当番世話人挨拶

On behalf of the Symposium Committee, it is my great pleasure to announce the 14th IGICS which will be held in Osaka on February 20th, 2021 as a keynote program of the 17th annual meeting of the Japanese Gastroenterological Association (President is Professor Kazuhide Higuchi, 2nd Department of Internal Medicine, Osaka Medical College). The venue of the symposium is Osaka International Convention Center that is located in Nakanoshima area, the center of business and government of Osaka city.

The topic of the 14th IGICS is “Gut Environment for Health and Disease”. Gut environment is regulated by many factors such as gastric acid in upper gastrointestinal (GI) tract and microbiome in lower GI tract. The changes in gut integrity can make intestine vulnerable to attack by harmful factors and invasion of pathogens, leading to disruption of GI homeostasis. Now we are facing a crisis due to COVID-19 virus pandemic. Although the predominant symptoms of COVID-19 are respiratory, this virus can cause GI damage and symptoms such as diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain. You are welcome to submit an abstract on a wide range of GI diseases regardless of its topic, especially papers on COVID-19.

Osaka is the second largest city in Japan and is called “Kuidaore” town. “Kuidaore” means that you easily spend all your money on foods and drinks. Osaka has many delicious but reasonably-priced foods. Furthermore, the symposium venue is close to famous tourist attractions such as Osaka castle and Universal Studios Japan. I am sure that you will enjoy your visit Osaka as well as the symposium.

We extend our cordial invitation to all of you and look forward to seeing you in Osaka.
Thank you.

Toshio Watanabe, MD., PhD, FACG, AGAF
Chairperson of the 14th IGICS
Clinical Professor, Department of Gastroenterology,
Osaka City University Graduate School of Medicine