The Journal Symposium
EACH year at the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) Annual Meeting in October, Anesthesiology sponsors a special Journal Symposium to highlight recent work in an area that is important to both the science and the practice of our specialty. Specific areas of focus in the past have included awareness during anesthesia, the biology of sleep, acute respiratory failure, preconditioning against ischemia and reperfusion injury, pharmaco genomics and anesthesia, plasticity in postoperative pain, and, in 2006, postoperative cognitive dysfunction. The Symposium typically features three or four invited lectures by international experts within and outside our specialty, as well as a formal poster session. The posters are selected by a group of Anesthesiology editors from all of the thousands of abstracts submitted to the meeting.
The Journal Symposium for October 2007 is entitled
“Diabetes, Obesity, and the Metabolic Syndrome”
There is a growing epidemic of obesity in developed nations, and with it, an increasing prevalence of the metabolic syndrome and type II diabetes. Perioperative risk due to cardiovascular, renal, cerebrovascular, and respiratory manifestations of obesity and diabetes is known to be increased, but the mechanisms responsible are not entirely clear. Best management strategies for these conditions are as yet undefined. Many questions remain unanswered. Is the metabolic syndrome or obesity alone a marker for increased perioperative risk? What are the best techniques for managing intraoperative and postoperative blood glucose concentrations in patients with insulin resistance? What should be the goal of glycemic management? What are the roles of pharmacologic therapies such as statins, insulin sensitizers, beta blockers, and antihypertensives to mitigate risk? What is the role of the anesthesiologist in intervening in the perioperative period to decrease long-term patient risk? Do specific anesthetic techniques provide greater benefit in obese and diabetic patients?
Investigators from around the world with an interest in this subject are encouraged to submit their work to the ASA for the Annual Meeting. Abstracts from both basic and clinical sciences are encouraged. Studies examining or evaluating mechanisms of end organ damage in obesity, the metabolic syndrome, or diabetes; intraoperative factors influencing postoperative outcome; interventional trials; or epidemiology—as well as basic laboratory studies regarding the broad subject of organ biology and protection during obesity, the metabolic syndrome, or diabetes—are particularly welcome. Abstracts will be selected for inclusion in the Symposium by organizers Judy R. Kersten, M.D., of the Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and David O. Warner, M.D., of the Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota. Abstracts should be submitted via the usual on-line process (which can be accessed via the Web sites www.asahq.organd www.anesthesiology.org). Interested individuals should be sure to check the special box for Journal Symposium to be considered for inclusion in this special Symposium poster discussion. The deadline for abstract submission is April 2, 2007. The authors of abstracts that are selected for the Symposium will also be offered an opportunity to submit their work to Anesthesiology for inclusion in the special Symposium issue to be published in 2008.
Journal/ASCCA Critical Care Oral Presentation Session
Anesthesiology, in conjunction with the American Society of Critical Care Anesthesiologists (ASCCA), is pleased to announce a special session at the 2007 American Society of Anesthesiologists Annual Meeting in San Francisco, California.
This forum will serve two purposes. The first is to highlight new and innovative research in Critical Care Medicine. To this end, the session will feature (with posters) six oral presentations followed by brief discussions led by Brian P. Kavanagh, M.B., B.S.C., M.R.C.P., F.R.C.P., F.F.A.R.C.S. (HON), Professor and Chair, Department of Anesthesia, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and Clifford S. Deutschman, M.S., M.D., F.C.C.M., Professor of Anesthesiology, Critical Care and Surgery, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Investigators involved in all types of research, including but not limited to basic science, clinical investigations, outcomes-based studies, epidemiology, and safety-oriented investigations, are suitable for consideration. A group from the ASA Subcommittee on Critical Care who are ASCCA members will select the posters for presentation at this session.
The second purpose is to provide a lecture on “Translational Research” by Dr. Clifford S. Deutschman. Together, these presentations foster our goal of demonstrating the importance of Critical Care Medicine and its role in the practice of anesthesiology.
Abstracts should be submitted on-line to the ASA Annual Meeting using the standard online process (which can be accessed via the Web sites www.asahq.organd www.anesthesiology.org). Select Critical Care as the major subject area to be considered for inclusion in this special session. In addition, authors should notify the Anesthesiology Editorial Office via e-mail (editorial-office@anesthesiology.org) regarding their interest in being considered for this session. The deadline for abstract submission is April 2, 2007.
The authors of selected abstracts will also be offered an opportunity to submit their work to Anesthesiology, for inclusion in a special issue to be published in 2008.
Journal/SOAP Obstetric Care Oral Presentation Session
Anesthesiology and the Society for Obstetric Anesthesia and Perinatology (SOAP) are extremely interested in highlighting new and innovative research in the field of obstetric anesthesia. We are therefore jointly organizing a special session during the ASA's Annual Meeting, October 13–17, 2007, in San Francisco, California.
This will be an oral presentation session (without posters). A committee consisting of journal editors and representatives of SOAP will select the abstracts and presenters for this session. Authors will then be invited to prepare a formal 10-min oral presentation of their work. Experts in the appropriate areas will be invited to participate in the discussion of each presentation. Our goal is to gather as many individuals with an interest in obstetric anesthesia as possible to participate in this session and to present the most innovative laboratory and clinical research available today.
Abstracts should be submitted online to the ASA Annual Meeting using the standard on-line process (which can be accessed via the Web sites www.asahq.organd www.anesthesiology.org). Select Obstetric Anesthesia as the major subject area. In addition, authors should notify the Anesthesiology Editorial Office via e-mail (editorial-office@anesthesiology.org) regarding their interest in being considered for the specific session. The deadline for abstract submission is April 2, 2007.
The authors of abstracts that are selected for the Journal/SOAP session will also be offered an opportunity to submit their work to Anesthesiology for inclusion in a special issue to be published in 2008.
We look forward to seeing many of our fellow researchers and clinicians at these three valuable and interesting sessions. An announcement regarding abstracts and speakers, as well as the location, date, and time, will appear in the September 2007 issue of Anesthesiology.