Correspondence:
Editor‐in‐Chief, Brain Pathology
Arie Perry, MD
University of California, San Francisco (UCSF)
Department of Pathology, Division of
Neuropathology
505 Parnassus Avenue, #M551, Box# 0102
San Francisco, CA 94143
Ph: 415‐476‐5236 or 415‐476‐4961
Fax: 415‐476‐7963
E‐mail: Arie.Perry@ucsf.edu
President
Prof Herbert Budka
Institute of Neuropathology
University Hospital Zürich
Schmelzbergstrasse 12
CH‐8091 Zürich
Switzerland
E‐mail: herbert.budka@meduniwien.ac.at
Secretary General
Dr David Hilton
Department of Cellular and Anatomical
Pathology
Derriford Hospital
Plymouth PL6 8DH
United Kingdom
Fax: +44‐175‐2763590
E‐mail: davidhilton@nhs.net
Treasurer
Prof Markus Tolnay
Institute of Pathology, Division of
Neuropathology
Schoenbeinstrasse 40
CH‐4003 Basel
Switzerland
Fax: +41‐61‐265‐3194
E‐mail: mtolnay@uhbs.ch
Project Secretary
Dr Homa Adle‐Biassette
Inserm U676, Université Paris Diderot
Hôpital Robert Debré
48 Bd Sérurier
75019 Paris
France
Fax: +33‐1‐40031995
E‐mail: homa.adle@inserm.fr
We are now very close to the beginning of one of the major scientific events in the Neuropathology Calendar. So I am pleased to present a brief insight into the background and state of organization of the XVIIIth International Congress of Neuropathology, ICN 2014, that will be held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on September 14–18. This will be the first time that the Congress has been hosted in Latin America, organized by Brazilian and Argentinian Neuropathologists, with contributions from a highly qualified international Scientific Committee. The organizers and committee have worked very hard to produce a very successful program with highly distinguished lecturers that we hope will be complemented by a lively and friendly atmosphere in the setting of a wonderful landscape and enjoyable social events.
The Scientific Program covers the full range of interest and promotes the exchange of expertise between the various areas of neuropathology and neuroscience, including neurologists, neurosurgeons, neuro‐oncologist, neuroradiologists, geneticists, basic neuroscientists and others, who will certainly contribute their expertise to the diagnosis and treatment of patients.
Outstanding conferences on tumors and neurodegenerative disease will open the Congress late on the afternoon of Sunday 14th September. This will follow a whole‐day pre‐congress symposium that is entirely devoted to the discussion of pediatric brain tumors during which experts will offer their insights, particularly on tumors that are very difficult to classify.
At the opening ceremony, after the usual formalities, the audience will be treated to a brief account of our history and to one of our cultural patrimony (song and dance), which will continue during the cocktail to be served in the extensive recreational area of the Sheraton Rio Hotel & Resort located directly on the shore in Rio. There is a private beach and spectacular views of the world famous Ipanema beach and nearby towering mountains.
On working days, the Avenue leading to the hotel is one way only and towards the city center (until 10:30 AM). Therefore, in order to facilitate the arrival of participants who are living in other hotels, we have delayed the beginning of the scientific activities until 11 AM and this fits with the style of the city. Participants at the Congress can swim, jog or walk, or enjoy breakfast facing the sea, or sleep until late, particularly if they have been to a night‐time event the previous evening. On the other hand, scientific activities do not finish until late in the evening. Such activities include the Diagnostic Slide Seminar and the Interactive Quiz Session at which men and women will compete on various subjects, not only neuropathology.
The 11 am conference sessions will be followed by symposia and then there will be a break for lunch and poster viewing or 2 lunchtime meetings. After lunch there are workshops, a break for poster viewing and then sessions for short oral presentations of posters selected from the lunchtime viewing session. Abstracts will be published online in Brain Pathology and we plan to develop a mobile phone application by which the full program and abstracts can be downloaded.
The last day will be devoted to summarizing most of the subjects presented during the Congress. There will be sessions entitled “Practice Changes updates”, in fact “Take Home Messages” which will be followed by a discussion on “Training in Neuropathology Today”. There will be a presentation by the winner of the Young Investigator Nissl Award and then the closing ceremony during which awards to the best presentations will be announced. The initiative of the ISN to donate bursaries and copies of the latest editions of the ISN Books as prizes is gratefully acknowledged.
Hot topics in the scientific program include: updates in genetics, epigenetics and bioinformatics in gliomas; the TCGA project; plans for the next WHO revision; morphologic and molecular classification of pediatric brain tumors; stem cells in neuroscience; classification of cortical dysplasias and temporal lobe epilepsy; prion diseases in Latin America; prion‐like mechanisms in neurodegeneration; neuropathology of C9ORF72 mutations; microvascular neuropathology; new entities in neuroinflammation; update on myopathology; chronic traumatic encephalopathy related to sports; and neuropathology of autism, among others. I am very grateful to all those who accepted our invitations and to those who generously agreed to cover some of the costs themselves.
You must visit the famous tourist sites such as Copacabana beach, the Sugar Loaf Mountain (Pão de Açucar) with its cable car, the statue of Christ at the Corcovado Mountain, which offers a fantastic view. But try to do it before 11 am, because the scientific program is so attractive that it will be difficult to find a slot in the tight schedule for tourist activities. To help you, the Congress has organized, on Tuesday morning (8 to 10am), a tourist/fitness activity, with jogging or walking around the Lagoon (Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas), one of the most beautiful post card views of the city, or a visit to the Botanical Garden.
Security! People from Rio are usually friendly; however, there are some security problems that arise from social contrasts encountered in this city. Local and State authorities have recently taken a series of actions to provide more safety for tourists in the city and you may find detailed information on the website www.icn2014.com. As the city has been prepared with special security plans for the World Cup Soccer Games (June‐July 2014), and for the Olympic Games (2016), our Congress will also benefit from these plans. However, as in most major cities, awareness of your valuables will reduce the risk to you and to your belongings.
We have managed to offer an affordable registration fee (with further reductions for students, young researchers, trainees and participants from economically disadvantaged countries), even after the end of the period of lower registration fees. We hope that participants from all over the world will congregate in our very hospitable, warm and sunny country. I am very optimistic because International Neuropathology Congresses are very important for the maintenance of our ever expanding and increasingly complex speciality.
DO COME TO RIO IN SEPTEMBER 2014!