Day 1 :
Keynote Forum
Anisbed Naranjo-Rojas
Universidad Santiago de cali, Colombia
Keynote: home oxygen therapy: generalities and monitoring
Time : 9:00 AM
Biography:
Respiratory Therapist, Master in Management in Health Services, from the Universidad Libre (Cali - Colombia) Specialist in Teaching
for Higher Education from the Universidad Santiago de Cali (Colombia), PhD student in Biomedicine, Universidad Córdoba - Spain. Six
years of experience in coordinating home care programs. Eleven years of experience in university teaching-Universidad Santiago de
Cali, management processes, planning and dissemination of products in health research. Associate Researcher (I), category Ministry of
Science and Technology Colombia – 833, Member of the research group in education and health, classification A, [GINEYSA], integral
research group classification B, [GISI].
Abstract:
In home care, the use of oxygen therapy equipment is a determinant in the evolution of chronic patients
who require its application. So far the education that users receive from professionals in charge of
respiratory care regarding the use and its prescription in the home environment, generates good results
compared to control and follow-up with patients; however, when due to clinical and physical conditions it
is time to withdraw oxygen supplies from the home, there is little clarity in the criteria for suspension and
withdrawal of these equipment, generating insecurity in patients and health professionals regarding the
timely withdrawal of oxygen equipment at home, as well as generating unnecessary costs to institutions
providing health services, it also promotes the shortage of oxygen cylinders in situations that are objectively
needed.
Keynote Forum
Xingsheng Shu,
Shenzhen University, China
Keynote: MECOM-regulated distal super-enhancer activates ETS2 transcription and promotes colorectal cancer progression
Time : 11:00-11:30
Biography:
Zhong Dongmei is a graduate student in the School of Nursing, Sun Yat-sen University. Zhong Dongmei has received bachelor’s degree
in Nursing from Sun Yat-sen University in 2019. Research direction in her master’s degree is behavioural and health outcomes research.
Zhong Dongmei focus on her studying patients’ health-related behaviours and exploring related factors. She have her study published
in the Journal of Pediatric Nursing that is about family care behaviours in pediatric patients.
Abstract:
It has long been documented that abnormal activities of distal cis-regulatory elements such as enhancers
contribute to the intitation and progression of cancer. Recently, super-enhancer hijacking was found to be
esstential for the activation of certain oncogenes. However, the mechanism of action for most tumor-specific
super-enhancers still largely remain elusive. Here, we report that a potential oncogene ETS2 was activated
by a super-enhancer located at its 3’ distal region in colorectal cancer (CRC). The super-enhancer physcially
interacts with ETS2 promoter fragments and is required for transription activation of ETS2. Intriguingly, we
found that a eQTL site for ETS2 resides in this super-enhancer and genetic variation at the SNP potentailly
abolished the binding of a well-known oncogenic trancritpion factor MECOM. Consistently, the expression
of MECOM and ETS2 correlated well with each other in CRC cell lines and multiple CRC datasets and silecning
of MECOM induced downregulation of ETS2. Moreover, the expression of enhancer RNA (eRNA) from the
ETS2 super-enhancer also correlated with the expression of ETS2 in primary CRC samples. Finally, silencing
of both MECOM and ETS2 lead to the inhibition of proliferation, migration and sphere formation of CRC
cells. Taken together, we uncovered a novel MECOM-super enhancer-ETS2 regulatory axis that might be
crucial for activating oncogenic ETS2 in CRC.
Keynote Forum
Edward H. Abraham, TMD
Oklahoma Surgical Hospital, Tulsa Oklahoma
Keynote: Cystic fibrosis improves COVID-19 survival and provides clues for treatment of SARS-CoV
Time : 9:00 AM
Biography:
Edward H. Abraham graduated from Harvard University with a college major in engineering, applied physics and chemistry. He
was then accepted into the first class of the Harvard - MIT graduate program in Health Sciences and Technology and subsequently
received his MD from Harvard Medical School. During his medical school training, he gained valuable research experience working
in the laboratories of Professors Judah Folkman, Claude Lechene and Nobel Laureate Konrad Bloch. During his internship, residency
and fellowship in pediatrics at Boston Children’s HospitalMedical Center, he worked directly with Professor Harry Shwachman and in
the laboratory of Professor Jan Breslow focusing on cystic fibrosis (CF). He extended his CF studies with a subsequent post-doctoral
research clinical investigator award from NIH. His work focused on membrane biochemistry in the laboratory of Professor Guido
Guidotti at Harvard University. During these investigations, he discovered and investigated functions of ATP releasing pathways using
biochemical and electrophysiological (patch-clamp) assays. He developed luciferase assays for precise measurement and imaging of
extracellular ATP clouds. Dr. Abraham then completed a radiation oncology residency at Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston and
subsequent Senior Investigator position with Dr. Paul Okunieff at the National Cancer Institute (NCI) where the role of extracellular
ATP in cancer treatment was investigated. He subsequently assumed directorship of the Radiation Oncology Translational Research
laboratory at Dartmouth Medical School in Hanover, NH. At Dartmouth he ran clinical trials testing the effects of ATP intravenous
infusions on patients with stage IV cancers
Abstract:
Keynote Forum
Irene Cantone
University of Naples Federico II, Italy
Keynote: Understanding epigenetic reprogramming by X chromosome reactivation
Time : 12:00-12:30
Biography:
Irene Cantone has completed his PhD at the age of 25 years from Telethon Institute of Genetic and Medicine and postdoctoral studies
from MRC London institute of Medical Sciences. She has been awarded Marie-Curie, EMBO and Human Frontiers Science Programme
long-term fellowship. She is currently a Professor at the University. She has published more than 15 papers in reputed peerreviewed
journals (e.g. Cell, Nature Structural Molecular Biology, Nature Communication and Genome Biology) and has been serving as an
editorial board member of PLOS and Nature journals
Abstract:
Erasure of epigenetic memory is required to convert somatic cells towards pluripotency.
Reactivation of the inactive X chromosome (Xi) has been used to model epigenetic reprogramming in
mouse, but human studies are hampered by Xi epigenetic instability and difficulties in tracking partially
reprogrammed iPSCs. Recently, I have established a cell fusion reprogramming system that recapitulates
features of human naïve pluripotency and enables tracing early chromatin changes. This system revealed
that loss of XIST and H3K27me3 from the human Xi precedes and is required for Xi transcriptional reactivation
ahead of cell division (Cantone et al., Nature Comm 2016). Interestingly, single-cell RNA-FISH and allelespecific
RNA sequencing analyses revealed that reprogramming-mediated human Xi reactivation was partial
and selective for a specific subset of genes. Selective Xi reactivation was not limited to gene loci residing
within specific chromatin domains (e.g. H3K27me3 or H3K9me3 domains) neither influenced by proximity
to XIST locus.
Reactivation was instead associated with stochastic Xi expression ahead of reprogramming, as shown by
single cells and isogenic fibroblast clones (Cantone et al., Genome Biology 2017). Notably, stochastic Xi
transcription is stabilized in some clonal lineages suggesting that single-cell transcriptional variability might
underlie heritable gene reactivation even in heterochromatic contexts. Implications for targeted Xi gene
reactivation during human pluripotent reprogramming and in somatic cells will be discussed as a concept
for modelling and therapy of human X-linked diseases
Keynote Forum
Samir Rafla
Alexandria University, Egypt
Keynote: ECG in athletes, limits of normal
Time : 9:00 AM
Biography:
Samir Morcos Rafla Emeritus professor of cardiology, Alexandria University, Egypt Fellow American College of Cardiology FACC
Emeritus Fellow European Society of Cardiology EFESC Fellow Heart Rhythm Society FHRS (American society of arrhythmia) Member
European Heart Rhythm Society HER Reviewer in many journals and assessor of abstracts and papers in conferences. Publications in
Researchgate and Google Scholar.
Abstract:
Normal ECG Findings: Increased QRS voltage for LVH or RVH, Incomplete RBBB, Early repolarization/ST
segment Sinus bradycardia or arrhythmia, Ectopic atrial or junctional rhythm, 1Ëš AV block, Mobitz Type I 2Ëš
AV block.
Borderline ECG Findings: Left axis deviation, Left atrial enlargement (>42 mm), Right axis deviation,
Right atrial enlargement Complete RBBB. Abnormal ECG Findings: T wave inversion, ST segment depression,
Pathologic Q waves Complete LBBB, QRS ≥ 140 ms duration, Epsilon wave, Ventricular pre-excitation,
Prolonged QT interval, Brugada Type 1 pattern Profound sinus bradycardia < 30 bpm, PR interval ≥ 400 ms,
Mobitz Type II 2Ëš AV block, 3Ëš AV block, >2 PVCs per 10 s tracing (>12/min), Atrial tachyarrhythmias,
Ventricular arrhythmias.
Summary:
• ECG interpretation in athletes has evolved to help distinguish physiologic ECG findings from pathologic
ECG findings.
• Some form of T-wave abnormality (inferior, anterior, or lateral) accounted for 35% of ECGS which were
not normal but not pathological.
• Other common themes included the application of the IC definition of IVCD (≥140ms), sinus bradycardia
(<40bpm), and right axis deviation (≥120 degrees). IC=International criteria.
Keynote Forum
Zeyi Cheng
West China Hospital, China
Keynote: Clinical Outcomes of Patients with Hepatic Insufficiency Undergoing Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis
Time : 9:00 AM
Biography:
Zeyi Cheng is currently working as a cardiovascular surgeon at West China Hospital, Sichuan University, China. He has attended many
international conference related to his field.
Abstract:
Objective: To investigate the effect of abnormal liver function on the outcome and safety after transcatheter
aortic valve implantation (TAVI) and whether TAVI is superior to surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR) in
patients with hepatic insufficiency.
Methods: We searched the databases of PubMed, Embase, the Cochrane Library, Web of Science up to 31
January 2021. Studies to be eligible if mortality after TAVI in patients with and without hepatic insufficiency,
or mortality and complications for TAVI versus SAVR in patients with hepatic insufficiency were reported.
This meta-analysis was registered with PROSPERO (CRD42021247495) and was carried out by using RevMan
5.3 and Stata 14.0.
Results: This meta-analysis of 20 studies assessed a total of 220270 patients. Hepatic insufficiency was
associated with higher short-term mortality [OR=1.88, 95%CI (1.38 to 2.58), P<0.00001] and 1-2 years
mortality [OR=1.64, 95%CI (1.42 to 1.89), P<0.00001]. Between TAVI and SAVR in patients with hepatic
insufficiency, there is statistically significant difference in in-hospital mortality [OR=0.46, 95%CI (0.27 to
0.81), P=0.007], the occurrence rate of blood transfusions [OR=0.34, 95%CI (0.24 to 0.48), P<0.00001) and
the occurrence rate of acute kidney injury [OR=0.55, 95%CI (0.33 to 0.91), P=0.02].
Conclusions: TAVI patients with hepatic insufficiency may have negative impact both on short-term (inhospital
or 30-day) and 1-2-years mortality. For patients with hepatic insufficiency, TAVI could be a better
option than SAVR.
Keywords: transcatheter aortic valve implantation, surgical aortic valve replacement, hepatic insufficiency,
meta-analysis, mortality
Keynote Forum
Maribel Mella Guzmán
University of Chile, Chile
Keynote: Challenges for the empowerment of pregnant women in Primary Health Care in Chile
Time : 9:00 AM
Biography:
Maribel Mella Guzman is a Magister in Bioethics and Assistant Professor at the University of Chile with more than 10 years of
experience. She has dedicated herself to the study of the autonomy of women in particular in the period of pregnancy and of gender
violence also in pregnant women.
Abstract:
Primary Health Care (PHC) is the fundamental pillar and gateway of the Chilean Health System. At this
level, the midwife is in charge of people’s Sexual and Reproductive Health. The purpose of this presentation
is to present the role of midwives in PHC in terms of empowering gestational support and the challenges
that this currently presents. Their role is essential in the accompaniment of women and their families since
they are in charge of promoting a healthy pregnancy, prevention and maintenance of healthy lifestyles,
early detection and timely referral of pathologies. The educational and empowering role of this professional
stands out, placing her as a facilitating and empowering figure for women’s autonomy; however, the
challenges she faces are important: to overcome the hegemonic position of the health professional in
order to remedy the state of submission in which pregnant women have been placed, to retake group
education, which has shown better results in terms of empowerment, to incorporate the intersectional view
in order to understand more deeply the differences and particularities of pregnant women, to incorporate
an intercultural perspective that allows immigrant women and women belonging to indigenous peoples to
feel represented and respected in the current health system and finally, to achieve a real communication
and continuity of health care between the primary level (prenatal care) and the tertiary level (delivery care).
Keynote Forum
Pritha Bhattacharjee
University of Calcutta, India
Keynote: Environmental epigenetics in population exposed to chronic arsenic & Cancer
Time : 14:30-15:00
Biography:
Pritha Bhattacharjee is teaching at the Department of Environmental Science, University. of Calcutta, as Assistant Professor for last 8
years. She has completed her PhD from CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Biology in 2007 and continued her postdoctoral studies in
arsenic research. Her major expertise lies with Environmental epigenetics, Occupational health and Lifestyle disorders. Dr Bhattacharjee
has authored/co-authored in 55 International journal publications with 1584 total citations and h-index 19. She wrote several book
chapters including text book on Environmental Studies. Dr. Pritha serves as editorial board member for highly acclaimed Frontiers in
Genetics and many other journals. She is guiding a number of PhD students in biological research.
Abstract:
Chronic arsenic exposure and its cancer association is already known. Our study explored the epigenetic
perspectives of arsenic toxicity. The major investigations we performed include DNA damage response,
telomere regulation, arsenic methylation and mitochondrial biogenesis. Our novel findings are to identify
signature patterns for arsenic exposure (compared to those who are unexposed) and arsenic-induced
characteristic lesion (compared to arsenic exposed No Skin Lesion group). Although arsenic induced skin
lesions are hallmarks of arsenic toxicity, it is observed only among15-20% of the exposed population. This
clearly indicates environment and gene crosstalk each other with significant variation at population level.
We have identified alteration in DNA methylation pattern for the candidate genes, histone post translational
modifications and also differential miRNA regulation. Among all different pathways, most critical is the
arsenic metabolism pathway. This metabolism depends on the efficiency of arsenic methylation, which
is further dependant on methylation donor SAM (S-Adenosyl L-methionine) level and enzyme activity of
AS3MT (Arsenite methyltransferase). Our study identified how arsenic depletes SAM level and affect overall
metabolism leading to arsenic susceptibility. Mitochondrial biogenesis also play a significant role, where
regulatory genes including PGC1α, Tfam, NRF1 and NRF2 were upregulated among arsenic induced cancer
patients via promoter hypomethylation. Thus, our study considers a holistic approach to understand the
epigenetic interplay in the individuals having prolonged arsenic exposure history.
Keynote Forum
Thilina Jayasekara
National Hospital Kandy, Sri Lanka
Keynote: A rare case of concomitant acute occlusion of left main coronary artery and right coronary artery with characteristic electrocardiographic pattern
Time : 11:00-11:30
Biography:
Thilina Jayesekara is currently working as a senior registrar in Cardiology at National Hospital Kandy, Sri Lanka. He has attended many
international Conferences.
Abstract:
Acute left main coronary artery (LMCA) occlusion is a rare clinical presentation which often manifests as a
cardiogenic shock with worse prognosis. However, the clinical outcome depends on the age of the patient,
co-morbidities, the patency and dominancy of Right coronary artery. Since LMCA supplies a large myocardial
territory of left ventricle, it shows a characteristic electrocardiographic (ECG) pattern which helps to an early
diagnosis. Presence of ST elevation in aVR with ST depressions of more than six leads is highly characteristic
for LMCA occlusion. Here we are reporting an extremely rare case of acute concomitant occlusion of LMCA
and Right coronary artery manifesting as a cardiogenic shock with ST elevation in aVR ,V1,III, aVF leads with
ST depressions in all other leads. Patient showed excellent clinical outcome and reversal of characteristic
ECG pattern following percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) to the culprit vessels.