Notices ======= ## Conference on pain Sponsored by the International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP), the 8th World Congress on Pain will be held Aug. 17 to 22, 1996, in Vancouver. All aspects of acute and chronic pain will be covered, including cancer pain, basic research and clinical management. For information contact: IASP Secretariat, 909 NE 43rd St., Suite 306, Seattle WA 98105, USA. Tel.: 206 547-6409; fax: 206 547-1703; e-mail: IASP{at}locke.hs.washington.edu ## Sino-endoscopy ’96 Sponsored by the Chinese Ministry of Health and International Health Exchange Center, the International College of Surgeons and Medical Books for China International, the First World Congress of Surgical Endoscopy will be held from Oct. 19 to 24, 1996, at the Beijing International Convention Center, Beijing, China. For further information contact: Dr. Jordan M. Phillips, General chairman, First World Congress of Surgical Endoscopy, 13021 East Florence Ave., Santa Fe Springs CA 90670-4505, USA. Tel.: 310 946-8774 or 800 554-2245; fax: 310 946-0073; email: 102254.3033{at}compuserve.com ## Spinal cord repair and regeneration symposium On Oct. 20 and 21, 1996, the Italian Association for Research on Spinal Cord Lesions will hold an international symposium in Brescia, Italy, on possible repair and palliative treatment of spinal cord lesions. Registration for the symposium is free. For further information contact the Organizing Secretariat, Studio Progress, Via Cattaneo, 51, 25121 Brescia, Italy. Tel.: 39 30 290326; fax: 39 30 40164. ## Magnetic resonance imaging course, Saudi Arabia The departments of radiology, medical physics and medical studies of the Riyadh Armed Forces Hospital, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, will sponsor their fifth international course on magnetic resonance (MR) imaging from Oct. 27 to 30, 1996. The course will provide an overview of MR technology, basic principles and current and future applications of MR imaging in the entire body. Current and potential applications of MR spectroscopy will also be discussed. The program will feature small-group workshops in basic physics and MR applications in the neurologic, musculoskeletal and genitourinary systems. The course chairman is Aabed Al Thagafi. The course fee is SR 1500 for physicians, SR 750 for medical staff in training and SR 400 for technicians. For information contact: Department of Medical Studies, Riyadh Armed Forces Hospital, PO Box 7897, Riyadh 11159, Saudi Arabia. Tel.: 966-1 477 7714, ext. 4933 or 4937; fax: 966-1 476 0853. ## Advanced Course in Hand Surgery The 2nd European Advanced Course in Hand Surgery will be held from Oct. 28 to 31, 1996, at the Clinica Ortopedica dell’Università Spedali Civili de Brescia, Brescia, Italy. Included will be sessions on flexor tendons, nerves, congenital hand problems, rheumatoid arthritis, traumatic hand reconstruction and the wrist. All presentations will be followed by extensive discussion. Minilectures on unusual topics will be presented. The working language will be English. For further information contact the Organizing Secretariat, 2nd European Course in Hand Surgery, Studio Progress, Via Cattaneo 51, 25123 Brescia, Italy. Tel.: 39 30 290326; fax: 39 30 -40164. ## Quebec Association of Urologists The 21st annual meeting of the Quebec Association of Urologists will be held from Nov. 22 to 24, 1996, at the Westin Mont-Royal Hotel in Montreal. For more information contact: Ms. Jacqueline Deschênes, Quebec Association of Urologists, 2 Complex Desjardins, East Tower, Door 3000, Montreal QC H5B 1G8. Tel.: 514 350-5131; fax: 514 350-5181. ## Asian Surgical Association The 11th Biennial Congress of the Asian Surgical Association will be held at the Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre from Mar. 2 to 5, 1997. For further information contact: ASA Hong Kong, Congress Secretariat, Department of Surgery, The University of Hong Kong, Queen Mary Hospital, Hong Kong. Tel.: 852 2855 4235; fax: 852 2818 1186; e-mail: Mededcon{at}hkucc.hku.hk ## Congress on Ambulatory Surgery The 2nd International and 4th European Congress on Ambulatory Surgery will be held in at the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre, Westminster, London, England, from Apr. 15 to 18, 1997. Under the patronage of the European Commission, the Council of Europe, the World Health Organization and the United Kingdom Department of Health, the congress will run in conjunction with the 8th annual scientific meeting of the British Association of Day Surgery. The working language will be English, with simultaneous translation in French, German and Spanish. For further information contact: Kite Communications, The Silk Milk House, 196 Huddersfield Rd., Meltham, W Yorks HD7 3AP, England. Tel.: 44 1484 854575; fax: 44 1484 854576. ## Fourth Congress of F.E.S.S.H: Call for Papers The 4th Congress of the Federation of the European Societies for Surgery of the Hand (FESSH) will be held in Bologna, Italy, from June 15 to 18, 1977. Included will be an instructional course on stiffness of the joints of the upper limb. For further information contact: Mrs. Silvia Batani, CSR Congressi, PO Box 1769, I 40100 Bologna BO, Italy. Tel.: 39 51 765357; fax: 39 51 765195. ## Congress on Biomedical Peer Review: Call for Abstracts The *Journal of the American Medical Association*, the *British Medical Journal* and Project HOPE announce The International Congress on Biomedical Peer Review and Global Communication to be held in Prague, Czech Republic, from Sept. 17 to 21, 1997. Abstracts, due by Jan. 15, 1997, are now being accepted on such subjects as editorial peer review and its role in scientific publication, decision making and information exchange. Topics of interest include: the mechanisms of peer review and editorial decision making; authorship and responsibility for published material; Online peer review; quality assurance for reviewers and editors; breakdowns, weaknesses and biases; evaluations of peer review’s validity and practicality; peer review of grant proposals; peer review in other disciplines; scientific fraud and misconduct; the history of peer review; models and systems of peer review from nonwestern cultures; interactive digital information systems and the future of scientific publication. For further information about attending the congress or the abstract submission and selection processes, contact: Annette Flanagin, *JAMA*, 515 N State, Chicago IL 60610, USA. Tel.: 312 464-2432; fax: 312 464-5824; e-mail: aff{at}ix.netcom.comn ## Fourth Congress of F.E.S.S.H: Call for Papers The 4th Congress of the Federation of the European Societies for Surgery of the Hand (FESSH) will be held in Bologna, Italy, from June 15 to 18, 1977. Included will be an instructional course on stiffness of the joints of the upper limb. For further information contact: Mrs. Silvia Batani, CSR Congressi, PO Box 1769, I 40100 Bologna BO, Italy. Tel.: 39 51 765357; fax: 39 51 765195. ## Congress on Biomedical Peer Review: Call for Abstracts The *Journal of the American Medical Association*, the *British Medical Journal* and Project HOPE announce The International Congress on Biomedical Peer Review and Global Communication to be held in Prague, Czech Republic, from Sept. 17 to 21, 1997. Abstracts, due by Jan. 15, 1997, are now being accepted on such subjects as editorial peer review and its role in scientific publication, decision making and information exchange. Topics of interest include: the mechanisms of peer review and editorial decision making; authorship and responsibility for published material; Online peer review; quality assurance for reviewers and editors; breakdowns, weaknesses and biases; evaluations of peer review’s validity and practicality; peer review of grant proposals; peer review in other disciplines; scientific fraud and misconduct; the history of peer review; models and systems of peer review from nonwestern cultures; interactive digital information systems and the future of scientific publication. For further information about attending the congress or the abstract submission and selection processes, contact: Annette Flanagin, *JAMA*, 515 N State, Chicago IL 60610, USA. Tel.: 312 464-2432; fax: 312 464-5824; e-mail: aff{at}ix.netcom.comn