On September 18th, there was a meeting between the East-meets-West action group and the Jishuitan Hospital in Beijing to discuss most recent advances in specific fields of metabolic bone diseases.
The East-meets-West (EmW) working group has been invited by the Beijing Jishuitan Hospital (JST), China National center for Orthopedics. ECTS delegates were Salvatore Minisola (chair of the action group), Claus Gluer, Klaus Engelke (online), and Ling Oei and Ning Wang (ECTS Academy representatives).
This meeting has targeted exchange of experiences between Western countries and JST colleagues from the Chinese Asian setting. Highlighted topics for this meeting included: artificial intelligence applications in osteoporosis imaging, skeletal alterations in tumor-induced osteomalacia, potentially modifiable factors underlying bone metastases, diabetes and sarcopenia, novel techniques in both bone and muscle imaging, osteoporosis diagnosis in the Chinese population and the fracture liaison service.
The support of JST has been fundamental for the organization of this forum. In particular, Dr. Wang, an active member of the EmW Action Group, has been instrumental for the organization and selection of lectures. The Congress has been very well attended and is an important step of the activities of this action group.
Comparing Eastern and Western worlds is crucial for understanding not only different expression of diseases but also treatment modalities so that patients can benefit the most. It is hoped that these interactions between these East and West will progress further.
