Dear RPS members,

 

Since our last communication following the RPS functions at the USCAP 2008 in Denver, the minutes of the BOD and business meetings with the new members approved are now posted in the RPS website. A warm welcome goes to our new members in 2008: John Papadimitriou, Cinthia Drackenberg, Constantina Petraki, Nobuyuki Takahashi, Ibtesam A. Ammura, Candice A. Roufosse, Francesca Minnei, Kazuo Honda, Sekiko Taneda and Zaher Radi.

 

RPS members have travelled the world to speak at international renal pathology symposia.  These include the International IgA Nephropathy Network meeting April 6-8, hosted by Ian Roberts in Oxford, UK www.igan-world.org on the New  Classification for IgA nephropathy, the ERA/EDTA congress in Stockholm, May 10-13, 2008, http://www.eraedta2008.org, the 3^rd International Congress of Pathology in Barcelona, May 17-22, 2008 http:// www.3rdintercontinentalcongresspathology.org, and the “100th Kidney Pathology Conference in Central Taiwan – Meeting The International Experts" (attached group photo).

 

On the new international consensus classification for IgA nephropathy held in Oxford, UK, after considerable data analysis based on a pass-around of slides from  ~270 cases and correlation of the pathologic data with clinical outcomes (mainly the rate of decline of estimated creatinine clearance during the first 3 years post-biopsy), the components of the new classification were selected and the first draft of a manuscript presenting the new classification is being constructed by a writing committee including Ian Roberts, Mark Haas, Terry Cook, John Feehally, Dan Cottran, and Stephan Troyanov. 

 

The renal pathology symposium in Barcelona entitled Advances in Nephropathology was chaired by Drs. Eduardo Vazquez Martul, Dusan Ferluga and John Papadimitriou. The talks were presented by Helen Liapis, Dusan Ferluga, Cinthia Drachenberg, Julio Goldberg and E. Salido and F. Cañedo.  ~40 delegates from Europe, South America and the USA were present who contributed to the success of the symposium with insightful questions.  The organizers of the meeting, president professor Bombi and Eduardo Vasquez-Martul who hosted the renal pathology delegates, showed us the best of cultural Barcelona accompanied by unforgettable sites and culinary tastes of Catalan Spain. Attached is a view of this glorious city, Barcelona!

 

May 17^th, Lorraine Racusen, Cynthia Nast and Maria Picken travelled to Tajchung, Taiwan, to attend the 100th Kidney Pathology Conference. They were invited speakers at the “Meeting the International Experts” session and “Recent Advances in Glomerulonephritis - A Pathological Viewpoint”.  This conference was organized by Dr. Kuo-Hsiung Shu, Chief of the Division of Nephrology, Taichung Veterans General Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan. Maria Picken lectured on “Amyloidosis: where we are now and where we are heading?” Lorraine Racusen lectured on "IgA Nephropathy" and Cynthia Nast lectured on "Focal and segmental glomerulosclerosis - variants and pathogenesis".

The meeting was noted for a superb quality of presentations and a rich cultural program celebrating the achievements of the people of Taiwan. A commemorative photo from this meeting is attached.

 

May 22-24: Luis Salinas-Madrigal lectured on the “Value of renal biopsy with emphasis on Prevention” at the 2^nd Reunion of the National Association of Nephrology of Mexico, co-sponsored by the University of Alberta and the South & Latin American Association on Nephrology and Hypertension (SLANH), held at Queretario, Mexico.

 

June 4-6: Several RPS members attended the 7^th Podocyte Conference held in Toronto. http://www.podocyte.ca

 

Upcoming conferences:

 

End of June Lorraine Racusen will be going to Seoul, Taichung Veterans General Hospital for a conference on renal pathology.

 

July 6-11: The 14^th Ultrastructural Pathology Society meeting will be held in the island of Crete, Greece http://www.ultrapathxivcrete.com

 

October 12-17: The International Congress of the IAP will be held in Athens, Greece http://www.iap2008.com. There will be two short courses in renal pathology and a slide seminar as follows:

 

Tuesday October 14th 13.00-18.00pm.

 

Short Course: Advances in Systemic Vasculitides and Vasculopathies.

Chairs: J. Charles Jennette (USA) and Michael Mihatsch (Switzerland):

1. Kawasaki disease (Kei Takahashi, Japan)

2. ANCA vasculitis (J. Charles Jennette, USA)

3. Cryoglobulinemia (Michael Mihatsch, Switzerland)

4. Thrombotic microangiopathies and Preeclampsia (Agnes Fogo, USA)

 

The Slide Seminar to follow will be chaired by Charles Jennette and Kei Takahashi. Guillermo Herrera, Agnes Fogo, Charles Jennette, Kei Takahashi and Helen Liapis will discuss unique cases and review the literature.

 

Friday October 17, 7,30am – noon

 

Short Course on Medical and Transplant Kidney Pathology, is chaired by Eduardo Vasquez-Martul and John Papadimitriou. The speakers and topics are:

1. Lorraine Racusen: Recurrent glomerular disease in renal allografts.
2. Dusan Ferluga: Pathology of Fabry disease and iatrogenic phospholipidosis mimicking Fabry disease.
3. Helen Liapis: Molecular Pathology of Congenital Nephrotic Syndrome
4. Cinthia Drachenberg: Transplant glomerulopathy.
5. Volker Nickeleit: Viral infections in renal transplants.
6. J. Mosquera: Analysis of inflammatory infiltrates in renal transplants.
7. Banu Sis: Emerging molecular signatures of antibody mediated rejection in human renal allograft biopsies.
8. Heinz Regele: Humoral rejection: What the pathologist needs to know.

 

Many will take the opportunity to see the antiquities, or travel to the islands. The organizers offer plenty of tour choices. Attached is a preview of the Greek isles and mainland attractions. Those interested in more information on the city of Athens (my birthplace) not found in the IAP website, may check out the New York Times travel special May 4, 2008, Athens in 36 hours, at: http://travel.nytimes.com/2008/05/04/travel/04hours.html or www.athenswalkingtours.gr for walking tours to take you to places such as Plato’s Academy, the ancient Agora, or discover the secrets of the old city in the foot of the Acropolis. Some of the best museums are located on walking distance from the IAP conference center (Megaron Music Hall). These include, The National Gallery, located across from the Hilton Hotel, the Benaki Museum with exhibits of ancient, byzantine, post-Byzantine, Islamic and folk art, the Cycladitic Art and Byzantine Museum, all located in a row on Vassilissis Sofia Avenue, 10- minutes walk from the conference center. The National Archeological Museum on 44 Patission Street can be reached by a trolley that stops by the conference center. For a virtual map of Athens around the conference center go to Map Quest http://www.athensguide.com/map/athens.htm. Nearby sites worth a stroll: the parliament building and the national gardens, Kolonaki Square with its Art Deco, Neoclassical buildings, fancy boutiques and cafes. The Lykabettus Hill can be reached by a funicular it offers a panoramic view of Athens and has a good restaurant next to the white washed chapel of Saint George Lykabettus. If interested in restaurants close to the conference center, shopping and more obscure museum information e-mail me privately at liapis@path.wustl.edu

 

In November 4-9th, the RPS is participating in the ASN in Philadelphia http://www.asn-online.org.  Full details of the RPS sponsored symposia will be announced soon as well as location and time of the RPS sponsored reception.

 

The RPS program committee has submitted the program for our companion meeting to USCAP 2009 to be held Sunday Morning, March 8, 2009 in Boston. The Companion meeting moderators are: Tibor Nadasdy and Maria Picken. http://www.uscap.org

Invited speakers:

- Guillermo Herrera to talk on Nonamyloidotic monoclonal immunoglobulin deposition disease, Randall type

- Samih Nasr on Proliferative glomerulonephritis with monoclonal IgG deposits mimicking immune-complex glomerulonephritis

- Alan Solomon on Molecular diagnosis of amyloidosis and

- Franco Ferrario on Cryoglobulinemia related renal/glomerular changes.

 

The RPS International committee, Education and Program committees for 2009 are geared up feverishly, planning RPS symposia for 2009 and 2010 in conjunction with international pathology and nephrology societies. Our 5^th RPS-KUFA satellite conference will be held in Mexico City in April 2009. The president of IAP 2010 in Sao Paolo, Brazil, Marcello Franco, an RPS member, is planning a rich renal pathology program. Charlie Alpers is in charge of 20-hour Renal Pathology continuing education course within the WCN 2009 (world congress of nephrology) covering the whole spectrum of renal biopsy interpretation. http://www.wcn2009.org The meeting will be in Milan May 22-26, 2009. Details on these and other renal pathology conferences around the world will be sent to you later in the fall.

 

If you would like the RPS members to know about renal pathology functions in your area, please e-mail me or Dr. Suzanne Meleg-Smith, chair of the communications committee.

 

Wishing you all a breezy and fun summer,

With best wishes,

Helen Liapis, M.D.

RPS Secretary Treasurer