P.M. Mannucci – författare

With great pleasure I welcome you to the City of Groningen. In more than one way there is cause for celebration. Today marks the third lustrum of the annual international sympo­ sium on blood transfusion, organized by the Rode Kruis Bloedbank Groningen-Drenthe. In my opinion it has been a remarkable initiative of the Bloedbank, to start organizing a scientific conference, as it did, in 1976. It meant, among others, that in case of success the initiative would grow to be an annual item on the international congress calen­ der. It also meant that a possible third lustrum would coincide with the celebration of the 950th anniversary of the City of Groningen. I am happy to note that the initiative has been successful: over the past fourteen years the Rode Kruis Bloedbank Groningen-Drenthe has succeeded in organizing an annual symposium on blood transfusion, with a different theme each year, and with an average attendance of 250 participants from some 26 countries world-wide. The platform created with the special formula of the symposium, for science and industry, has been well balanced and beneficial to both. Mr. Chairman, ladies and gentlemen, I like to compliment the organizers with the success that they have attained. Allow me to men­ tion the name of just one person, in whom I like to thank everyone who has been involved in creating the annual Bloedbank-symposia: my warm congratulations to Dr. Smit Sibinga and his staff.

Before the introduction of DDA VP, centrnl diabetes insipidus was treated by the administration of a more or less purified extract from bovine or porcine posterior pituitaries, and the prepamtions were mostly given in the form of nasal snuff. In 1956, the structure of vasopressin became known and two forms were found, namely arginine vasopressin (A VP) in humans and most other species, and lysine vasopressin (L VP) which was found in the pig. In 1967, Zaornl et al. were the frrst to synthesize l-desamino-8-D-arginine vasopressin, DDA VP. In comparison with the compounds which were previously available, DDA VP offered increased antidiuretic potency and an equally distinct shift of the antidiuretic to pressor potency rntio. As a result of the pioneering studies of Cash and Mannucci, numerous publications appeared in the medical literature of the 80's, widening the fields of clinical application of the drug. A very important aspect of this drug is that it can be used as an alternative treatment for mild factor VllI deficiencies, mild hemophilia A and von Willebrnnd's disease.These congenital deficiencies are far from mre and have, up to now, been treated with plasma-derived factor VIII concentrates; in the countries in which desmopressin has not been used a consistent proportion of these patients have seroconverted for HIV 1 and hepatitis.

With great pleasure I welcome you to the City of Groningen. In more than one way there is cause for celebration. Today marks the third lustrum of the annual international sympo­ sium on blood transfusion, organized by the Rode Kruis Bloedbank Groningen-Drenthe. In my opinion it has been a remarkable initiative of the Bloedbank, to start organizing a scientific conference, as it did, in 1976. It meant, among others, that in case of success the initiative would grow to be an annual item on the international congress calen­ der. It also meant that a possible third lustrum would coincide with the celebration of the 950th anniversary of the City of Groningen. I am happy to note that the initiative has been successful: over the past fourteen years the Rode Kruis Bloedbank Groningen-Drenthe has succeeded in organizing an annual symposium on blood transfusion, with a different theme each year, and with an average attendance of 250 participants from some 26 countries world-wide. The platform created with the special formula of the symposium, for science and industry, has been well balanced and beneficial to both. Mr. Chairman, ladies and gentlemen, I like to compliment the organizers with the success that they have attained. Allow me to men­ tion the name of just one person, in whom I like to thank everyone who has been involved in creating the annual Bloedbank-symposia: my warm congratulations to Dr. Smit Sibinga and his staff.