EFES WORLD CALENDAR OF ENDOCRINE EVENTS
You may have noticed a change to the diary section of the EFES website. This is now powered by a new online database called BioScievents.com. The database contains information on events in the field of endocrinology. It is free to use, anyone can submit an event notice or use the database to search or browse through the forthcoming events in the field.

The database provides tailored lists of meetings and events for other websites, including EFES, so when you submit a conference or training course to BioScievents.com you know that it will appear on national and international websites of interest to your delegate market.

To take a look at the new EFES calendar go to: http://www.euro-endo.org/worldcalendar

To browse or submit events to the online database go to: http://www.bioscievents.com

EFES PRIZES - CALLS FOR NOMINATIONS
See the Grants and Prizes section below for information on the new calls for nominations for two EFES grants, the Geoffrey Harris Prize and the European Journal of Endocrinology prize.

PROPOSAL TO FORM A EUROPEAN SOCIETY OF ENDOCRINOLOGY
The Executive Committee of EFES wishes to propose the formation of a European Society of Endocrinology to promote scientific excellence and improve patient care in endocrinology within Europe, to strengthen the quality of endocrine publications, to improve communication between endocrinologists and to create favourable conditions for scientific and medical exchanges.

Consultation with every European National Endocrine Society and the affiliated endocrine-related societies is essential for the success of this plan and consultation documents have been sent to the Presidents and Secretaries of all Full and Affiliated Members Societies of EFES.

It is proposed that a consultation meeting is held on Saturday 13 November 2004 in Brussels and that, after circulation of a draft constitution, a vote will be taken at the European Congress of Endocrinology in Goteborg in September 2005.

The questions we want your national society to answer by 1 October 2004 are:  
1 In principle, do you support the formation of a European Society of Endocrinology?  
2 Are you prepared to attend a consultation meeting on 13 November in Brussels?
3 Do you support the proposal for an annual meeting of the European Society of Endocrinology?
4 Do you have a preference for the timing of this annual meeting - April/May or September/October?
5 Do you have any further comments or suggestions?

This document is available on the EFES web site at http://www.euro-endo.org/news/news.htm

EFES NEWS - ARE YOU GETTING YOURS?
If you are a member of any of the European national endocrine societies, you should receive a free copy of EFES News (http://www.euro-endo.org/news.htm) each spring and autumn. If you are not receiving this and would like to, please send your full name and address to: jane.shepley@endocrinology.org

The latest issue of EFES news (Spring 2004) is now available on the EFES website at: http://www.euro-endo.org/news/newsletter/Issue11.pdf

EFES WEBSITE (http://www.euro-endo.org)
Please add the EFES website home page to your favourites. Navigate through the pages and give us your feedback and suggestions. Please send any websites you would like to see added to EFES Links to: jane.shepley@endocrinology.org

The EFES Executive Committee sincerely appreciate your time and look forward to hearing from you.

Clinical, hormonal and magnetic resonance imaging predictors of transsphenoidal surgery outcome in acromegaly
Aline Bourdelot, Joel Coste, Vincent Hazebroucq, Stephan Gaillard, Laure Cazabat, Xavier Bertagna and Jérôme Bertherat
Hopital Cochin, Paris; Hopital Foch, Suresnes; University Paris V-René Descartes, Paris, France

European Journal of Endocrinology 150(6) pp765-773
http://www.eje.org/eje/150/eje1500765.htm

Acromegaly caused by pituitary growth hormone (GH)-secreting adenoma has, in the past, been treated with transsphenoidal neurosurgery as the first-line therapy. High rates of morbidity and mortality associated with acromegaly can be reduced following surgery by controlling GH levels. This can be achieved with radiotherapy and/or drug treatment.

Bourdelot and co-workers set out to identify the clinical, hormonal and pituitary MRI predictors of surgical outcome by reviewing the records of 125 patients investigated for acromegaly in their department since the use of MRI imaging began in 1988. 83 of these had undergone surgery and analyses of their tumour remission rates revealed that they were less than 60%. They also found that young female patients and those with very high GH and IGF-I levels before surgery were less likely to be cured by surgical treatment. This raised the question of whether an alternative first-line therapy to surgery should be considered for those patients.

This is the first study to report evidence that an MRI analysis of adenoma size, location and potential for invasion, combined with patients’ clinical and hormonal parameters before surgery can successfully predict the hormonal outcome following transsphenoidal surgery. Further studies would be beneficial to determine whether the combination of surgery and drug treatment offers any advantage over drug treatment alone to these patients.

Supporting visionary research in the EU
New and emerging science and technology (NEST) is a new activity within the 6th Framework Programme, supporting unconventional and visionary research with the potential to open new fields for European science and technology. It will also support research on new potential problems uncovered by science and help to consolidate European efforts in emerging fields of research.

A distinctive feature of NEST is its flexibility: researchers will be given the freedom to develop and prove their idea within the broadest limits.

For more information visit: http://www.cordis.lu/fp6/nest/htm

Current NIH grants
Bone anabolic hormones, their receptors and signal transduction pathways details
http://grants1.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PA-03-008.html

Complex formation in hormonal regulation of gene expression
http://grants1.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PA-02-100.html

Ubiquitin and Ubiquitin-like modifications regulating disease processes
http://grants1.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PA-03-145.html

Emerging technologies for the study of reproductive neuroendocrinology
http://grants1.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PA-03-079.html

Proteomics in diabetes and other endocrine and metabolic diseases
http://grants1.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PA-03-052.html

Geoffrey Harris Prize
We have pleasure in announcing the 2005 Geoffrey Harris Prize generously sponsored by Ipsen.  This prestigious prize is designed for established researchers in the field of neuroendocrinology and is the first of its kind in Europe.  Please contact the EFES Secretary:
 
Prof. Dr. J. Köhrle
Institut für Experimentelle Endokrinologie und Endokrinologisches Forschungs-Centrum
Charité - Hochschulmedizin Berlin, Campus Mitte
Schumannstr. 20/21
D-10098 Berlin
Germany
Tel: +49 30 450524021
Fax: +49 30 450525922
Email: josef.koehrle@charite.de or elke.abdel-karim@charite.de

The deadline for entries is 31 December 2004 and the award will be presented at the 7th European Congress of Endocrinology which takes place from 3-7 September 2005 in Göteborg, Sweden. More information is available on: http://www.euro-endo.org/about/harrisprize.htm

European Journal of Endocrinology Prize
The EJE Prize is awarded to a candidate who has significantly contributed to the advancement of knowledge in the field of endocrinology through publication.

The prize consists of a certificate, award and travelling expenses and will be presented during the 7th European Congresss of Endocrinology to be held in Goteburg, Sweden, 3-7 September 2005

Nominations should be submitted to:-
Prof. Paolo Beck-Peccoz
Istituto di Scienze Endocrine
Piano Terra
Padiglione Granelli
Ospedale Maggiore IRCCS
Via Francesco Sforza 35
20122 Milan
Italy
Email: info@eje.it

The deadline for entries is 31 December 2004. More information on the prize and nomination process is available on http://www.eje.org/eje/ejeprize.htm and http://www.ece2004.

Jobs and Grants Forum on the EFES website
Attention jobseekers! Post your details on the site.
Attention employers! Advertise jobs or search for suitable candidates online.
Attention funders! Add your grant to the EFES forum.

Go to: http://www.euro-endo.org/jobs.htm

Interaction of healthcare across the Member States
A number of initiatives have been proposed by the EC to encourage co-operation among Member States to raise standards of accessible, high quality, but financially sustainable healthcare. There are a number of common healthcare challenges for Member States and these proposals aim to promote co-operation and coordination in order to advance the services in individual countries as part of an international healthcare network.

The package proposed encourages better provision of information for patients on seeking treatment in other Member States. It hopes to enable national healthcare providers to share resources and knowledge. It suggests the development of centres of excellence for health professionals and addresses co-operation at government level, by proposing a framework for reform and modernisation of healthcare, long-term care and social protection.

For more information go to: http://europa.eu.int/comm/health/ph_overview/co_operation/mobility/patient_mobility_en.htm

Increasing Human Resources for Science and Technology in Europe
An international conference in Brussels on 2 April 2004 heard from the high level expert group put together to investigate increasing take-up and retention of talented individuals in science careers across Europe.   Some of the larger Member states currently do not meet their growth targets of the number of science professionals as a proportion of population size. Targets were set out by the March 2002 Barcelona European Council declaration which recommended that Europe increase its research and development investment to 3% of European Gross Domestic Product by 2010.

The expert group observes that at the top level, European governments are failing to support scientists in the public sector. However improvement also needs to come from more fundamental areas such as increasing science knowledge in both primary and secondary school levels and universities should provide more skills for a wider range of science careers. The Commission is also assessing the possibility of launching an awareness-raising campaign in 2005.   A number of the specific recommendations made at the conference will be considered for immediate implementation through the Union's "science and society" work programme.  

http://europa.eu.int/comm/research/press/2004/pr0204en.cfm

Health statistics - Key data on health 2002
An updated version of this document has recently been published by the European Commission as part of the new programme of Community action in the field of public health, adopted in September 2002. The first strand of the programme stresses the importance of dissemination of health information and knowledge to Member States.

AndroGel® shows long-term benefits and safety
A study published in the May issue of JCEM is the first to examine safety and efficacy of testosterone gel up to 42 months. This multi-centre study from the US indicated that long-term use of AndroGel (Unimed Pharmaceuticals Inc) is safe and effective for men with hypogonadism.

163 men using AndroGel were studied and they experienced rapid and sustained improvements in sexual function and mood. Decreases in fat mass and increases in lean body mass were persistent with treatment and gradual and progressive increases in bone mineral density were seen in the spine and hip.

Femara™ marketing applications submitted by Novartis
After results were published last year (NEJM online 9/10/03) showing that taking Femara after 5 years of adjuvant therapy with tamoxifen reduced a woman’s risk of recurrence of breast cancer by nearly a half (as compared with placebo), Novartis has submitted marketing applications in the EU for the use of letrozole tablets (Femara).

There is currently no proven post-tamoxifen therapy available for the approximately one million women who take tamoxifen in any given year.

Procter & Gamble develop female ‘libido patch’
Women with Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder responded well to a skin patch containing testosterone, according to a late-stage clinical trial of 562 women whose sexual desire and activity had waned after menopause caused by removal of both ovaries.

P&G said women receiving the testosterone patch had a 74 percent increase in frequency of "satisfying sexual activity" and a 56 percent increase in sexual desire, compared with the period before they received the patches.

The study was conducted at The Womens Health Research Center and 51 other centers in the U.S., Canada and Australia and preliminary results were presented during the 52nd Annual Clinical Meeting of The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG).

Get involved!
The EFES website has a discussion forum facility, please feel free to share your views, comments, and interests with others. To join visit:
http://www.euro-endo.org/discuss.htm