoring their blood pressure at home or in adhering to therapy and medication. However, healthcare professionals, such as doctors, only sporadically provide recommendations for hypertension apps. A qualitative survey has already identified the advantages, challenges, and information needs of cardiologists, which are now intended to be validated through the data from a quantitative cross-sectional study. Design and method: From October 2023 to January 2024, a quantitative, standardized questionnaire survey was conducted with cardiologists. Access to cardiologists was facilitated through the Bundesverband Niedergelassener Kardiologen (BNK - Federal Association of Outpatient Cardiologists). Participating physicians received compensation amounting to €75. The survey was conducted online using the Unipark software. Cardiologists were able to assess the advantages, disadvantages, and information needs of hypertension apps using 5-point Likert scales and free-text responses. The study is part of the innovation fund project DiPaH and has been approved by the Ethics Committee of the Brandenburg Medical School (E-02-20220620). Results: The questionnaire survey is currently ongoing. The target is to include 200 cardiologists. Descriptive analysis will be conducted in January 2024. The first presentation of quantitative results will take place at the 33rd European Meeting on Hypertension and Cardiovascular Protection. Conclusions: Cardiologists could only participate online, potentially leading to a positive bias in the data towards digitally savvy physicians who may have taken part in the online survey. Nevertheless, these are the first and most comprehensive results regarding the attitudes of cardiologists towards apps in hypertension care, providing practical implications for a successful implementation of apps in hypertension management.

Report on the 11th National Congress AICPE (Associazione Italiana di Chirurgia Plastica Estetica) Held in Rimini, Italy, 12–14 April 2024

The annual congress of the Italian Association of Plastic Aesthetic Surgery (AICPE) is one of the most relevant conference meetings in Europe concerning aesthetic plastic surgery as there are a number of participants and a parterre of invited speakers chosen for their renowned scientific value [...]

Original Abstracts from the 2024 European Meeting of ISMPP

Original Abstracts from the 2024 European Meeting of ISMPP

UN Security Council Membership as a Litmus Test for Slovenia’s Commitment to R2P

ABSTRACT Slovenia, a small state, was actively involved in the formation of the Responsibility to protect (R2P) and continuously supports the principle through its own normative development (such as in the 2015 Declaration on Foreign Policy of the Republic of Slovenia and its Foreign Affairs Strategies) and by regular appointment of its R2P national focal points, which provide relevant domestic capacity to actively promote R2P’s operationalization domestically, regionally, and at the global level, most prominently within the UN. Several regional European R2P Focal Points Meetings and six biennial academic interdisciplinary conferences on R2P have been organized in Slovenia, providing opportunities to enhance its capacity to lead a well-informed active advocacy for R2P. Moreover, in July 2020 Slovenia supported the first standalone HRC Resolution on the Fifteenth anniversary of the R2P. In April 2022, Slovenia was among the 83 cosponsors of the UN General Assembly Resolution on Standing mandate for a General Assembly debate when a veto is cast in the Security Council. Now, with Slovenia’s election as a non-permanent UN Security Council member for the period 2024–25, an important opportunity has arisen to use accumulated knowledge and experience and strive for efficient operationalization of R2P, including through peace operations. The aim of this paper is to discuss Slovenia’s relationship with the R2P, including during Slovenia’s candidacy for the non-permanent seat at the UN Security Council, and to suggest possible future developments.

Gender representation among speaking and leader roles at European cardio-thoracic surgical annual meetings.

Our goal was to evaluate gender representation among session leaders and abstract presenters at European cardio-thoracic surgical annual meetings. We did a descriptive study of the gender distribution among session leaders and abstract presenters at 2 European cardio-thoracic international meetings from 2017 to 2022. Data from publicly available programmes were used to generate a list of session leaders and abstract presenters. The primary outcome was to evaluate the proportion of female sessions leaders at the annual meetings. Descriptive analyses were performed including the Cochran-Armitage trend test for linear trend of proportions. A total of 1025 sessions of 11 annual meetings of the European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery (EACTS) and the European Society of Thoracic Surgeons were examined. A total of 397 (13.2%) out of 3007 total session leaders and 955 (15.2%) out of 6251 abstract presenters were female. From 2017 to 2022, the proportions of both female session leaders and abstract presenters trended significantly [10.4% to 21.9% (P < 0.001) and 13.7% to 18.3% (P < 0.001), respectively]. The EACTS female members and female meeting attendees significantly increased from 2017 to 2022 [11.1% to 15.9% (P < 0.001) and 23.7% to 26.9% (P < 0.001)], respectively. Most of the women attendees at the EACTS and the European Society of Thoracic Surgeons meetings who were session leaders and speakers came from Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom and the United States. Women are under-represented compared to men in leadership and speaking roles at European cardio-thoracic surgical annual meetings. In the past few years, an encouraging positive trend over time for female leadership roles has been noted; as a result, the proportion of female society members is represented at the annual meetings. However, a substantial gender gap still exists in leading roles of meeting attendees.

Introduction to the special issue “Hot Topics in EuroPediatrics”: Enhancing pediatric practices through continuing education meetings in Europe

The present article introduces the special issue “EPA-UNEPSA Hot Topics in Europaediatrics 2023″ published in the journal Global Pediatrics, which includes articles authored by leading pediatric experts on significant selected topics discussed upon during the Hot Topics in Europaediatrics conference in Belgrade from October 6–8, 2023. The aim is to underscore the critical importance of continuous professional growth and education for general pediatric practitioners across Europe. The importance of continuous updating for general pediatricians in Europe reflects a proactive approach to delivering quality healthcare, adapting to changes in medical knowledge, and ultimately providing the best possible care for children across the continent. Continuing education meetings are essential for professionals across various fields of pediatrics, providing ongoing learning opportunities beyond formal academic training. The importance of these meetings extends to individual growth, career advancement, and the overall progress of in the diverse areas of the medicine. Continuing education meetings are therefore integral to the ongoing development and success of professionals, as they provide a structured and accessible avenue for learning, networking, and staying current in an ever-evolving professional landscape.

Neuromuscular imaging in clinical practice: an ESNR survey of 30 centers.

We assessed the current clinical imaging practice in the primary evaluation of neuromuscular disorders (NMD), with respect to standardized imaging, evaluation and reporting through a European and extra-European-wide survey. An online questionnaire was emailed to all European Society of Neuroradiology (ESNR) members (n = 1662) who had expressed their interest in NMD. The questionnaire featured 40 individual items. Information was gathered on the context of the practices, available and preferred imaging modalities, applied imaging protocols and standards for interpretation, reporting and communication. A total of 30 unique entries from European and extra-European academic and non-academic institutions were received. Of these, 70% were neuroradiologists, 23% general radiologists and 7% musculoskeletal radiologists. Of the 30 responding institutes, 40% performed from 20 to 50 neuromuscular scans per year for suspected NMD. The principal modality used for a suspected myopathy was magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) (50%) or "mainly MRI" (47%). The primary imaging modality used for the evaluation of patients suspected of a neuropathy was MRI in 63% of all institutions and "mainly MRI" in 37%. For both muscle and nerve pathology, pelvic girdle and inferior limbs are the most scanned parts of the body (28%), followed by the thigh and leg (24%), whole body MR (24%), scapular girdle (16%), and the thigh in just 8% of institutions. Multiplanar acquisitions were performed in 50% of institutions. Convectional sequences used for muscle MRI included T2-STIR (88%), 2D T1weighted (w) (68%), T1 Dixon or equivalent (52%), T2 Dixon (40%), DWI (36%), 2D T2w (28%), T1 3D and T2 3D (20% respectively). For nerve MRI conventional sequences included T2-STIR (80%), DWI (56%), T2 3D (48%), 2D T2w (48%), T1 3D (44%), T1 Dixon or equivalent (44%), 2D T1 (36%), T2 Dixon (28%). Quantitative sequences were used regularly by 40% respondents. While only 28% of institutions utilized structured reports, a notable 88% of respondents expressed a desire for a standardized consensus structured report. Most of the respondents (93%) would be interested in a common MRI neuromuscular protocol and would like to be trained (87%) by the ESNR society with specific neuromuscular sessions in European annual meetings. Based on the survey findings, we can conclude that the current approach to neuromuscular imaging varies considerably among European and extra-European countries, both in terms of image acquisition and post-processing. Some of the challenges identified include the translation of research achievements (related to advanced imaging) into practical applications in a clinical setting, implementation of quantitative imaging post-processing techniques, adoption of structured reporting methods, and communication with referring physicians.

From the President: ECS Toward Sustainability

dear ECS friends, I write to you following two incredible gatherings of the global ECS community. The first was the 244th ECS meeting in Gothenburg, Sweden. There we assembled, over 3,400 strong—the largest meeting ECS has held outside of PRiME—to enrich and energize our professional lives and celebrate our triumphant return to hosting meetings in Europe. The second was the annual meetings of the Sociedad Mexicana de Electroquímica (SMEQ) and ECS Mexico Section.

Twenty Years on from WCDEM-13, Melbourne 2003: Impact of the Melbourne Statement

Introduction:Melbourne hosted WCDEM-13 in May 2003 when Congress participants endorsed a Melbourne Statement with five actions. Twenty years on, WCDEM-22 in Ireland provides an opportunity to reflect on the impact of the Melbourne Statement.Method:A desktop review of Congress and subsequent documents informed by the personal experiences of the co-authors, who contributed to the Local Organizing Committee for the Melbourne Congress and/or subsequently through the WADEM Oceania Chapter.Results:The WADEM Education Sub-committee, co-chaired by a Melbourne member, followed through with one of the key actions from the Melbourne Statement: “WADEM will promote international professional standards and education programs for persons involved in disaster prevention, preparedness, response, and recovery.” The Education Sub-committee held a series of European meetings, resulting in an international meeting in Brussels in 2004 producing ‘International Guidelines and Standards for Education and Training to Reduce the Consequences of Events that May Threaten the Health Status of a Community’. This was presented to the 2005 WCDEM in Edinburgh, and later published in PDM (2007), thereby meeting a second action from the Melbourne Statement. However, this energetic, collaborative, and productive process subsequently ‘failed to thrive.’ The influence of three further Melbourne Statement actions, were harder to analyze. WADEM members in Australia led other identifiable actions e.g. formation and leadership of the WADEM Oceania Chapter (2008); a National Framework for Disaster Health Education in Australia (2010); and Teaching Emergency and Disaster Management in Australia: Standard’s for Higher Education Providers (2017).Conclusion:The insightful Melbourne Statement reflected the times and led to identifiable, but limited, WADEM outcomes. Congress participants endorsed an Outcomes Statement at WCDEMs in Edinburgh (2005) and Amsterdam (2007) but not at subsequent WCDEMs. Outcome Statements have become commonplace in professional congresses, and it may be timely to re-introduce Congress Statements as a feature of future WCDEMs.

Original Abstracts from the 2023 European Meeting of ISMPP

Objective Even though just 17% of the world’s population is English-speaking, most scientific publications are published in EnglishCitation1. This analysis aimed to compare the quality of PLS vs abstract translation by browser-based translation software.

Trends in molecular diagnostics: 12th European Meeting on Molecular Diagnostics, Noordwijk aan Zee, the Netherlands, 12-14 October 2022

ABSTRACT This report provides an overview of the highlights of the 12th European Meeting on Molecular Diagnostics held in Noordwijk aan Zee, The Netherlands, 12–14 October 2022. This 3-day conference covered many relevant topics in the field of molecular diagnostics in humans i.e. oncology, infectious diseases, laboratory medicine, pharmacogenetics, pathology, and preventive medicine. Other relevant topics included quality management, laboratory automation, diagnostic preparedness, and lessons learned from the COVID pandemic. More than 400 participants, the majority coming from European countries, attended the meeting. Besides high-quality scientific presentations, more than 40 diagnostic companies presented their latest innovations, altogether in an informal and inspiring ambiance.

JU Open Plus—Spring Travels—European Meetings and Time Away From Practice

JU Open Plus—Spring Travels—European Meetings and Time Away From Practice

OCT Guidance in Bifurcation Percutaneous Coronary Intervention.

Coronary bifurcation is defined by the European Bifurcation Consensus as a coronary artery stenosis adjacent to the origin of a significant side branch. Its anatomy is composed of 3 different segments: proximal main vessel, distal main vessel and side branch. Coronary artery bifurcation lesions are encountered in approximately 15-20% of all percutaneous coronary interventions and constitute a complex subgroup of lesions characterized by lower procedural success rates and higher rates of adverse outcomes. In recent years, a growing focus in the European and Japanese bifurcation club meetings has been the emerging role of intravascular imaging, in guiding successful bifurcation percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI). In this review we will present the main ways optical coherence tomography (OCT) can be used to improve outcomes during bifurcation PCI.

„O revoluție care merge pe vârfuri”. De la Întâlnirea Școlilor de Teatru la reorientarea mediului academic după 1990

After the 80s, an entire decade of crisis and chaos brought by Ceausescu’s politics of reducing the number of students and even the several domains of study in Theatre and Film Schools, the 90s witnessed not only the rebirth of the two traditional Universities in Bucharest and Targu Mureș, but also the emergence of many other new schools, public or private, in Cluj, Iasi, Timisoara, Sibiu, Craiova, Constanta, Galati etc. In this dynamic landscape, in 1993 opens at Targu Mures the European Meeting of Theatre Schools and Academies, as well as The International Festival of Young Professional Theatre in Sibiu. The paper follows the direct and indirect connections between the newborn international festivals dedicated to students and the evolution of academic theatre education in Romania.

Community Survey Results Show that Standardisation of Preclinical Imaging Techniques Remains a Challenge

PurposeTo support acquisition of accurate, reproducible and high-quality preclinical imaging data, various standardisation resources have been developed over the years. However, it is unclear the impact of those efforts in current preclinical imaging practices. To better understand the status quo in the field of preclinical imaging standardisation, the STANDARD group of the European Society of Molecular Imaging (ESMI) put together a community survey and a forum for discussion at the European Molecular Imaging Meeting (EMIM) 2022. This paper reports on the results from the STANDARD survey and the forum discussions that took place at EMIM2022.ProceduresThe survey was delivered to the community by the ESMI office and was promoted through the Society channels, email lists and webpages. The survey contained seven sections organised as generic questions and imaging modality-specific questions. The generic questions focused on issues regarding data acquisition, data processing, data storage, publishing and community awareness of international guidelines for animal research. Specific questions on practices in optical imaging, PET, CT, SPECT, MRI and ultrasound were further included.ResultsData from the STANDARD survey showed that 47% of survey participants do not have or do not know if they have QC/QA guidelines at their institutes. Additionally, a large variability exists in the ways data are acquired, processed and reported regarding general aspects as well as modality-specific aspects. Moreover, there is limited awareness of the existence of international guidelines on preclinical (imaging) research practices.ConclusionsStandardisation of preclinical imaging techniques remains a challenge and hinders the transformative potential of preclinical imaging to augment biomedical research pipelines by serving as an easy vehicle for translation of research findings to the clinic. Data collected in this project show that there is a need to promote and disseminate already available tools to standardise preclinical imaging practices.

Огляд та експертна оцінка матеріалів європейського мітингу з питань гіперчутливості до ліків (DHM 2022)

The review article discusses the current data on the mechanisms of hypersensitivity drugs reactions (HDRs). The relevance of the problem is associated with a significant prevalence of adverse drug reactions, in the structure of which immune allergic reactions occupy a significant proportion. Adverse drug reactions, according to the literature, occur in 10-20% of hospitalized patients and about 25% of outpatients. A serious problem of HDRs is their overdiagnosis, which affects the results of individual treatment and can have serious consequences in case of misdiagnosis, because it causes appropriate restrictions in the use of necessary drugs. Purpose - to analyze current views and recommendations on the problem of drug allergy; to highlight the issues of the 2022 meeting, which highlighted the problems of drug hypersensitivity. In particular, to show the relationship between viral infections and severe skin reactions, such as skin lesion syndrome with eosinophilia and systemic disorders. The article reviews and proposes algorithms that can be used to prevent the development of complications caused by HDRs. The materials of the article are based on the results of the European Meeting organized by the European Association of Allergists and Immunologists in 2022 in Verona, Italy. In the conclusions it is noted that despite the interest of the health care system and the large number of studies and publications on the problem of drug allergy, today there is an urgent need for accurate diagnostic approaches that will ensure the correct identification of the suspected drug by a combination of necessary tests and determine the cause for the possibility of prescribing appropriate treatment. The new mechanisms, phenotypes and endotypes of HDRs to drug responses discussed in the review are the future keys to preventing further exposure to harmful drugs. Preliminary pharmacogenomic screening (identification of specific human leukocyte antigen genotypes associated with severe skin adverse reactions) for patients of certain groups before prescribing high-risk drugs may become the future for Ukraine. No conflict of interests was declared by the author.

Editorial introductions.

Editorial introductions.

15th European Neuro-Ophthalmology Society Meeting, Birmingham, England, June 20-23, 2022.

15th European Neuro-Ophthalmology Society Meeting, Birmingham, England, June 20-23, 2022.