We request support to continue one of the most successful series of conferences on the pulmonary circulation. The present conference, which is the eleventh in this series, is on the Proinflammatory Signaling Mechanisms in the Pulmonary Circulation. It will be held in Colorado from September 4th to 7th, 2001. The conference will have a total of 24 speakers (all have already agreed to attend) and 10 chairs. An additional 50 or 60 participants are anticipated, who will be encouraged to bring posters. Equal time is given to presentations and discussion. Each session will be summarized by the chair or discussant. A chair will also lead two poster discussions. The objective of this conference are: (1) To examine the mechanisms by which lung vascular receptors induce intracellular signaling that initiates lung inflammation and the pathophysiology of the lung injury syndrome. (2) To consider the role of mechanically induced cellular responses leading to lung inflammation. (3) To examine the role of cell calcium regulation in the development of lung injury. (4) To consider cellular mechanisms underlying the generation of diffusible factors, such as reactive oxygen species, that promote lung injury. The proceedings of prior meetings have appeared in Chest (1985), the American Review of Respiratory Disease (1987 and 1989) and as books published by Futura Publishing Co., and Plenum Press. The information developed at this conference will be disseminated as a book, rather than as papers in a journal, because the presentations are expected to be summations of research experience and projections of concepts rather than experiments addressing specific findings. This application requests funding for printing the program, mailing costs, partial reimbursement of the airfares of domestic speakers and the rental of poster boards and audiovisual facilities. Because of our experience in holding conferences in this series at the proposed venue, the logistics or organizing the meeting will be relatively easy. Both the site and the format of the conference have proved successful in earlier meetings.
