Document Download: World Neurology: September-December 2018

Published by Ascend Integrated Media LLC, Kansas, USA

From the editors

Steven L. Lewis, MD, Editor, and Walter Struhal, MD, Co-Editor

This issue begins with the well-illustrated report by Chandrashekar Meshram, Gagandeep Singh, and Sanjeev Thomas about the many festivities that occurred during World Brain Day in India. Next, WFN Secretary-General Wolfgang Grisold reports on the 68th Session of the WHO Regional Committee for Europe that he attended in Rome this past September. Dr. Grisold also reports on the third high-level meeting of the United Nations on non-communicable diseases, which was held in September at the U.N. in New York City.

In the President's Column, WFN President William Carroll provides an overview of the history and venues of the WFN's World Congresses of Neurology through the years, including the WCN XXIV in which will be held October 2019 in Dubai. Fittingly, in this issue's history column, Edward H. Reynolds provides background and historical details of the Second International Congress of Neurology that was held in 1935 in London, England. Also in this issue, WFN Treasurer and WCN Tournament of the Minds organizer and moderator Richard Stark has an exciting announcement about free registration for WCN 2019 in Dubai for Tournament of the Minds teams. Please see his article for important details. This issue also features many reports from recipients of WFN Junior Traveling Fellowship awards from around the world, who presented the results of their research at high-level neurology conferences around the world. Finally, Martin J.B. Taphoorn and Martin J. Van Den Bent provide a heartfelt obituary on the life and passing of Dr. Charles J. Vecht (1947-2018), the founding father of Dutch neuro-oncology. We hope you all enjoy the varied contributions from this issue by neurologists from around the world, about neurology from around the world, and for neurologists around the world. •

Finally, this issue includes two reports from recent recipients of WFN Junior Traveling Fellowships to attend June's EAN Congress that was held in Lisbon, Portugal.

Highlights

World Brain Day 2018

• World Brain Day Celebration in India
  

  By Chandrashekhar Meshram, Gagandeep Singh, and Sanjeev Thomas

  Like every year, World Brain Day was celebrated with great enthusiasm on July 22 in different cities in India, under the aegis of the Indian Academy of Neurology. This year’s theme “Clean Air for Brain Health” has more relevance for developing countries.

• Report on the 68th Session of the WHO Regional Committee for Europe
  

  By Wolfgang Grisold

  The World Federation of Neurology (WFN) is a global non-state actor, and has the possibility to participate in the regional WHO meetings. As with last year in Budapest, the WFN was represented this year by Wolfgang Grisold in Rome.

President's Column

• World Congress of Neurology Through the Years
  

  By William Carroll

  The World Congress of Neurology (WCN) is the jewel in the calendar of the World Federation of Neurology (WFN). A just-completed site visit to Rome and the final site visit for Dubai scheduled for December prompted the topic for this issue of the President’s column. 

From WFN

• The Third High-Level Meeting of the United Nations on Non-Communicable Diseases
  

  By Wolfgang Grisold

  The third high-level meeting of the United Nations (U.N.) on Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) was held Sept. 27 at the UN in New York City. It scaled up multistakeholder and multisectoral responses for the prevention and control of NCDs in the context of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The World Federation of Neurology (WFN), represented by Wolfgang Grisold, was able to participate in this high-level meeting through the support of the Austrian Society of Neurology and the Austrian Health ministry.

History of Neurology

• The Second International Congress of Neurology
  

  By Edward H. Reynolds

  Following the first International Congress of Neurology in 1931, in Berne, Switzerland, (Koehler 2018), the second congress was held at University College London July 29-Aug. 2, 1935.

Junior Travelling Fellowship and Departmental Visits

• Report on the 18th International Conference of Neurology and Neurological Disorders
  

  By Haidy Shebawy

  The conference, in general, was well organized and discussed different neurological topics from participants from all the world. The venue was the Holiday Inn the Hotel Inn Marne Lavelle in Paris, France.

• Nordic Neuropediatric Society
  

  By Mariam I. Khawaja

  It was a great opportunity to attend the 37th meeting of the Nordic Neuropediatric Society, which was held in Copenhagen Sept. 6-8, as one of the awardees of the World Federation of Neurology junior travel award grant.

• 15th International Congress of Neuromuscular Diseases

  By Nourelhoda Haridy

  I received the opportunity to present my research of the PhD thesis as a poster titled, “Clinical and Genetic Analysis of Hereditary Neuropathy in Egyptian Population” at the 15thInternational Congress of Neuromuscular Diseases (ICNMD 2018) July 6-10 in Vienna, Austria.

• The 2018 Alzheimer’s Association International Conference
  

  By Jorge J. Llibre Guerra

  The AAIC is the largest and most influential international meeting dedicated to advancing dementia science. Each year, AAIC convenes the world’s leading basic science and clinical researchers, next-generation investigators, clinicians, and the care research community to share research discoveries that will lead to methods of prevention and treatment, and improvements in diagnosis for Alzheimer’s disease

• Report of My Attendance at the Peripheral Nerve Society Meeting
  

  By Alagoma Iyagba

  It started with an all-day educational course (basic and clinical aspect of peripheral nerve and neuromuscular diseases). The conference proper started on July 22. It featured plenary sessions, oral poster sessions, poster sessions, and industry sessions. (These took place at the end of each day.)

• German Neurological Society and World Federation of Neurology: Universitätsklinikum-Erlangen, Department of Neurology
  

  By Biniyam Alemayehu

  On my first day at the Universitätsklinikum-Erlangen, Department of Neurology, I was warmly welcomed and introduced to all the staff by Prof. Hagen B. Huttner, as Prof. Stefan Schwab was on the leave, who I had an opportunity to meet on the following Monday.

• El Hadj Ibrahima Niasse
  

  By Prisca-Rolande Bassolé

  I had a great honor to participate in the 13th European Congress on Epileptology (ECE) in Vienna, Austria. I’m grateful to the World Federation of Neurology for supporting my attendance at this international congress.

In Memoriam

• Dr Charles J. Vecht (1947-2018)
  

  By Martin J.B. Taphoorn and Martin J. van den Bent

  On July 3, Dr. Charles Vecht, neurologist and neuro-oncologist, passed away at home in Amsterdam at the age of 71, having suffered from a progressive auto-immune disorder over the past years. He is survived by his wife Roselien, their two sons, and grandchildren.

World Congress Of Neurology

• Free Registration for WCN 2019 in Dubai Offered for Tournament of the Minds Teams
  

  By Richard Stark

  The Tournament of the Minds has been a feature of the World Congress of Neurology (WCN) since the meeting in London in 2001. The aim of the tournament has always been to amuse as well as to educate. Over the years, contestants have faced questions that tested not only their knowledge of neurology but also of the history and regional variations of our discipline.