BMS YIS 2013: Thank you from the organisers!

Thank you to everyone who attended Aprils Early Career Investigators Symposium on 'Advances in Microcirculation', the outstanding talks and scientific discussions showed that there is an exciting future for microcirculation research in the UK. The symposium covered topics ranging from angiogenesis to inflammation and vessel permeability, investigating physiological and pathological aspects of the functioning microvessels. We were overwhelmed by the mature and confident selected oral communications given by early career investigators ranging from first year PhD students to young post-docs. Not only were the talks well paced and informative, the scientific questions that followed demonstrated a clear understanding and thirst for knowledge. This was also evident in the poster session where discussions continued and collaborations began to form, the high standard making prize selection a difficult process.

As organisers we would like to thank everyone who attended for making it a successful meeting. The engaging conversations throughout the day and well into the evening showed the young investigators are continuing the traditions of senior members, both it terms of microcirculation research and excessive consumption of alcohol!

Although the first meeting of its kind we trust this will not be its last!

Kind regards,

Melissa, Claire and Alessio

Thoughts from the BMS President: Stuart Egginton

The recent BMS Young Investigators Symposium organised by Melissa, Claire & Alessio was a great success, deemed to be ‘the best value for money conference I've ever been to’ by one delegate! Attendance was from far and wide, including a student all the way from Moscow. The talks covered a broad range of topics and were all well presented. With few senior colleagues present the speakers, chairs of sessions, and audience seemed more relaxed which encouraged some really good discussion around excellent science. On this evidence, the future of microcirculation is in good hands!

Lots of competitive prizes were handed out, and hopefully the opportunity for networking will produce tangible results in the future. There certainly appears to be an appetite for a repeat of this format of meeting at some point, with potential organisers showing interest which is encouraging. In addition to the hard work of the organisers, we are indebted to Donald Singer who gave welcome local support. Registration costs were kept to a minimum by generous support from the British Heart Foundation, the British Pharmacological Society, the Company of Biologists, the Physiological Society, and the Richard Bright VEGF Research Trust, complementing core support by the BMS and the exhibitors (Moor Instruments and PromoCell). Please visit the meeting blog site (http://bms-yis2013.blogspot.co.uk/) for some reflections and meeting pictures.

To see you list of prize winners visit the meeting blogsite at the following link:

http://bms-yis2013.blogspot.co.uk/

Merry Christmas from the BMS president

Dear all,

2012 has been a good year for the BMS, with closer ties to sister societies, adoption of Microcirculation as ‘our’ journal, and a very successful annual meeting in Oxford. Next year promises to be just as exciting!

We start with a variation on our annual meeting, with an Early Career Investigator symposium next April (http://www.microcirculation.org.uk/assets/BMS2013poster-251012.pdf), which I hope all our postgrad and postdoc members will attend. There is a great programme arranged, and a smashing venue. Abstract deadline 31^st Jan.

You must book a slot in your diary for the IUPS meeting in July (http://www.iups2013.org/) at which the BMS will have a large presence, sponsoring a number of events. We will hold our AGM there, so please help support your society by promoting our activities. As the national society, we shall be acting as hosts for the ESM/EVBO components (http://www.microcirculation.org.uk/27esm7evbo/index.html), which means there will be many symposia that will appeal to our members interests. Deadline for abstracts is again 31^st Jan.

We will pass on more news in the coming months, but it just remains to wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Stuart Egginton

BMS President

President’s post-meeting blog

I would like to say a big ‘thank you’ to all whose strenuous efforts ensured that this year’s joint meeting between the BMS and MCS was such a success. In particular, Chris Garland and his team are to be congratulated on organising an excellent scientific programme and great social events in such a lovely setting. It was very pleasing to see record numbers of attendees, posters and exhibitors – all very positive signs for the future of our discipline. We greatly appreciate the support of MCS officers in promoting closer links between our societies, and it was highly appropriate that we were able to celebrate adopting a common journal (with the enthusiastic support of both memberships) in this manner. A special issue of Microcirculation to celebrate this will appear shortly. Of course we can’t stand still, and many interesting discussions were had about possible ways forward and new ventures, and thanks to Donald Singer we had interviews with plenary lecturers posted on the web during the meeting (hopefully the first wave of an enhanced public image for the society). Watch this space for more news!

Best wishes,

Stuart Egginton

MicroCirc2012, Keble College: Oral and Poster Presentations

MicroCirc2012 was a truly excellent conference, held at Keble College, Oxford from 4^th-6^th July.  It was organised by Chris Garland on behalf of The British Microcirculation Society and The Microcirculatory Society and ran incredibly smoothly, with most delegates staying in college and enjoying the facilities there, including two excellent dinners.

As well as the interesting and informative plenary and key note lectures from experts in the field of microcirculation there were 30 short oral communications, many of which were given by early career scientists including intercalating medics and PhD students. These oral communications were very well attended and each presentation was followed by a very lively discussion session which greatly added to the import of the conference, and the positive experience of all involved.  Early career scientists/clinicians were eligible for the best oral presentation award which was judged by a panel of experts from both societies and was awarded as follows:

Living Systems Best Oral Presentation award: Dr Andrew Salmon (University of Bristol). Altered endothelial glycocalyx links albuminuria and widespread vascular dysfunction.

The poster sessions of the conference were particularly lively and interactive, with 124 posters displayed over the three day period.  There was a great atmosphere in all poster sessions with people coming together to discuss numerous different aspects of the microcirculation; from angiogenesis, endothelial progenitor/stem cells, calcium channels, cardiovascular disease, cancer, and pregnancy to name just a few. Everyone was able to discuss their posters with experts in the field providing a great opportunity for the early career investigators to gain feedback on their research and to learn about other aspects of the microcirculation or diseases associated with it. As a reflection of these wonderful poster sessions, all posters from early career researchers were judged by experts from both societies and several prizes were awarded as follows:

BMS Poster Prize 1: Rhiannon Baggot (University of Wolverhampton, UK). VEGF-induced angiogenesis is negatively regulated by the plasma membrane calcium ATPase.

BMS Poster Prize 2: Sebastian Oltean (University of Bristol, UK). VEGF₁₆₅b slows diabetic nephropathy progression in type 1 diabetes rodent models.

Terence Ryan Best Clinical Poster: Augusto Montezano (Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Canada). Aldosterone-induces vascular pro-inflammatory and fibrotic effects through Nox1-dependent mechanisms independently of blood pressure changes.

Wiley Blackwell Poster Prize: Timea Beleznai (University of Oxford, UK).  Pressure-dependent role for TRPV4 channels in modulating spontaneous endothelial cell calcium events in rat cremasteric arterioles.

Moor Instruments Innovation in Technology Prize: James Bell (Peninsula College of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Exeter, UK). Structural Changes in Loaded Blood Vessels.

Congratulations to all who took part in both the oral and poster presentations for helping to make this a wonderful conference for all who attended. Thank you also to all judges for helping to award prizes to our excellent early career scientists.  We look forward to seeing you all at future BMS and associated conferences.


Kindly written by Dr Carolyn Staton.

BMS MCS Joint Meeting - Keble College, Oxford

Dear all,

I would like to encourage you all to attend our next meeting in Oxford. This is a joint meeting with the BMS and MCS, and a good opportunity to celebrate our societies developing relationship, kicking off with a 4th July celebration! It  promises to be a great event in a really good setting, covering the topics that will appeal to many areas of microcirculation and vascular biology. There are grants available for BMS and MCS student members to attend. Please sign up to stay in the conference venue, Keble College. The cost represents a good deal for such an historical site within the city, and includes all meals as well as the conference dinner in a lovely old college. All speakers and officers of the societies will be staying there so it will be a good venue for networking. The BMS has had to underwrite cost of accommodation, meaning your society will have to pay for empty rooms, so please support your committee & local organisers and help to fill it!

The deadline for abstract submission is end of this month, one week to go, so there is still time to arrange your latest ideas and join the fun.

We are really excited about adopting Microcirculation as our nominated journal, and look forward to closer links between BMS and MCS as a result. Breaking news! I have just learned that the Australia and New Zealand Microcirculation Society are joining us as co-sponsors of the journal, so our international family continues to expand!!

As another busy term draws to a close, I hope you manage to have a restful break. Happy Easter!

Stuart Egginton

Update on the Joint BMS and MCS Meeting

We are very pleased to announce that each of the major lectures to be delivered at the upcoming Joint Meeting of the British Microcirculation Society and the Microcirculatory Society, Inc., in Oxford, UK from 4-6 July 2012 will be compiled into a Special Commemorative Issue of Microcirculation. Each of the outstanding investigators listed below has agreed to submit a review article based on their lecture, and we believe that this represents an excellent opportunity to highlight not only the joint meeting, but also the new partnership between our two societies and their official journal. Listed below are the invited speakers and their lecture titles.

DMT Plenary Lecture
David D. Gutterman, MD; Medical College of Wisconsin, USA

‘Mechanisms of Flow-Induced Dilation in the Human Coronary Microcirculation: A Novel Pathway Linking TRP Channels, Reactive Oxygen Species and Potassium Channels’

Wiley-Blackwell Plenary Lecture

Dorian O. Haskard, MD; Imperial College London, UK

‘Fine Tuning the Regulation of Inflammation and Thrombosis at the Blood-Tissue Interface.’

PromoCell Plenary Lecture

Giovanni E. Mann, PhD; King’s College London, UK

‘Impaired Redox Signaling in Fetal Endothelial Cells in Pregnancy-Associated Diseases’

Keynote Symposium Lectures

Keith Channon, MD; University of Oxford, UK 

‘Coupling NO with Vascular Dysfunction.’

Timothy Curtis, Ph.D.; The Queen’s University of Belfast, UK 

‘Ca2+Signalling and the Control of Arteriolar Myogenic Tone.’

Kim Dora, Ph.D.; University of Oxford, UK

‘Endothelial Cell Microdomains and Conducted Vasodilatation.’

Michael A. Hill, Ph.D.; University of Missouri – Columbia, USA

‘Regional Variation in Arterial Myogenic Responsiveness and Links to Ion Channel Diversity/Function Conducted Responses in the Microcirculation.’

Mark T. Nelson, Ph.D.; University of Vermont, USA 

‘Astrocytic Control of the Brain Microcirculation.’

Steven S. Segal, Ph.D.; University of Missouri – Columbia, USA 

‘Intercellular Coordination of Blood Flow Control.'

Rhian M. Touyz, MD, Ph.D.; University of Glasgow, UK

‘Between TRP Melastatin Channels and NOXs – Implications in Vascular (Patho)biology.

Arthur Weston, Ph.D., D.Sc.; University of Manchester, UK

‘Role of Perivascular Adipose Tissue in the Regulation of the Microcirculation.’

We all look forward to seeing you in Oxford in July, 2012! 

Merry Christmas Coronary: Maintaining the Festive Flow

greenseeds.org.uk

With Christmas just around the corner do you wonder the effects of the festive season on your microcirculation? Whilst Santa Claus appears to manage a mince pie and glass of sherry at each of the 1.6 billion households he visits worldwide, it has become apparent that our arteries might not be quite so tolerant. In 2004 Phillips and colleagues published a study in Microcirculation showing an increase in cardiac deaths during the holiday season, they describe two discrete peaks in cardiac death—one at Christmas and one at New Year. So what causes this coronary Christmas phenomenon? There are many possibilities, for example the colder weather associated with this time of year, increased emotional stress or even reduced levels of healthcare. Perhaps the most obvious cause is overindulgence. Christmas is often associated with calorific gluttony – Christmas pudding with ample supplies of sherry, chocolate by the bucket load and of course the customary Bucks fizz at breakfast poses the question: is all this food leading us towards a microvascular meltdown? Well it appears not all Christmas customs are bad for you. Brussels spouts, fabled as a mother’s way of getting even with her children during the festive season, are a cruciferous vegetable. They are reputed to have anti-cancer properties in addition to being rich in fiber, folic acid and vitamins A and C. Furthermore, a 1998 study by Staack and colleagues identified an influence of Brussels sprouts on phase II detoxification enzyme up-regulation. So whilst it appears that much of Christmas could be bad news for your coronary vessels, Brussels sprouts should be more than just a mother’s revenge.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15596560

By Melissa Gammons