Highlights of the XXI annual meeting of the Brazilian Society of Protozoology, the XXXII annual meeting on Basic Research in Chagas' disease & an international symposium on vesicle trafficking in parasitic Protozoa – 7 to 9 November 2005, Caxambu, Minas Gerais, Brazil

This report focuses on the 2005 Annual meeting held in Caxambu, Minas Gerais, Brazil that was convened and organized by the Brazilian Society of Protozoology . This is an annual event and details of these meetings can be found on the Society's website. Within the space available it has been impossible to cover all the important and fascinating contributions and what is presented are our personal views of the meetings scientific highlights and new developments. The contents undoubtedly reflect each author's scientific interests and expertise. Fuller details of the round tables, seminars and posters can be consulted on line at .     

Meeting report: membrane proteins in health and disease.

This article summarizes the scientific presentations made at a Canadian Society of Biochemistry and Molecular & Cellular Biology Symposium on "Membrane Proteins in Health and Diseases" and two satellite meetings on "Bicarbonate Transporters" and "Nucleoside Transporters" held in Banff, Alberta, 20-24 March 2002. Membrane proteins are encoded by about 1/3 of genes and are involved in a wide range of essential functions, including the transport of nutrients, ions, and waste products across biological membranes. Mutations or changes in the expression of these genes cause an equally wide range of diseases. Membrane proteins are also common drug targets or provide drug entry mechanisms. The importance of membrane proteins in biology and medicine was highlighted by the presentations made at this exciting meeting by an international group of experts.     

Microsporidia and the Society for Invertebrate Pathology [corrected]: a personal point of view

In this overview, I trace the history of the study of microsporidia, with special emphasis on the collegial relationships that developed at the international level and were fostered by the establishment of the Society for Insect Pathology, which later became the Society for Invertebrate Pathology. Study of these organisms of invertebrates in the early days seemed to be mere curiosities, but it soon became clear that they were major disease-causing agents in insects, and later even in vertebrates, especially humans with compromised immune systems. Though microsporidia have not proven effective as pesticides, they do play a role in the regulation of insect populations, especially insects such as the gypsy moth, grasshoppers, and occasionally mosquitoes.     

The Society for Applied Bacteriology The First Fifty Years

The major part of this history, the formative years, was compiled by the Society's Archivist entirely from original materials. As such it complements an earlier account of the Society's development (S.B. Thomas 1963 Journal of Applied Bacteriology 26 , 66–68). The other part of this article, the recent past, was compiled by the Honorary General Secretary from the minutes of the last 10 years of committee meetings. This bipartite approach gives emphasis to those features that have had a persistent influence on the evolution of the Society , the needs and interests of young microbiologists, an awareness that publications and meetings have to be tailored to meet the needs and aspirations of the membership, a respect for those who have given much to the Society, and a perception of trends, both national and international, in the development of applied bacteriology within the broader context of microbiology. The names of those who are or have been honorary officers and honorary members of the Society are given in the Appendix.     

In vitro toxicity: mechanisms,alternatives and validation - a report from the 19th annual scientific meeting of the Scandinavian Society for Cell Toxicology

The Scandinavian Society for Cell Toxicology (SSCT) has arranged annual scientific meetings since 1983. These workshops were the forum for the Multicentre Evaluation of In Vitro Cytotoxicity (MEIC) programme. Along with the MEIC programme, which was completed in 1998, a wide range of topics relating to cytotoxicity have been discussed. The meetings have also given an opportunity for graduate students and young scientists to present their work to an international audience. At the same time, experts in the fields of in vitro toxicity have been invited as speakers. The 19th SSCT scientific meeting, which was held at S?rup Manor in Ringsted, Denmark, was no exception. The meeting consisted of four sessions: mechanisms of toxicity; environmental toxicological testing; alternatives to animal experiments; and validation of in vitro tests.     

Stem cells shine in Shanghai

From November 6 to 9, 2007, more than 500 scientists from 20 countries and regions gathered in Shanghai, China, to attend the 2007 Shanghai International Symposium on Stem Cell Research. This dynamic meeting was jointly organized by the International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR), the Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences (SIBS/CAS), and other institutes in China. For the first time, the ISSCR added its name to a conference other than its own annual meeting, embracing this opportunity to learn more about research that is happening in China and providing a platform for local researchers who do not always have the opportunity to travel internationally to the ISSCR annual meetings. Here we present a sampling of the diverse research presented by the local and international participants during the science-packed 4 day meeting.     

Transgenic Technology meeting 2008 in Toronto, Canada: a meeting report

In a history that goes back to 1999, the Transgenic Technology meetings started out in Sweden and over the years began to attract a growing community of technicians and researchers mainly from Europe. As the meetings started to attract an expanding worldwide audience, the community decided to found the International Society for Transgenic Technologies at the Barcelona meeting in 2005. The 2007 convention was held at Brisbane, Australia, and in 2008, the 8th Transgenic Technology meeting was held for the second time on behalf of ISTT and for the second time outside of Europe in Toronto, Canada. Due to its excellent program with over 400 participants the meeting was able to attract the highest number of delegates of all past TT meetings. With extended times for plenary discussions about technical and organizational aspects, as well as top level scientific presentations, both technicians and scientists enjoyed this as an extremely fruitful meeting from which they could take home solutions for daily routines as well as new insights and ideas for coming projects.     

Peptidomics: bridging the gap between proteome and metabolome

Studies of naturally occurring peptides and protein profiling by 'classical' proteomics are linked by common analytical objectives and methodologies. The first international workshop "Peptidomics: methods and applications" held on 6-7th September 2005 at Royal Holloway University of London confirmed that the science of peptidomics is a rapidly developing activity of high interest to both academia and industry. This meeting featured talks by over 20 leading international scientists detailing methods and typical applications, including newly-developed capabilities for protein and peptide analyses. It provided a definition of the scope of the subject in terms of current and future technologies together with applications ranging from studies of defined biological extracts to complete ecosystems. The proceedings of this meeting, speakers' contact details and other relevant information can be accessed at: www.rhul.ac.uk/biosci/meetings.     

Purine and pyrimidine metabolism: a firm basis for a transformed society

Purines and pyrimidines form the backbone of DNA and RNA. Hence, modification of purine and pyrimidine metabolism can have serious effects on normal functioning of a subject. These aspects formed the main topics for an International and a European Series of meetings, dedicated to the metabolism in man. In order to streamline the organization of these meetings the European Society was transformed to an International society: the Purine and Pyrimidine Society (www.ppsociety.org). This special issue of Nucleosides, Nucleotides, and, Nucleic, Acids highlights the last European meeting in Prague, focusing on inborn errors, cardiac diseases, inflammatory diseases, rheumatology, haematology, cancer, virology, genetic polymorphism, specific methodology, and, of course, metabolism. The meeting in Chicago in 2007 will be the first meeting of the Purine and Pyrimidine Society.     

The malariology centenary (1898-1998). 1898

This editorial note presents the journal initiative to celebrate the Malariology Centenary. It includes the reprint of the first annual report of the Society for Malaria Studies (founded in 1898), presented by Angelo Celli on December 3rd, 1898, to the first meeting of the Society and published in the Journal of the Royal Italian Society of Hygiene (volume 20, issue 12, 31st December 1898). The text is followed by explanatory footnotes and relevant references. An exhaustive historical essai, including the english version of the Celli's report, is scheduled to appear as supplement to volume 41, and the same volume will host the contributions issued from the international conference. "The malaria challenge after one hundred years of malariology", held in Roma at the Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei on November 16-19, 1998.     

2017: beginning of a new era for Chlamydia research in China and the rest of the world

The First Chinese Chlamydia Research Meeting was held in Lanzhou, China in May 2017, 60 years after the disclosure of reproducible isolation of Chlamydia trachomatis by 汤飞凡 (Fei-fan Tang). We report current state of the Chlamydia research community in China, and briefly review recent progress in Chlamydia vaccinology. The meeting represents a new milestone for Chlamydia research in the country. The Chinese Chlamydia Research Society (CCRS) was formed during the meeting. Future meetings will be held biennially and should facilitate collaboration of Chinese researchers with their domestic and international colleagues.     

Report on the 13th symposium on invertebrate neurobiology held 26–30 August 2015 at the Balaton Limnological Institute,MTA Centre for ecological research of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences,Tihany, Hungary

This report summarizes the lectures and posters presented at the International Society for Invertebrate Neurobiology’s 13th symposium held 26–30 August 2015, at the Balaton Limnological Institute, MTA Centre for Ecological Research, Tihany, Hungary. The symposium provided an opportunity for scientists working on a range of topics in invertebrate neurobiology to meet and present their research and discuss ways to advance the discipline.     

Parasites, flies and men--21st Meeting of the German Society of Parasitology in Würzburg

The German Society of Parasitology (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Parasitologie) was founded in 1960 and its 21st biannual meeting took place in Würzburg, Germany, from March 17 to 20, 2004. Whereas interim meetings that are being held every other year focus on specific topics of parasitology, such as the symposia on "Life in Vacuoles" in 2003 and on "Immunomodulation by Parasites" in 2001, the general biannual meetings cover a wide range of topics. This year's meeting at the University of Würzburg was organised by Klaus Brehm and Matthias Frosch (both at the Institute of Hygiene) and Heidrun Moll (Institute for Molecular Biology of Infectious Diseases). It was attended by more than 500 scientists from 16 countries who presented 181 research projects dealing with the topics defence mechanisms and immunology, genomics and proteomics, epidemiology, cell biology and biochemistry, chemotherapy and vaccines, parasite classification and morphology, vectors, intermediate hosts, and veterinary parasitology. In addition, six plenary lectures highlighted the subjects of comparative nematode genomics, cell biology, immunology, and parasite eradication programmes.     

Stem cells down under-ISSCR 2007

Cairns, Queensland, Australia provided the venue for the 5th annual meeting of the International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR), June 17-20, 2007. Consonant with the young society's mission to serve the international stem cell community, this meeting was the first held outside North America. The meeting drew attendees from 44 countries, with excellent representation from the Asia/Pacific region. The more than 120 presentations and 1000 posters covered virtually all aspects of the stem cell field and provided a snapshot of current areas of investigation. Here we review some of the newest findings in an effort to convey the energy and excitement of the meeting and the tempo of stem cell science.     

Purine and Pyrimidine Metabolism: a Firm Basis for a Transformed Society

Purines and pyrimidines form the backbone of DNA and RNA. Hence, modification of purine and pyrimidine metabolism can have serious effects on normal functioning of a subject. These aspects formed the main topics for an International and a European Series of meetings, dedicated to the metabolism in man. In order to streamline the organization of these meetings the European Society was transformed to an International society: the Purine and Pyrimidine Society (www.ppsociety.org). This special issue of Nucleosides, Nucleotides, and, Nucleic, Acids highlights the last European meeting in Prague, focusing on inborn errors, cardiac diseases, inflammatory diseases, rheumatology, haematology, cancer, virology, genetic polymorphism, specific methodology, and, of course, metabolism. The meeting in Chicago in 2007 will be the first meeting of the Purine and Pyrimidine Society.     

Meeting report from the 7th International Melanoma Congress, Sydney, November, 2010

The 2010 7th International Melanoma Congress sponsored by the Society for Melanoma Research and held in Sydney, Australia, was held together with the International Melanoma and Skin Cancer Centers group and the International Melanoma Pathology Study Group. As a consequence, there were over 900 registrants that included a wide range of clinicians (surgeons, medical oncologists, dermatologists) specialising in the management of melanoma as well as scientists and students carrying out laboratory-based research in melanoma. There was a general consensus that this grouping of clinicians, pathologists and scientists was mutually advantageous and plans are afoot to continue this grouping in future meetings. The meeting was dominated by the advances being made in treatment of melanoma with selective BRAF inhibitors but interest in epithelial mesenchymal transition and phenotypic changes in melanoma was apparent in many of the talks. The authors have attempted to capture many of the new developments in melanoma research but apologize to those speakers and poster presenters who had equally important findings not captured in these summaries.     

Protistology Conferences: The Beginnings. The First International Protozoology Conference (Prague 1961) and the Tribute to Otto Jírovec,its Spiritual Father

Two events have helped to shape protozoology/protistology as a specific scientific discipline. The first such event was the creation of the Society of Protozoologists in the U.S. in 1947 (and of its Journal of Protozoology, first published in 1954), the second event was the First International Conference on Protozoology, held in 1961 in Prague. The history of the Society of Protozoologists was comprehensively treated by Corliss (1998); the history of the Prague Conference is presented here as reminiscences and personal interpretation of events of the author, who was one of the conference organizers and a member of the organization committee. Special attention is given to the personality and scientific accomplishments of Otto Jírovec, the 1961 conference spiritual father and president. It is concluded that the Prague Conference, while establishing the tradition of protistology meetings, helped protistology to attain its present status as a fundamental science discipline, which discovers and interprets the web of life at one of its, basic, “microbial” levels. Protists literally permeate the earth biosphere and in a way represent the “dark matter” of the living world, still awaiting many discoveries.     

The 6(th) East Midlands Proteomics Workshop supported by the BSPR and BMSS 14 November 2007, Nottingham, UK

Now in its 6(th) year, the East Midlands Proteomics workshop held in November 2007 brought together over 200 scientists with a common interest in proteomic techniques and their application to complex biological and biomedical problems. For the first time, this meeting was jointly supported by the British Society for Proteome Research (BSPR) and British Mass Spectrometry Society (BMSS).     

Therapeutic antibodies and infectious diseases,Tours, France,November 20−22, 2012

The Therapeutic Antibodies and Infectious Diseases international congress was held in Tours, France on November 20−22, 2012. The first session was devoted to the development of antibodies directed against bacterial toxins or viruses that could be used in a potential bioterrorist threat situation. The second session dealt with the effector functions of anti-microbial antibodies, while the third was oriented toward anti-viral antibodies, with a special emphasis on antibodies directed against the human immunodeficiency and hepatitis C viruses. After a lecture by a speaker from the US Food and Drug Administration on antibody cocktails, the second day ended with a special session dedicated to discussions regarding the involvement of French biotechnology industries in the field. On the last day, the congress concluded with talks about current antibody treatments for infectious diseases, with a particular focus on their adverse events. Participants enjoyed this very stimulating and convivial meeting, which gathered scientists from various countries who had different scientific research interests.     

29th Congress of the European Society of Cardiology

The Editorial Board of the Netherlands Heart Journal is very pleased to present its annual supplement on this year’s meeting of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Congress of Cardiology, held in Vienna from 1 – 5 September 2007.