ECE2005 UPDATE
Approximately 1300 have already registered for the Gothenburg congress and 1100 abstracts have been submitted. 21 travel grants have been awarded and there are six EFES Young Investigator Awards.

EFES General Council meeting
The General Council meeting will take place during the ECE on 5th September (Room2 Convention Center, 1.30-3.30 pm). All member societies were invited to submit nominations for Vice-President and Executive Committee members. Details of nominees have been circulated to all societies and the remaining papers will be circulated shortly. A major topic will be the implementation of the next steps to continue the transition from EFES to the formation of the new European Society of Endocrinology

EJE takes off with HighWire
EJE has been on HighWire since January 2005 and latest figures show that the numbers of 'hits', which was already substantial under the old system, has increased by 50%, meaning that EJE is substantially used by endocrinologists all around the world. See http://www.eje-online.org/

EFES News
Issue 13 of EFES News is out now and available online at http://ww w.euro-endo.org/news/newsletter/default.htm

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: jo.thurston@end ocrinology.org

Europe ‘backtracks’ on water protection
Edie News Centre 1 July 2005

Disappointed lobbyists have claimed the EU's new Groundwater Protection Directive lacks teeth and dismissed it as a watered down version of existing legislation. The EEB argues that a number of hazardous chemicals, such as endocrine disrupters, have irreversible effects and should be prevented from reaching the water supply at all costs …

http://www.edie.net/news/news_story.asp?id=10182&channel=0

European Parliament bans Phthalates
BBC Online 5 July 2005

The European Parliament has voted to permanently ban the use of a group of chemicals to soften children's toys following health concerns

Europe moving in 'R&D slow lane'
BBC Online 25 July 2005

The stagnating state of science and technology investment in the European Union is laid bare by new statistics.

Scientists urge EU to create European Research Council
Europa 25 July 2005

An alliance of 50 European research organisations has appealed to the EU to fulfil the Commission’s proposal of creating a European Research Council (ERC) to lead Europe’s drive at the frontiers of science.

New Leaflet about Doping Control Now Available
WADA, in cooperation with the Swiss Federal Office of Sport, has published a leaflet about doping control procedures. This can be found in a variety of languages at this address:

http://www.wada-ama.org/en/newsarticle.ch2?articleId=3115155

EU publishes new health data
The ECHI (European Community Health Indicators) project was carried out in the framework of the Health Monitoring Programme and the Community Public Health Programme 2003-2008. The result is a list of ‘indicators’ for the public health field arranged according to a conceptual view on health and health determinants.

Persistent diastolic dysfunction despite successful long-term octreotide treatment in acromegaly

SW van Thiel, JJ Bax, NR Biermasz, ER Holman, D Poldermans, F Roelfsema, HJ Lamb, EE van der Wall, JWA Smit, JA Romijn and AM Pereira

Patients receiving long-term treatment for acromegaly may be exposed to a prolonged excess of growth hormone (GH), which can cause heart conditions such as left-ventricular hypertrophy, diastolic dysfunction and heart failure. To establish whether adequate treatment of the GH excess may stop, or possibly correct, some of the cardiac damage, van Thiel and co-workers studied two groups of acromegaly patients, one with long-term control using somatostatin analogues and the other with long-term cure by surgery or radiotherapy.

The authors found that treating GH excess improved cardiac function and mass in both groups, and left-ventricular mass and dimensions were normalised. However, diastolic function was more efficient in those cured by surgery. The results indicated that those patients on long-term treatment had a significantly more impaired diastolic function, suggesting that greater biochemical control is required. Factors that could have affected the authors’ observations, such as differences in disease duration, level of GH excess and body mass or age between the two groups, were taken into account but they conclude that there were no differences to influence their findings.

van Thiel and co-authors demonstrate here that acromegalic patients who receive long-term treatment with somatostatin analogues are more likely to suffer from heart conditions than their surgically cured counterparts. They recommend that strict criteria for biochemical control of GH excess should be applied to these cases.

EJE 153-2 pp 231-238

NEW! WEBSITE FOR EJE: www.eje-online.org/

ESF Forward Looks - 2005 Call for Proposals
The European Science Foundation is pleased to announce a Call for Proposals for Forward Looks: Deadline: 24.00hrs CET on September 23rd 2005.

ESF Forward Looks are an instrument which enables Europe’s scientific community, in interaction with policy makers from ESF Member Organisations and other organisations, to develop medium to long-term views and analyses of future research developments with the aim of defining research agendas and priorities. The purpose of a Forward Look is to bring together in a global context scientific foresight and priority setting for research funding at national and European levels.

http://www.esf.org/esf_genericpage.php?language=0&section=2&domain=0&genericpage=2307

Royal College of Physicians
SAMUEL LEONARD SIMPSON FELLOWSHIPS IN ENDOCRINOLOGY
Applications are invited for Samuel Leonard Simpson Fellowships in Endocrinology.  Their purpose is to enable endocrinologists to learn new techniques and acquire new experiences, ideas and stimulation by travel and exchange of views; in doing so they will honour the name of Dr Samuel Leonard Simpson, a pioneer of British endocrinology.

Applications will be considered from suitably qualified people in the UK wishing to make visits abroad or from those abroad wishing to visit the UK.  Up to £20,000 is available for 2005, which may be awarded to one or more candidates.

There will be an opportunity for trainees engaged in a flexible training programme to continue their research on a similar basis.

Call for proposals for Marie Curie Training Networks

Budget : € 220 million
Closing Date : 28 September 2005 at 17.00 (Brussels local time)
OJ Reference : OJ C147 of 17.06.2005
Specific programme : Structuring the European Research Area
Activity areas: Human resources and mobility

To submit a proposal, and for further information, go to:

http://fp6.cordis.lu/fp6/call_details.cfm?CALL_ID=210

ESF-EMBO Symposia 
Second call for proposals
The European Science Foundation (ESF) is developing a new high-level Conference Scheme in partnership with national and international organisations. The new Scheme will be known as ESF Research Conferences. Topics will be at the forefront of scientific research and interdisciplinary when appropriate. The Scheme will provide the opportunity for the world’s leading scientists and other participants, including young researchers, to meet informally for discussions at the highest level on the most recent developments in their fields of research. Furthermore, it will act as a catalyst for creating new synergistic contacts throughout Europe and the rest of the world.

Fourth IOF-SERVIER Young Investigator Research Award
The IOF-SERVIER Research Award is a grant of 40,000 Euros awarded every 2 years to a project within the field of osteoporosis. The award is aimed at encouraging young scientists and therefore is limited to applicants up to 40 years of age.

The Award is officially granted during the IOF World Congress on Osteoporosis to which the winner is invited. Deadline for submission of completed applications: 1 December 2005

Scientific Committee on Health and Environmental Risks (SCHER) are inviting submissions for an opinion with regards to "The British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection (BUAV) Report on a non-animal testing approach for endocrine disrupting chemicals". Post or email submissions to:
Gigliola Fontanesi
Scientific Secretary to the Scientific Committee on Health and Environmental Risks
European Commission - Health & Consumer Protection Directorate General Directorate C
Unit C7: Risk Assessment
Office: G1--01/53,
B-1140 Brussels
Email: Sanco-Sc8-Secretar iat@cec.eu.int

Current NIH grants

Male Reproductive Health Research Career Development Program
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-HD-05-040.html

Proteomics in Diabetes and other Endocrine and Metabolic Diseases
http://www.rdinfo.org.uk/queries/ListGrantDetails.asp?GrantID=5443

Emerging Technologies for the Study of Reproductive Neuroendocrinology
http://www.rdinfo.org.uk/queries/ListGrantDetails.asp?GrantID=5698

International Research Training Group Announcements for new scholarships:
Up to 12 scholarships for PhD students and up to 4 positions for undergraduate medical research students are available in the Graduiertenkolleg ( International Research Training Group ) 1208 “ Hormonal Regulation of Energy Metabolism, Body Weight and Growth ”, Humboldt und Freie Universität Berlin, Starting: 01.10.2005.

Deadline for applications until all positions are filled (at latest Sept. 15, 2005).

For more detailed Information, go to: http://www.charite.de/expendo/

Cilag GmbH International to Acquire Nesiritide Rights in Europe from GlaxoSmithKline
Pharmalive.com July 20, 2005

Cilag GmbH International, a Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ) company, and GlaxoSmithKline plc (LSE and NYSE: GSK) today announced an agreement whereby Cilag will acquire European marketing and development rights to Noratak ® (nesiritide). Janssen-Cilag, also a Johnson & Johnson company, will market the product in Europe. Nesiritide was developed by Scios Inc. as a recombinant form of B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP), a hormone secreted by the heart in response to heart failure..(cont)..

Novartis Submits Applications in U.S. and Europe for Femara as Adjuvant Treatment for Postmenopausal Women with Early Breast Cancer
Novartis has submitted marketing authorization applications in the United States and Europe for the use of Femara(R) (letrozole tablets) in the adjuvant (post-surgery) treatment of postmenopausal women with hormone receptor-positive early breast cancer. Once approved for this indication, Femara will become the only breast cancer treatment available to significantly reduce the risk of recurrence in the adjuvant setting as well as in extended adjuvant treatment following tamoxifen.. (cont) ..

http://www.medadnews.com/News/index.cfm?articleid=254859