Bulletin Board

COURSES, MEETINGS, ANNOUNCEMENTS

INCAP: 50 Years in Support of food and nutrition in Central America
Scientific-Technical Meeting
6-8 September 1999 in Guatemala City

The Institute of Nutrition of Central America and Panama - INCAP, a specialized nutrition center of the Pan American Health Organization, is celebrating 50 years of dedicated work towards the improvement of the food and nutrition situation in Central America and (since 1998) in the Dominican Republic.

INCAP is hosting a Scientific-Technical Meeting during 6-8 September, 1999 in Guatemala City at Hotel Camino Real.

This meeting will highlight INCAP's contribution to the field of food and nutrition, identify needs and priorities for improvement of the food and nutrition situation in the region for the coming millennium, and promote partnerships, alliances and networking among participants. Major topics to be addressed include: nutritional requirements and recent advances; management and prevention of malnutrition of women and children; prevention and control of micronutrient deficiencies; food and nutrition security at the local level, for disaster preparedness and for related environmental concerns; and food and nutrition education. Throughout 1999 the Institute has been organizing a series of scientific and technical forums in the region.

For further information contact: Maggie Fischer, INCAP at [email protected]

The 17^th Annual Leeds Course in Clinical Nutrition
7-10 September 1999 in Leeds

The Department of Medicine, St. James's University Hospital and School of Continuing Education at the University of Leeds in the United Kingdom will be offering its annual course in clinical nutrition from 7-10 September 1999. The four day course will include issues in basic nutrition; clinical states associated with nutritional problems; nutritional treatment; diabetes, lipids and obesity; gut disorders; and a mini-symposium on dietary intervention. As in previous years, there will be an exhibition of related products from the pharmaceutical, equipment and food industries. Accommodation is available at Trinity and All Saints College. The fee for the entire course, which includes all meals and the social programme each evening, is £415. Enrolment is limited.

For further information contact: Ms Samantha Armitage, CVE Unit, School of Continuing Education, CE Building. Springfield Mount, Leeds LS2 9NG: tel: 0113 233 3241/3236; fax: 0113 233 3240; email: [email protected]

International Food Trade Beyond 2000
11-15 October 1999 in Melbourne. Australia

An international conference on International Food Trade Beyond 2000, organized by FAO in co-operation with WHO and WTO, and hosted by The Commonwealth of Australia and The State of Victoria, will be held from 11-15 October 1999 at the Sofitel Hotel in Melbourne. One objective of the conference will be to enhance the capacity of developing countries both to enjoy the benefits they accrued on signing the Uruguay Round Agreements in 1994 and to fulfil their commitments. The conference will address how food quality and safety issues affect trade, health and development at both domestic and international levels. Pointing the way from 2000 onwards, it will take into account previous recommendations, current needs in the field of food trade, the Uruguay Round Agreements, and the forthcoming round of WTO negotiations. The outcome of the conference is expected to generate coherent recommendations on scientifically based approaches to promoting better quality and safer foods in domestic and international trade.

Specific objectives include: to identify and review advances in food science and emerging technologies that have, or may have, an impact on food quality and standards; to examine the scientifically based factors and decisions that limit or promote the implementation of food quality and safety regulations; to provide guidance and recommendations on future directions in food quality and safety for the benefit of FAO, WHO, WTO, national governments, industry, consumers, academia and the Codex Alimentarius Commission; to consider the implications that recent developments in nutrition, environmental concerns and cultural and consumer aspects will have for food quality and food standards; to prepare strategies that allow developing countries to identify their priorities in the implementation of food quality and safety regulations; and to recommend an overall strategy in which countries may obtain harmonization, equivalence or mutual recognition related to the control of food quality and safety. Participants will include government representatives, observers from international organizations, and selected international experts and resource persons. The conference will be conducted in English, French and Spanish.

For further information contact: G. Orriss, Chief, Food Quality & Standards Service, Food & Nutrition Division, FAO, Viale delle Terme di Caracalla 00100 Rome, Italy; tel: (+39) 06 570 52042; fax: (+39) 06 570 54593; email: [email protected]

International Symposium on Obesity and Hypertension
Genetics and Molecular Mechanisms
28-30 October 1999 in Berlin

The International Symposium on Obesity and Hypertension: Genetics and Molecular Mechanisms will be held from 28-30 October 1999 in Berlin at the Freie UniversitBerlin. Obesity is not only the most widespread, but probably also the most important risk factor for the development of "essential" hypertension. Weight gain is generally associated with a rise in blood pressure, whereas weight reduction will markedly lower blood pressure in the majority of hypertensive patients. Although this relationship has been well documented, the pathophysiological mechanisms linking body weight to blood pressure remain poorly understood.

Advances in molecular genetics and cell biology are rapidly expanding our understanding of the function of the adipocyte and are helping to unravel the intricate relationships between local factors generated in adipose tissue, central mechanisms, endocrine and renal function in the eitology of obesity-related hypertension. The aim of this symposium is to bring together leading experts from the fields of obesity and hypertension to share ideas and findings on the relationship between these entities. We anticipate that a better understanding of the genetic and molecular mechanisms underlying this syndrome, together with the pharmacological advances in the treatment of obesity, insulin resistance, and hypertension, will directly contribute to improving the management of patients with obesity-related hypertension.

For further information contact: Arya Sharma at Universitklinikum Benjamin Franklin, Hindenburgdamm 30, D-12200 Berlin; tel: (++49 30) 84 45 2651; fax: (++49 30) 84 45 4235;

Internet: http://www.medizin.fu-berline.de/nephro/ISOH99; email: [email protected]

Breastfeeding: Education for Life
1-7 August 1999 World Breastfeeding, Week

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The World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action (WABA) invites you to join more than 120 countries around the globe in the World Breastfeeding week celebrations during 1-7 August 1999. This year the theme is "Breastfeeding: Education for Life. Though this theme, WABA aims to heighten awareness in every country and at every level of the educational system about the significance of breastfeeding, particularly to the physical and intellectual development of the child.

WABA believes that integrating pro-breastfeeding knowledge and skills into the instructional process deserves attention in all formal and informal educational settings. Although there is widespread interest in improving educational content, the importance of breastfeeding to society and the benefits of breastmilk for children are rarely taught. Educators are often unaware of the role breastfeeding plays in ecology, economics and sociology. In an attempt to address this shortcoming, WABA has produced a series of publications targeted for different age groups: coloring and comic books for children, postcards, a calendar, a poster, and an action folder and banner.

For further information contact: WABA, P. 0. Box 1200, 10850 Penang, Malaysia; tel: +80 4 658 4816; fax: +60 4 657 2655; Internet http://www.elogica.com.br/waba; email: [email protected]

The Nutrition Society Offers Reduced Membership Fees

The Nutrition Society is a respected and energetic society concerned with nutrition issues. It was established in 1941 to "advance the scientific study of nutrition and its application to the maintenance of human and animal health". Membership is open to nutritionists world-wide. The Society publishes four journals: Proceedings of the Nutrition Society, Nutrition Society Reviews; Public Health Nutrition; and the British Journal of Nutrition. Membership of the Society is open to any suitably qualified person whose work, in the opinion of the Council, has contributed to, or is calculated to contribute to, scientific knowledge of nutrition, or its application to the maintenance of human and animal health.

As part of its support for overseas members, the Society is offering reduced annual subscription rates to members from countries define by the UN as 'least developed'. This rate is for members from those countries who only receive a local salary or equivalent, and whose employer or funder is not prepared to pay the full subscription rate.

Membership fees for 1999 are: full members £45, student members £10, and members from least developed countries' £10. Membership forms are available from Rodney Warwick, Secretary to the Council, The Nutrition Society, 10 Cambridge Court, 20 Shepherds Bush Road, London W6 7NJ, UK; Internet: http://www.nutsoc.org.uk