Success of ECE 2006

This event, the first under the auspices of the new European Society of Endocrinology, attracted 2327 delegates from 71 countries. Many thanks to the speakers and chairs, the POC, the LOC, the industry partners and all the delegates who made it so successful. To see abstracts from the meeting, click on the link below. The Executive Committee met several times in Glasgow to begin developing a strategy for the new Society. Watch the website for details once this is further advanced.

Abstracts

ECE Press Coverage

We are pleased to report that ECE gained a good amount of press coverage this year, with articles in a range of international press. Dr Reynolds was also interviewed on BBC Scotland on Monday 4 April about her paper "High protein/low carbohydrate diet when pregnant leds to higher stress susceptibility in children". A summary of all press coverage can be read in the European News section below.

Reduced Subscription Rates for ESE Official Journals

In addition to the European Journal of Endocrinology, the Journal of Endocrinology, Journal of Molecular Endocrinology & Endocrine-Related Cancer are all now official ESE journals. Reduced subscription rates are available to all members of the ESE. Details of rates can be found on the Journals page of the website.

Click here

Latest on ESE Membership

There are now 776 people entered on the membership database from 59 countries. 375 of these were voted in as members at the General Council meeting in Glasgow and the others will be voted in in Budapest next year, but in the meantime will receive all information and will be eligible to vote at the 2007 General Council meeting. To join, from only €25, click on the link below.

Click here to join

Tests cast doubt on existence of male menopause (Telegraph Online, 2 April)

The existence of the male menopause has been called into question by a study designed to test the benefits of male hormone replacement therapy (HRT). Experts in Finland were forced to stop their research when tests on men who said they were going through the male menopause showed that they were not. The findings, released at the European Congress of Endocrinology in Glasgow, will be of concern to drug companies ... (continues). To see this article in full, click on the link below. This was also reported in the Sunday Herald on 2 April.

Full article

Cancer risk in low vitamin D levels (The Observer, 2 April 2006)

Half the population of Britain suffer mild deficiency of the 'sunshine vitamin', vitamin D. As a result, they face increased risks of fractures and of getting cancers and other diseases in later life, a leading specialist has warned...Speaking at the European Congress of Endocrinology in Glasgow, Bouillon - one of the world's leading specialists on the vitamin - said more large-scale studies were needed to see if larger intakes of vitamin D would translate into reductions in disease around the world...(continues)... Also reported on French website www.Nutraingredients.com and in on Chinese website Biox: http://www.biox.cn/content/20060419/44214.htm

Full Article

Stress warning over pregnancy diet (The Herald, 3 April 2006)

Low carbohydrate, high-protein diets should be avoided by women during pregnancy because they lead to a greater risk of stressed-out offspring, according to research. A report published today (3 April) suggests that children whose mothers were put on a high-protein diet, similar to the Atkins plan, are more prone to stress when they become adults...(continues)... This was also reported in the Daily Mail on 3 April and the Evening Standard on 4 April, and Dr Reynolds was interviewed on BBC Scotland on Monday 4 April. Also reported on Innovations Report in Germany: http://www.innovations-report.de/html/berichte/medizin_gesundheit/bericht-57400.html

Full article

Sunscreen chemicals disrupt thyroid in rats (New Scientist Online, 3 April 2006)

Chemicals found in many sunscreens can disrupt the production of thyroid hormone in rats, researchers report. Their study raises concerns that chemicals that absorb ultraviolet light could damage the thyroid in people. The thyroid gland is located in the neck and secretes hormones that affect growth and metabolism. Josef Kohrle of Charite University of Medicine in Berlin and his colleagues fed various amounts of 4-MBC to rats...(continues)... Also reported on Australian website News-Medical: http://www.news-medical.net/?id=17166

Full Article

EU warns consumers over fake anti-obesity drug

Fake versions of an anti-obesity drug are being touted on the Internet even though it has not been approved for sale in the European Union, the European Commission warned consumers. Fakes of the drug rimonabant, an experimental drug from Sanofi-Aventis which is still being tested by the European Medicines Evaluation Agency, are being sold on several websites under the proposed brand name of Acomplia.

Full article

WADA Report to the IOC

On February 8, 2006, WADA Chairman Richard Pound reported on WADA�fs 2005 activities to the International Olympic Committee Session in Turin. This presentation provides a succinct summary of the Agency�fs key areas of focus and the progress made in the fight against doping

See the presentation here

Half of Europeans Overweight (Yahoo, via Reuters)

Half of Europeans are obese or overweight, but citizens do not see obesity as a major health threat, a food industry report said on Tuesday. According to the report, commissioned by Kraft, the world's second-largest food and beverage company, Europeans view obesity as a problem that affects others, but not themselves. Of 15 health concerns listed in the report, obesity and being overweight ranked fifth and ninth respectively. Cancer and heart disease topped the poll. The report, 'Understanding the Health Gap', was carried out in partnership with the market research company GfK NOP.

Full article

European Breast Cancer Conference: New breast cancer treatment 'can double life expectancy' (Daily Telegraph, UK)

Results from a large, randomised clinical trial for patients with breast cancer show that those who received bevacizumab (Avastin) in combination with paclitaxel (Taxol) survived without the disease getting worse for almost twice as long as patients who received paclitaxel alone. The results were announced today at the 5th European Breast Cancer Conference (EBCC-5).

Full article

EMEA creating a pan-European drug database

According to a report in the British Medical Journal, the European Medicines Agency, is creating a comprehensive drug database that would make information about any drug on the market instantly accessible to European doctors and their patients. The database, which will be known as Eudrapharm, is designed to increase the transparency of the drug industry in the wake of the European Union's new drug legislation, which came into effect in October last year and which requires national regulatory bodies to make public the details of all drug licensing applications. The agency has also developed a tool called EudraVigilance, which allows drug companies to report adverse reactions to their national regulator online. The free database is expected to be up and running in an early form later this year. BMJ 2006;332:874

EMEA Website

20 Years after Chernobyl: Greenpeace rejects health toll (BBC, 18 April 2006)

The health effects of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster in Ukraine 20 years ago have been grossly under-estimated, according to Greenpeace. Official UN figures predicted up to 9,000 Chernobyl-related cancer deaths, but Greenpeace claim in a report that recent studies estimate the actual number of such deaths will be 93,000. You can view the report, which includes data on rates of thyroid cancer, by clicking on the link below.

Greenpeace Chernobyl Study (PDF)

Mutations and sequence variants in GDF9 and BMP15 in patients with premature ovarian failure

Paul Laissue, Sophie Christin-Maitre, Philippe Touraine, Frederique Kuttenn, Olli Ritvos, Kristiina Aittomaki, Nathalie Bourcigaux, Laetitia Jacquesson, Philippe Bouchard, Rene Frydman, Didier Dewailly, Anne-Celine Reyss, Luke Jeffery, Anne Bachelot, Nathalie Massin, Marc Fellous and Reiner A Veitia

BMP15 - expressed on the X-chromosome, and GDF9 - its autosomal homologue, are genes that encode soluble transforming growth factors and, in mammals, are specifically expressed in the oocytes. Mutations in these genes have the ability to alter fertility and have recently been associated with premature ovarian failure (POF). For example, in sheep, heterozygous mutations have been shown to cause hyperfertility by increasing the ovulation quota, while homozygous mutations lead to infertility. The specific actions and biological effects of mutations in these two genes vary between species.

To evaluate the role of BMP15 and GDF9 in humans with POF, Laissue and colleagues screened over 200 POF patients and over 50 women with normal fertility for mutations in these two genes. They identified two novel missense mutations, one in each gene, that are likely to influence ovarian phenotype, and hence fertility, although their frequency was relatively low.

These findings match those of previous smaller studies, providing further evidence that mutations in these two genes play a role in the development of POF, but cannot be considered a major cause of the disease.

EJE 154-5 pp739-744

Funding opportunities on the RDInfo website

www.rdinfo.org.uk

NORD/Roscoe Brady Lysosomal Storage Diseases Fellowships

The NORD (National Organisation for Rare Disorders)/ Roscoe Brady Lysosomal Storage Diseases Fellowships are designed to develop and support clinicians beginning their medical career that will specialise and focus on research, treatment and coordination of multidisciplinary care for people suffering with lysosomal storage diseases.

Closing Date: 01 May 2006
Contact: Stefanie Putkowski
Email: research@rarediseases.org

First Authored Student Award for Endocrinology and Molecular Endocrinology

The Endocrine Society presents awards for outstanding first authored student papers published in Endocrinology and Molecular Endocrinology. Awardees are selected from papers printed between January and December of the previous year. The Society notifies winners in April of each year. If your paper is eligible, please contact the managing editors at Endocrinology (endocrinology@endo-society.org) or Molecular Endocrinology (molendo@endo-society.org) with the manuscript number. For further details please see website. Closing date: Apply anytime.

Full details

Endocrine Society and Pfizer, Inc. Int. Award for Excellence in Published Clinical Research

The Endocrine Society, through the generous support of Pfizer, Inc., has established an annual award, "The Endocrine Society and Pfizer, Inc. International Award for Excellence in Published Clinical Research in JCE&M" for the best clinical research papers that appear in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCE&M). These annual awards are selected by jury for the four best clinical research papers published in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism in a given volume year. The selection and announcement of the winners for a given year will be made in March of the following year with the awards presented at the next Endocrine Society Annual Meeting. For more information, please contact the JCE&M editorial office at jcem@endo-society.org. Closing date: Apply anytime

Full details

Exploratory Grant Program in Diabetes Endocrinology and Metabolism

The intent of this initiative is to encourage researchers to apply novel technologies, develop new tools, biomarkers and model systems, and test innovative concepts of potential diagnostic and therapeutic relevance to diseases within their mission including diabetes and its complications, obesity, endocrine disorders including osteoporosis, cystic fibrosis and inborn errors of metabolism. http://www.rdfunding.org.uk/queries/ListGrantDetails.asp?GrantID=7214

Funding opportunities on the EUROPA website

Keep a look out for new opportunies on the EUROPA website: http://europa.eu.int/comm/research/endocrine/projects_opportunities_en.html

Call for proposals for Marie Curie Conferences and Training Courses

The Marie Curie Conferences and Training Courses aim to provide short-term training opportunities to allow researchers to network and keep abreast of the latest scientific developments in their field.

Closing Date: 17 May 2006 at 17.00 (Brussels local time)

Marie Curie Conferences and Training Courses (SCF/LCF)

Specialised Cooperative Centres Program In Reproduction And Infertility Research (U54)

The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) provides funding for a limited number of research centres in the reproductive sciences. These centres provide an arena for multidisciplinary interactions among basic and clinical scientists interested in establishing high quality programs in reproduction and infertility research. The centres will also serve as national resources for the training and career development of new scientists electing to pursue research in high priority areas of reproduction and infertility research. The purpose of this RFA is to announce the annual recompetition of the Specialized Cooperative Centres Program in Reproduction Research now called the Specialized Cooperative Centres Program in Reproduction and Infertility Research. The benefit of this activity will be to the infertile couples, their health-care providers, and the public.

Release Date: January 19, 2006
Expiration Date: August 12, 2006

European Science Federation Call for Proposals

The 2006 Call for Exploratory Workshops proposals is now available on the ESF web site at http://www.esf.org/workshops for workshops to be held between 1 January and 31 December 2007. The deadline for submitting proposals is 2 May 2006 (midnight CET). For the second year running, the European Science Foundation has issued a Call for EUROCORES Theme proposals - see http://www.esf.org/eurocores for full details and for a list of FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions). The deadline for submitting proposals is 1 June 2006 (midnight CET). The two following calls launched within the Magellan Workshop Series Research Networking Programme have also been announced: * Call for Short Visit Grants to attend the EuroForum 2006 & IODP Drilling Proposal Writing Workshop (http://www.essac.ecord.org/euroforum2006.php). The deadline for submitting applications is 21 April 2006. For more information visit the ESF website at http://www.esf.org/magellan. * ESF Call for Proposals for Magellan Series Workshops. The deadline for submitting proposals is 19 May 2006. For more information visit the ESF website at http://www.esf.org/magellan.

WADA 2006 Grants Application Deadline 26 May 2006

The 2006 deadline to submit research applications is May 26, 2006. Scientists interested in submitting their research projects are encouraged to review the 2006 Instructions and Research Topics located in the Download Center, and to contact Violet Maziar, science department assistant, at violet.maziar@wada-ama.org for further information.

Click here for more info

The Descartes Prizes 2006

CLOSING DATE: 04 May 2006 at 17.00 (Brussels local time) Aimed at identifying and showcasing the best European research, as well as the best ways to communicate science to the European public, prizes are awarded in Scientific collaborative research (€1,150,000) and Science communication (€275,000). Being awarded one of the prizes grants significant public recognition and media coverage to the best science projects performed through collaborative research, and to excellent examples of science communication. Submit your application via the Electronic Proposal Submission System (EPSS) using the link below.

Click here for full details

If you have any feedback on the content of the alert, email: jo.thurston@endocrinology.org

Please feel free to pass this email alert on to anyone you think may be interested.