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About the Congress

The International Interdisciplinary Toxicological Conferences TOXCON has been innitially set up as platform to enable scientific exchange of recent knowledge in toxicological research and related scientific disciplines between Slovak and Czech toxicologists. The reputation of TOXCON conferences, however, reaches far beyond the boundaries of former Czecho-Slovakia.

 

TOXCON has gained an international reputation and become one of the renowned, highly appreciated conferences in middle and eastern European countries, with the complimentary attribute of “having a family atmosphere”. Among regular participants, many outstanding specialists from Germany, USA, Italy, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, Hungary, Israel, Poland, Austria, Iran, Estonia, India have participated in TOXCON. It is rather encouraging that the number of participants has been steadily growing. The high level of accompanying events helped to enhance both professional and friendly contacts.

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HISTORY

International interdisciplinary toxicological conferences (TOXCON) are a continuation of the tradition of one-day meetings of Slovak and Czech toxicologists from various fields of research that had been annually organized since 1980 at the legendary Medical House in Prague.

The main organizer of the meetings was the Toxicological Section of the Czech Society for Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology of the Czech Medical Association of J. E. Purkyně. Renown scientific personalities of Czechoslovak toxicology and pharmacology, such as Prof. MUDr. Olga Benešová, DrSc., Prof. MUDr. Helena Rašková, DrSc., Prof. MUDr. Vladislav Eybl, DrSc. (former Section Chairman and member of the Executive Committee of EUROTOX), and Prof. RNDr. Jaroslav Květina, DrSc. were among the initiators of the meetings. Each of these interdisciplinary toxicological conferences focused on a given set of problems or field of research.

 

Chronological overview of the interdisciplinary toxicological conferences from 1980 to 1994, their topics and published proceedings:

  • 1980 – State-of-art and research plans in toxicological disciplines in the forthcoming Five-Year Plan in Czechoslovakia. Published in Čas. lék. čes. 1980.

  • 1981 – Problems of extrapolation from experimental animal systems to humans. Published in Čas. lék. čes. 1982.

  • 1982 – Experimental models in toxicology. Published in Čas. lék. čes. 1983.

  • 1983 – Hepatotoxicity of drugs and possibilities of their interactions in human and veterinary medicine. Published in Čas. lék. čes. 1984.

  • 1984 – This year´s conference did not take place due to the satellite symposium of EUROTOX on “Chelating Substances” held in Plzeň in August, 1984.

  • 1985 –This year´s conference did not take place due to the Toxicological Symposium of scientists from socialist countries held in Plzeň and the Czechoslovak–French Pharmacology Days held in Prague.

  • 1986 – Prediction of side-effects of new drugs and other xenobiotics. Published in Čas. lék. čes. 1987.

  • 1987 – Differences in reactivity to drugs in relation to age. Published in Čs. fyziol. 1989.

  • 1988 – Cellular effects of xenobiotics from the point of view of toxicology. Published in Čs. farmacie 1989.

  • 1989 – Toxicological issues of the production of new drugs.

  • 1990 – This year´s conference did not take place due to the International Symposium on “Chelating Substances” organized in Plzeň.

  • 1991 – Significance of Good Laboratory Practice in toxicology and preparation of ethic rules for the work with experimental animals.

  • 1992 – Immunotoxicity of drugs and toxicological consequences of free oxygen radicals.

  • 1993 – Teratogenicity, mutagenicity and free radicals in toxicology and pharmacology.

  • 1994 – Toxicological aspects of interactions of addictive substances.

 

The split of former Czechoslovakia in 1993 resulted in a gradual cessation of organizing common scientific meetings and, to a certain degree, also in an attenuation of the cooperation between Czech and Slovak scientists generally. At the annual conference of EUROTOX that took place in Prague in 1995, the idea to continue in the organization of common meetings of Slovak, Moravian and Czech toxicologists was proposed and debated within informal friendly discussions. The idea was to organize two- or three-day conferences alternately in the Czech Republic and in Slovakia. The initiators of this idea were Prof. MUDr. Olga Benešová, DrSc. from the Czech Republic, and Ing. Jana Navarová, CSc., Doc. RNDr. Eduard Ujházy,CSc., and RNDr. Marián Zemánek from the Slovak Republic.

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At present, there is an intensive cooperation between the Slovak Toxicology Society SETOX and the Toxicological Section of the Czech Society for Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology of the Czech Medical Association of J. E. Purkyně, which continues in the tradition preceding 1994. This cooperation is aimed mainly at the organization of joint interdisciplinary toxicological conferences and specialized educational courses. The scientific events are organized annually, alternately in the Czech Republic and in Slovakia.

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In October 1996, the Institute of Experimental Pharmacology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, organized the 1st Interdisciplinary Slovak and Czech Toxicological Conference with the heading “Toxicology Today and Tomorrow”. The Conference was held at the hotel Poppy in Piešťany under the auspices of the former pharmaceutical company Slovakofarma, J.S.C. Hlohovec,. The conference attracted great attention among scientists, as evidenced by more than 110 participants.

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The best studies presented at the conferences have been published in impacted scientific journals, such as Biologia, General Physiology and Biophysics, Neuroendocrinology Letters, and in other scientific biomedical journals, e.g. Vojenské zdravotnícke listy, Bratislavské Lekárske Listy, Central European Journal of Public Health, Biomedical Papers, Chemické listy, Interdisciplinary Toxicology. The studies presented at the 9th interdisciplinary Slovak and Czech toxicological conference held in Píla-Častá in 2004 were presented also on the website of EUROTOX http://www.eurotox.com.

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Chronological overview of significant milestones in the history of TOXCON conferences:

  • 1996 – Piešťany, 1st Interdisciplinary Slovak and Czech Toxicological Conference, Abstract Book, pp. 122.

  • 1999 – First publication of selected presentations in extenso, General Physiology and Biophysics vol. 18, pp. 188, Editors: J. Navarová, E. Ujházy, M. Dubovický.

  • 2000 – Trenčianske Teplice, Biologia vol. 55, Suppl. 8, pp. 130, Editor: J. Navarová, R. Sotníková, E. Ujházy.

  • 2001 – Hradec Králové, Vojenské Zdravotnické Listy vol. LXX, Suppl. 1, Suppl. 2, pp. 104, Editor J. Fusek.

  • 2003 – Prague, Central European Journal of Public Health vol. 12, Suppl. S1 – S96, 2004 (JHMI vol. 48), Editor J. Volf.

  • 2004 – Píla-Častá, honorary guest: member of the Executive Committee of EUROTOX, Prof. Heidi Foth (Germany), Director of the Institute of Environmental Toxicology of the Martin-Luther University Halle ( an d. Saale). Biológia vol. 60, Suppl. 17, pp. 156, Editors: J. Navarová, E. Ujházy, M. Zemánek.

  • 2005 – Olomouc, Prof. P. Anzerbacher coined for the first time the term TOXCON for the Interdisciplinary Toxicological Conference, Biomedical Papers vol. 149, Suppl. 1, pp. 92, Editor V. Šimánek.

  • 2006 – Trenčianske Teplice, first publication of selected presentations in Neurotoxicology Letters vol. 27, pp. 194, Publishers: Prof. Peter G. Fedor Freybergh and L.M. Maas ArD., Editors: J. Navarová, E. Ujházy, M. Mach, M. Zemánek.

  • 2007 – Prague, Chemické Listy vol. 101, pp. 73–310, Editors: M. Tichý, R. Řapková, J. Barek.

  • 2008 – Trenčianske Teplice, the first issue of Interdisciplinary Toxicology vol. 1, No. 1, pp. 129, Editors: E. Ujházy, M. Mach. Honorary guests: A. Korkmaz (Turkey), R. J. Reiter (USA), conference held under the auspices of the Visegrad Foundation.

  • 2009 – Brno, Neuroendocrinology Letters, vol. 30, Suppl., pp. 254, Editors: Z. Svobodová, K. Kružíková, Z. Široká, J. Květina.

  • 2010 – Stará Lesná, Vysoké Tatry, “Borderless Toxicology & Advanced Toxicology Course”, the conference was devoted to the memory of Prof. Helena Rašková †2010. Guests: E. Corsini (Italy), T. Wlasow, W. Wasowicz (Poland), W. Bursch (Austria), J. Liesivuori (Finland), H. Spielmann (Germany). Neuroendocrinology Letters vol. 31, Suppl. 2, pp. 125, Editors: J. Navarová, M. Mach, the conference was under the auspices of the Visegrad Foundation and EUROTOX.

  • 2011 – Prague, Neuroendocrinology Letters vol. 32, Suppl. 1, pp. 146, Editor: P. Hodek.

  • 2012 – Stará Lesná, Vysoké Tatry, “Toxicology at the Crossroad & Advanced Toxicology Course”, guests: E. Corsini (Italy), W. Bursch (Austria), G. Hirka (Hungary), J. Liesivuori (Finland), H. Spielmann (Germany), A. M. Tsatsakis (Greece), W. Wasowicz (Poland), conference was under the auspices of the Visegrad Foundation and EUROTOX.

  • 2013 – Hradec Králové, Neuroendocrinology Letters vol. 34, Suppl 2, pp. 138, Editors: Z. Svobodová, L. Plhalová, J. Blahová, M. Ševčíková, V. Stancová, E. Šišperová.

  • 2014 – Stará Lesná, Vysoké Tatry, “Connecting for Safer Europe”. Guest: President of EUROTOX, Aristides M. Tsatsakis (Greece). Neuroendocrinology Letters vol. 35, Suppl. 2, pp. 219, Editor: M. Mach.

  • 2015 – Brno, Hotel Myslivna, Neuroendocrinology Letters vol. 36, Suppl. 1, pp. 155, Editors: Z. Svobodová, L. Plhalová, J. Blahová, J. Vráblová.

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References:

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Eduard Ujházy et al. (2016). Neuro Endocrinol Lett. 2016 Dec 18;37(Suppl1):3-8.

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