Welcome letterfrom Akira Terano, MD, PhD

It is a great pleasure and an honor for me to deliver the message for International Conference of Gastrointestinal Research (International Conference of Ulcer Research) in September, 2009, at Croatia, from Japan.

This Conference will be organized by Professor Sikiric, Croatia University. Last time, the conference was held in Osaka Japan, being organized by Professor Arakawa, Osaka City University. Large amount of audience, beyond 500 doctors, gathered in the meeting and exchanged the heated discussion on gastrointestinal ulcers, namely esophageal, gastric, duodenal and intestinal as well as colonic ulcers. In the next meeting, the name of the conference has been changed into International Conference of Gastrointestinal Research from International Conference of Ulcer Research. The reason for this change would be due to the intention of the organizers that we should intensively study about the whole GI diseases as well as GI ulcers. In the next conference, we look forward to discussing about the pathophysiology of various GI diseases.

Five years ago, in Japan, the new society of GI diseases was founded and has been developing up to the present. The name of the new society would be The Japanese Gastrointestinal Association (JGA; not Japan Golf Association). The member of JGA is beyond 3000 doctors at present and increasing day by day. JGA has been dealing with the pathophysiology, diagnosis and treatment of the whole GI diseases.

I am very glad to address all of you the message to this prestigious meeting from JGA. We congratulate Professor Sikiric for organizing International Conference of Gastrointestinal Research next year. We wish a large number of the investigators on GI will gather and intensively discuss about the pathophysiology of GI.

Sincerely

Akira Terano, MD, PhD