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Thanks to the Travel Award
from the American Physiological Society (APS), and the International Union
of Physiological Sciences, I attended the 35th International Congress of
Physiological Sciences, held in San Diego, California, USA, from March 31 to
April 5, 2005. Prior to the general congress, I participated in the
symposium on “Acupuncture Mechanism in the Treatment of Diseases,” chaired
by J. C. Longhurst, P. Li, and T. Lundeberg, of the University of
California, Irvine. Though it was a short stay, I was rewarded much more
than I had expected, and this, in turn, produced a strong impetus on both my
current study and future undertakings.
The points which deeply impressed me are as follows:
Perfect organization. Unlike other large scale conferences I have attended
before, one thing which was very special about this congress, at least in my
opinion, was the joint organization with other guest societies. This keeps
in harmony with the title of the Conference, “From Genomes to Functions,”
not in words but in actions. I have introduced, in detail, to my colleagues
and administration officers in Hong Kong and Beijing about this unique
format and aroused very good responses, which acknowledged the opportunities
for interdisciplinary exchanges were the primary objectives, and not the
objective to save resources.
Funds and posts. As we know, funds are crucial for all scholars to carry out
their studies. How to get the financial support, however, is really a
difficult achievement. Owning to the vivid and detailed introduction by APS
lecturers, I acquired some techniques in applying for the grants. In
addition, for young scholars, work posts and opportunities for further study
are constantly welcomed. Fortunately, I grasped important information from
the post board at the conference.
The acupuncture symposium made me understand the current status concerning
the acupuncture mechanisms research worldwide, particularly from peers
outside of China. I was especially impressed by the thorough and systematic
studies by Longhurst’s team on the central mechanisms underlying acupuncture
treatment of cardiovascular diseases, such as acute myocardial ischemia,
hypertension, etc. The prolong inhibition by electroacupuncture (EA) as they
reported, an important phenomenon manifested in almost all acupuncture
treatments, is an attractive problem waiting for further investigation.
Since my PhD study is focusing on the acupuncture relieving epilepsy, I grew
strongly interested in this topic, as both hypertension and epilepsy
management are beneficial from the same or similar mechanism.
All in all, the US trip broadened my vision and enriched my knowledge
related to research. Through this academic activity, I have established
several international channels of communication with peers in other
countries, and, this in turn, helps me keep abreast with what is new in
science worldwide.
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