25th Congress of the APSR

Congress symposia

• Congress Symposium 1

  Current topics on clinical and basic aspects in COVID-19 in Asia-Pacific Region - 1

  Session summary: The pandemic of COVID-19 has dramatically changed the medical practice of pneumonia. COVID-19 must now be included in the differential diagnosis in daily practice. Through this pandemic, there have been remarkable therapeutic advances of novel respiratory tract infections, including new antimicrobial agents or respiratory management with ECMO. On the other hand, the pathogenesis of the varying degrees of pulmonary damage caused by SARS-CoV-2 has not been fully elucidated. This pulmonary damage is thought to interact with immune responses to viral mutations, vaccine, and possibly racial genetic differences. We hope that this symposium will help to deepen our understanding of COVID-19.

  Chairs: Philip Eng (Mt Elizabeth Hospital, Singapore)
  Yuji Fujikura (National Defense Medical College, Japan)

  1. Japan COVID-19 Task Force: a nation-wide consortium to elucidate host genetics of COVID-19
     Ho Namkoong (Keio University School of Medicine, Japan)
  2. Differential diagnosis of pneumonias in the COVID-19 era: insights from multicenter cohort study in Japan
     Isao Ito (Kyoto University, Japan)
  3. ECMO cohort study in Korea (tentative)
     Kuk-Hui Son (Gachon University Gil Medical Center, Gachon University, Republic of Korea)
  4. A multi-center study on the safety and efficacy of remdesivir for patients with moderate to severe COVID-19 in three hospitals in Indonesia
     Erlina Burhan (Indonesian Society of Respirology, Indonesia)

  Summary: Tomoo Kishaba (Okinawa Chubu Hospital, Japan)

• Congress Symposium 2

  Current topics on clinical and basic aspects in COVID-19 in Asia-Pacific Region -2

  Session summary: Humanity today is under threat due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. When we were first faced with this virus, we quickly began to fight back by developing vaccines and antiviral drugs. But the battle against the virus itself is not the only challenge posed by this pandemic. At this symposium, we will discuss a wide range of COVID-19 related topics. The effect of various comorbidities in COVID-19 patients is one of the most relevant topics for us at present. The extreme measures taken to curb the spread of the virus have also made it more difficult to treat patients with post-intensive care syndrome using the methods we have developed over the years. I hope that the comprehensive discussions held at this symposium will lead to further evolution in the way we diagnose and treat COVID-19.

  Chairs: Yuanlin Song (Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University Shanghai Respiratory Research Institute, Shanghai Key Laboratory of lung inflammation and injury, China)
  Hirofumi Chiba (Sapporo Medical University, Japan)

  1. Long-term effects of COVID-19 in a cohort with both community and hospital management
     Anthony Byrne (St Vincent’s Clinical School University of New South Wales, Australia)
  2. COVID-19 and interstitial pneumonia
     Takashi Ogura (Kanagawa Cardiovascular Respiratory Center, Japan)
  3. COVID-19 and Stress-induced asthma
     Shuichiro Maruoka (Nihon University, Japan)
  4. ABCDEF Bundle and Supportive ICU Practices for Patients With Coronavirus Disease 2019 Infection
     Keibun Liu (Critical Care Research Group, The Prince Charles Hospital, QLD, Australia)

  Summary: Makoto Ishii (Keio University School of Medicine, Japan)

• Congress Symposium 3

  Our Future [Part 1]: Gender equality and career development in medicine

  Session summary:　In this symposium, we will discuss the current situation of gender equality among medical students and doctors in Japan and what factors lead to a decrease in number of working female doctors. In addition, we will be informed of the efforts of the Educational Activities; MCC STEM（Male Champions of Change Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics）in Australia to promote gender bias and gender equality for men in senior positions, and the importance of the concept of “Fix the system”. The male doctor who actually received the system will talk about it.

  Chairs: Philip Bardin (Monash University and Medical Centre, Australia)
  Etsuko Tagaya (Tokyo Women's Medical University, Japan)

  1. Future we want in academia
     Mari Hikichi (Nihon University School of Medicine, Japan)
  2. Building our future: shaping a medical culture where both men and women can thrive
     Jane Latimer (University of Sydney, Australia)
  3. Gender equality in medicine - why we should all be champions for change
     Adam Andrew Castricum (Australasian College of Sport and Exercise Physicians, Australia / New Zealand)
  4. Creating organizations that promote gender equality and women's career development
     Masumi Takeuchi (Kobe University, Japan)

  Summary: Mary Sau-Man Ip (The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong)

• Congress Symposium 4

  Our future [Part 2]: Learn and apply sociology of the work environment

  Session summary: In Japan, where there is a shortage of respiratory specialists, the issue of how to recruit and retain young and newly qualifying doctors has become a challenge for many institutions. In this symposium, we will learn about how to solve this problem from experts in the work-life field. In recent years, approaches to resolving the dichotomy of work and life have shifted from work-life balance to work-life integration. In this symposium, we will think about how to aim for a happy and satisfying work style in job areas where telework is difficult.

  Chair: Hisako Matsumoto (Kindai University, Japan)

  1. Work-Life balance
     Katsuhiko Hirasawa (Nihon University College of Commerce, Japan)
  2. A study on Human Resources of Public Health in the Post-COVID Era
     Liu Li (The First Affiliated Hospital ChongQing Medical University, China)
  3. Women's career and work-life integration
     Tsuyako Nakamura (Doushisha University, Japan)
• Congress Symposium 5

  Think about refractory asthma; Treatment position of oral corticosteroids and biologics

  Session Summary: Advances in asthma treatment have brought many benefits for numerous patients afflicted with the condition. Biologics, in particular, reflect a major paradigm shift in the treatment of refractory asthma, enabling patients to wean themselves off steroids. Steroids had been the last resort in asthma treatment, but although they are often effective, many clinicians have been plagued by the problem of side effects. There are also instances when steroid resistance render the treatment ineffective. Biologics are expected to be a pioneering innovation in the field. In this lecture, I discuss the future of steroids as asthma treatment and the true value of biologics.

  Chairs: Christopher Lai (The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong)
  Koichi Fukunaga (Keio University School of Medicine, Japan)

  1. Pathophysiology of refractory asthma and goals to aim for
     Yasuhiro Gon (Nihon University School of Medicine, Japan)
  2. Clinical findings, problems and visions for OCS in the treatment of refractory asthma
     Fanny Wai San Ko (The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong)
  3. Current and future positioning of biologics in the treatment of refractory asthma
     Hiroto Matsuse (Toho University Ohashi Medical Center, Japan)

  Summary: Tamotsu Ishizuka (University of Fukui, Japan)

• Congress Symposium 6

  Progress and future directions for Immunotherapy for lung cancer

  Session summary: Immunotherapy play a central role in the treatment of lung cancer not only with advanced stage but also with early stage. A combination treatment of Immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) and other modalities including other ICI, cytotoxic drugs, anti-angiogenic inhibitors, radiation has dramatically prolonged overall survival. In this symposium, recent topics and future perspectives of immunotherapy will be presented and discussed by distinguished medical oncologists in Asian countries and US.

  Chairs: Chong-Kim Liam (University Malaya Medical Centre, Malaysia)
  Kazuhisa Takahashi (Juntendo University, Graduate School of Medicine, Japan)

  1. Current evidence of immune checkpoint inhibitors in the treatment of NSCLC
     Myung-Ju Ahn (Sungkyunkuan University, Republic of Korea)
  2. Current status of Immunotherapy
     Kentaro Tanaka (Kyusyu University, Japan)
  3. Future perspective of Immunotherapy
     Aaron S Mansfield (Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science, USA)

  Summary: Koichi Takayama (Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Japan)

• Congress Symposium 7

  Reconsideration of regulating eosinophils

  Session summary: Eosinophils are generally believed to play essential roles in the pathogenesis of certain allergic or inflammatory disorders. For example, anti-IL-5 treatments that selectively attenuate the number and functional status of eosinophils dramatically improve disease control of severe bronchial asthma with eosinophilia or eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis. Importantly, eosinophils can also release “resolving” mediators for allergic inflammation. In this symposium entitled “Reconsideration of regulating eosinophils”, the current understanding of the controlling mechanisms of eosinophilic inflammation and furthermore a variety of another aspects of eosinophil functions within pathological conditions will be discussed. We do hope this symposium will be inspiring and leading to further extension of eosinophil and allergy researches.

  Chairs: James G. Martin (McGill University, Canada)
  Makoto Nagata (Saitama Medical University, Japan)

  1. Asthma-mediated resolution of inflammatory rheumatoid arthritis via regulatory eosinophils
     Aline Bozec (Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg, University Hospital Erlangen, Germany)
  2. Eosinophils, airway nerves, and cough
     Akio Niimi (Nagoya City University, Japan)
  3. Inflammatory tissue-derived eosinophils
     Jun Miyata (National Defense Medical College, Japan)

  Summary: Akio Niimi (Nagoya City University, Japan)

• Congress Symposium 8

  Impact of environmental factor on respiratory system

  Session summary: Humans cannot live independently of the surrounding environment. The lungs are the most environmentally sensitive organs. It has been reported that changes in the surrounding environment, such as climate change and air pollution, have a significant impact on the respiratory system. In this symposium, we will be giving wonderful lectures on how climate change, air pollution, and the collapse of the World Trade Center affect human health, including the respiratory system. We believe that this symposium will lead to a better understanding of the effects of environmental changes on the respiratory system.

  Chairs: Anna Nolan (New York University School of Medicine, USA)
  Takafumi Suda (Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, Japan)

  1. Impact of climate change on human health
     Yasushi Honda (University of Tsukuba, Japan)
  2. Metabolomics of World Trade Center-Lung Injury: a machine learning approach
     Anna Nolan (New York University School of Medicine, USA)

  Summary: Nobukazu Fujimoto (Okayama Rosai Hospital, Japan)

• Congress Symposium 9

  Palliative care in respiratory diseases

  Chairs: David C Currow (University of Wollongong, Australia)
  Toru Tsuda (Kirigaoka Tsuda Hospital, Japan)

  1. Palliative oxygen for breathlessness
     David C Currow (University of Wollongong, Australia)
  2. Opioids for dyspnea in COPD
     Nicholas T Vozoris (University of Toronto, Canada)
  3. Palliative care in lung cancer
     Akira Inoue (Tohoku University School of Medicine, Japan)
  4. Palliative treatment in severe respiratory disease
     Magnus P Ekström (Lund University, Sweden)

  Summary: Ryo Tachikawa (Kobe City Medical Center General Hospital, Japan)

• Congress Symposium 10

  Telemedicine in respiratory care: current status and future

  Session summary: Telemedicine is now developing worldwide. The telemedicine system for continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) treatment under the health insurance system in Japan began in 2018 and was revised in 2020. At present, in the management of patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and obesity, telemonitoring BW and activity along with CPAP adherence and feedback on those data from health care providers can be an attractive strategy for controlling not only CPAP adherence but BW. These systems will develop into a new management system not only for OSA but for other chronic or acute disease conditions in the world. Indeed, telemedicine system is very attractive in this pandemic era. In this session, we will discuss the telemedicine systems at present from several aspects.

  Chairs: Chang-Keun Kim (Asthma and Allergy Center, Inje University Sanggye Paik Hospital, Republic of Korea)
  Kazuo Chin (Nihon University of Medicine, Japan)

  1. Tele-monitoring of CPAP in sleep disorders in Japan
     Toru Oga (Kawasaki medical university, Japan)
  2. The current situation of telemedicine in respiratory diseases in Korea
     Jung Yeon Shim (Kangbuk Samsung Hospital, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Republic of Korea)
  3. Current status of e-health for respiratory diseases in Taipei
     Chien-Hua Tseng (Taipei Medical University-Shuang-Ho hospital, Taiwan)
  4. Remote-Monitoring of Home Non-Invasive Ventilation
     Chris Carlin (NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde, UK)
• Congress Symposium 11

  Management of underlying diseases causing severe COVID-19

  Session summary: The COVID-19 pandemic has undoubtedly made the diagnosis and routine management of COPD more difficult. Reducing opportunity to the diagnose COPD, especially in the early stage may have a negative impact on the long-term prognosis. On the other hand, there is evidence of a fall in hospitalization rates for COPD during the pandemic. This was not accompanied by an increase in deaths from COPD, and reductions in primary care consultations for exacerbations of COPD. Understanding the factors responsible for this may provide lessons for our future management strategies for COPD.

  Chairs: Ngo Quy Chau (Tam Anh General hospital, Vietnam)
  Kazuto Matsunaga (Yamaguchi University, Japan)

  1. Working diagnosis and initial management of COPD during the COVID-19 pandemic
     Yoko Shibata (Fukushima Medical University School of Medicine, Japan)
  2. New Strategic Approach to COPD management
     Ian A Yang (The Prince Charles Hospital and The University of Queensland, Australia)
  3. Management of COPD in COVID-19 pandemic
     Digambar Behera (Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, and Fortis Health Care, India)

  Summary: Kazuhisa Asai (Osaka City University, Japan)

• Congress Symposium 12

  To end tuberculosis epidemic in global

  Session summary:Ending the tuberculosis (TB) epidemic by 2030 is among the health targets of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. In 2020, an estimated 10 million people fell ill with TB worldwide, and a total of 1.5 million people died from TB. The largest number of new cases of TB occurred in South-East Asian Region, accounting for 43% of the total in 2020. Therefore, the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of TB has become a very important issue in APSR countries. At this symposium, four speakers will provide the latest topics on TB, including latent TB infection. We look forward to the participation of many members.

  Chairs: Erlina Burhan (Indonesian Society of Respirology, Indonesia)
  Takeshi Kaneko (Yokohama City University, Japan)

  1. Global scale-up of tuberculosis preventive treatment: progress, challenges and recommended actions
     Dennis Falzon (World Health Organization, Global TB Programme, Switzerland)
  2. Treatment for latent tuberculosis infection in low- and middle-income countries: progress and challenges with implementation and scale-up.
     Erlina Burhan (Indonesian Society of Respirology, Indonesia)
  3. Community-wide Screening for Tuberculosis in a High-Prevalence Setting
     Jennifer Ann M Wi (Lyceum Northwestern FQ Duque College of Medicine, Philippines)
  4. Emerging concerns about latent tuberculosis infection in the COVID-19 era
     Nobuaki Kobayashi (Yokohama City University Graduate School of Medicine, Japan)

  Summary: Toshiaki Kikuchi (Niigata University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Japan)

• Congress Symposium 13

  Single-cell analysis symposium

  Session summary: In this symposium, we will introduce the most advanced technologies that can contribute to the development of medical research, such as single cell technology and intelligent image technology. In recent years, these technologies have made remarkable progress, and new technologies are able to improve our understanding of various respiratory diseases. Innovative technologies are expected to reveal how diseases develop, what kind of cells induce diseases, and effective therapeutic targets. We hope this symposium will provide you with useful new technologies for your research.

  Chairs: Martijn C Nawijn (University Medical Center Groningen, Netherlands)
  Kazuyo Moro (Osaka University, Japan)

  1. The Human Lung Cell Atlas
     Martijn C Nawijn (University Medical Center Groningen, Netherlands)
  2. Single-Platelet Analysis in COVID-19
     Keisuke Goda (University of Tokyo, Japan)
  3. Single-cell analysis and the innate lymphoid cells
     Kazuyo Moro (Osaka University and RIKEN Center for Integrative Medical Sciences, Japan)

  Summary: Takuji Suzuki (Chiba University, Japan)

• Congress Symposium 14

  Current topics and future perspectives in Asian Pacific Region

  Session summary: In this symposium, we deal with hot topics in the field of respiratory medicine, such as lung cancer, interstitial pneumonia, and COPD. Clinical outcomes of these smoking-related diseases used to be poor, however, pharmacological treatments for them are rapidly evolving recently. For example, precision medicine is ongoing for lung cancer, and antifibrotic therapy is now standard treatment for progressive fibrosing ILD including IPF. We expect to learn both basic research and clinical development about these diseases. Cutting-edge knowledge and future perspective will be presented by the distinguished speakers in Asia.

  Chairs: Faisal Yunus (University of Indonesia - Persahabatan Hospital, Indonesia)
  Kazuma Kishi (Toho University Medical Center Omori Hospital, Japan)

  1. Lung cancer
     Fariz Nurwidya (Universitas of Indonesia, Indonesia)
  2. Treatment of Cancer associated thrombosis
     Jin Zhang (General Hospital of Ningxia Medical University, China)
  3. Interstitial pneumonia
     Jin Jin (Beijing Hospital, China)
  4. COPD
     Tomotaka Kawayama (Kurume University School of Medicine, Japan)

  Summary: Yasunari Miyazaki (Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Japan)