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AAS
Quarterly E-Newsletter
December
2007
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Seasons’ Greetings to you all! As
highlighted in David Sullivan’s first President’s Report, it has been a
significant year for our society no better illustrated by the highly
successful Annual Scientific Meeting held in the very picturesque Fremantle,
Trevor Mori and the rest of the WA Committee have continued the tradition of
raising the bar for the following year’s Organising Committee. In our
continuing series of articles that highlight the research achievements of AAS
members, Peter Clifton provides an update of the CSIRO Clinical Nutrition
Unit. Cheers,
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President's Report This report provides
an opportunity to sincerely thank the stalwart group in Western Australia for
several recent major tasks they have successfully undertaken on behalf of the
Society. Firstly, the Annual Scientific Meeting in Fremantle was a triumph in
every respect: great venue, excellent faculty, wonderful scientific content
and a timely opportunity to pay tribute to Trevor Redgrave for his extensive
contributions to our field of endeavour. I am sure we are all extremely
grateful towards Trevor Mori, Gerald Watts, Anne Barden, John Burnett, Hugh
Barrett, Dick Chan and Kevin Croft for organising such a successful event. The meeting also
provided an opportunity for interstate visitors to learn about the excellent
progress being made in Western Australia in the management of Familial
Hypercholesterolaemia. The FH Subcommittee was briefed on local initiatives
which will assume national importance over the next 3 years. The initial
period coincides with Gerald Watts’ chairmanship of the FH Subcommittee,
henceforth to be known as FH-AAS. One of the early initiatives will be a
meeting with the Chairman of HEART-UK during his forthcoming visit to
Australia. This will provide an excellent opportunity for exchange of ideas,
and it is anticipated that the outcomes will be reported in the next
newsletter. Finally, the
Fremantle meeting provided a useful environment to discuss the Society’s
educational aspirations with industry partners. Peter Jones generously shared
his experiences as past President of the National Lipid Association in the
United States, and we anticipate close links with this organisation. The
discussions brought us closer to the point where we can anticipate enhanced
educational activities for scientific members and an outreach to clinical
colleagues as early as 2008. We will also keep members informed of these developments
in future newsletters. The successful negotiation of the “Roundtable” that
underpins these initiatives is one of several important objectives that
Gerald Watts achieved during his extraordinarily productive Presidency.
Whilst I would like to sincerely thank him on our behalf, I can assure you of
his continued input as Past President and Chairman of FH-AAS. May I wish all
members a well-earned rest during the festive season |
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Australian
Atherosclerosis Society 2007 Annual Scientific Meeting Maritime Museum, Fremantle,
Western Australia Well the 2007 ASM has come and gone. I was delighted to see so
many people attend and present at the meeting. From the feedback I have
received it seems all enjoyed the venue and the great Perth weather - at
least till Friday lunchtime!! Special thanks to our invited overseas
speakers, Prof Frank Sacks and Prof Peter Jones from the USA, and Prof Keith
Frayn from the UK. They not only presented state-of-the-art lectures, but
also actively participated throughout the meeting and made themselves
available to all. Thank you also to the national invited speakers for your
contribution. To our loyal sponsors, thanks again and we look forward to your
continued partnership with the AAS. It was fitting that the AAS acknowledged Prof Trevor Redgrave.
He has made a great contribution to the Society and atherosclerosis research
over a period of many years. We wish him well in his retirement. I think all will agree that the standard of our student
presentations was outstanding. In particular, congratulations to the award
winners, Doris Chan (AAS Young Investigator Award), Khemanganee Liyanage
(Best Oral Student Award) and Shane Antao (Best Poster Student Award). Once again many thanks to all that made the meeting so
successful. See you in Sydney in 2008. Chairman of the Local
Organising Committee
The AAS ASM: A
Student’s Perspective The 33rd Annual
Scientific Meeting of the Australian Atherosclerosis Society was held in the
beautiful and historic port city of Fremantle in Perth, Western
Australia. As in previous years, this
year’s meeting was a showcase of the outstanding work by basic and clinical
researchers on a wide range of topics including nutrition, metabolism,
obesity, inflammation and atherosclerosis from Australia and New Zealand. We
also had the privilege of interacting and listening to several stimulating
and thought provoking lectures from our distinguished overseas speakers Frank
Sacks, Peter Jones and Keith Frayn. A highlight of the meeting was the
well-deserved tribute to our very own Trevor Redgrave for his outstanding
work and contributions to atherosclerosis research.
For a young clinical
researcher, the meeting provided an excellent opportunity to delve into the
world of basis science. It was an avenue to ponder on novel ideas and to
foster collaborations with other researchers involved in the study of
atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease. Both the poster and oral
presentation sessions were important platforms for encouraging researchers to
critically analyse data generated and present in a concise and effective
manner. On a personal note, it
was indeed an honour to be chosen to speak in the Young Investigator’s
session and to present amongst a highly talented group of young researchers.
I presented the preliminary findings from my PhD project which looked at the
effect of early chronic kidney disease (CKD) on the lipoprotein kinetics of
very-low-density lipoprotein (VLDL) subclasses in non-diabetic,
non-nephrotic, stage 3 CKD (glomerular filtration rate 30-60 ml/min) subjects
without central adiposity. Our data suggest that compared with age- and sex-
matched healthy controls, CKD was associated with mild hypertriglyceridaemia
due a significant delay in the catabolism of VLDL1 and VLDL2 apolipoprotein
(apo) B. We also reported that the fractional catabolic rates of VLDL1 and
VLDL2 apoB were significantly correlated with apoC-III concentrations. These
kinetic changes suggest an important role of uraemia on apolipoproteins,
lipolytic enzymes and VLDL receptors. A better understanding of lipoprotein
metabolism in patients with CKD may give better insight to the pathogenesis
of atherosclerosis in this population, which is at extremely high risk of
cardiovascular disease. Furthermore, these data may assist in improving risk
stratification and provide guidance for the tailoring of effective pharmacological
therapy. Lastly, I would like to congratulate the
organising committee for putting together a highly successful scientific
meeting and social program. We look forward to another stimulating meeting in
2008. Doris Chan AAS Young Investigator for 2008 Royal Perth Hospital |
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Membership News If
you have not renewed your membership, please click here to
visit the Meetings First website and renew online. Alternatively, please click here to download a copy of the
paper registration form. |
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The Australian Atherosclerosis Society always welcomes new
members. Please encourage your students and work colleagues to join the AAS.
Remember, that members receive thew following: -
A
monthly email that includes, job opportunities, information on meetings
relating to atherosclerosis and regular updates on similar interests. -
A new
quarterly newsletter that will feature different articles each quarter. -
Discounted
rates to attend AAS Annual Scientific Meetings. -
Networking
opportunities and involvement. -
Opportunity
to receive student travel grants and present your research at the Annual
Scientific Meeting. -
Opportunity
to apply for AAS Trust travel grants |
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Forthcoming Meetings International Symposium on Chylomicrons in Disease (ISCD) 2008 6-8 March 2008,
Alberta, Canada Please click here
for more information on this meeting. International Vascular Biology Meeting 2008 1-5 June 2008, Sydney, Australia Please click here
for more information on this meeting. The 2nd World Congress on Controversies in Diabetes, Obesity
and Hypertension (CODHy) 30 October – 2 November 2008, Barcelona,
Spain Please click here
for more information on this meeting. Future APSAVD Congresses The 6th APSAVD Congress will be
hosted in Hong Kong from 1-5 October 2008
and will coincide with Chinese National Day (October 1). A fantastic
fireworks show on the Harbour near the Convention will be a site to see. To
be on the mailing list to receive updates on this meeting, please send your
contact details through to apsavd@meetingsfirst.com.au. The 7th APSAVD Congress will be
hosted by the Australian Atherosclerosis Society in Australia
in 2010. |
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E-News The next E-News will be sent out on 18 January
2008. If there is information you would like to include, please email it to aas@meetingsfirst.com.au by Monday
14 January 2008. Please do not hesitate to contact me
if you have any queries. Kind Regards, AAS Secretariat 4/184 Main Street Lilydale VIC 3140 Phone +61 3 9739 7697 Fax +61
3 9739 7076 Email aas@meetingsfirst.com.au |
