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June 22, 2005 |
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Welcome to ACAAI eNews — a bi-weekly aggregated news service
from the American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. To be
removed from this distribution list, please see instructions at
bottom. |
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Top
Stories |
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Drugs and Devices |
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Distance Learning |
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Association
News |
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Fellows-in-Training |
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Calendar |
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Archive |
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FIT Archive |
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When allergic disease is
trivialized, say 80 percent of readers responding, so is the
specialty, threatening its survival. |
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Vote
on Annals and AllergyWatch proposals
that will impact YOU! |
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Distance Learning |
2005 Board/Recertification Review Course:
DVDs, Audio CDs, MP3s
Link
ACAAI Tape Store
Complete Listing
Link
2004 ACAAI ANNUAL MEETING
Nov. 12-17, Boston
Link
From the 2003 ACAAI ANNUAL MEETING
Nov. 7-12, 2003, New Orleans
• Two Symposia Online
Link
• Plenary Sessions CD-ROM and DVD
Link
Patient-Centered Allergy Practice
Endorsed by ACAAI, Sponsored by Physicians Practice
Link
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Calendar |
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JUNE
WAO/EAACI World Allergy Congress
June 26 – July 1
Munich, Germany
Link
JULY
Association of Asthma
Educators (AAE) Annual Conference
July 22-24, Las Vegas
Tel: 888-988-7747
E-mail
Link
AAE's National Asthma Educator Certification Review Course
July 24-25, Las Vegas
Tel: 888-988-7747
E-mail
Link
23rd Annual Aspen Allergy
Conference
July 27-30
Aspen, Colo.
Contact: Kathleen Goldy
Tel: 303-282-0491
E-mail
Link
8th Annual Scientific Session of
the Intermountain West
Allergy Association
July 28-30, Coeur d’Alene, Idaho
Link
AUGUST
Clinical
Allergy for the Practicing Physician
Washington University School of Medicine
Aug. 5-6, St. Louis
Tel: 314-362-6891
E-mail
Link
Hong Kong
Allergy Convention
Co-sponsored by ACAAI
Aug. 6-7, Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre
Tel: 852-2559-5888
Fax: 852-2559-6910
E-mail
SEPTEMBER
American
Society for Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics (ASCPT)
"Adverse Drug Events and Medication Errors: Impact on Medical
Care in the 21st Century"
Sept. 29-30,
Philadelphia
E-mail
Link
OCTOBER
New Trends & Recent Applications
in Allergy, Immunology and Infectious Diseases
Co-sponsored by ACAAI
Oct. 6-8,
Taormina, Sicily
E-mail:jbella007@aol.com
or IRConsult@aol.com
Link
Update in
Allergy Immunology
Nassau
University Medical Center
Oct. 27,
East Meadow, NY
Tel: Dr. Marianne Frieri at 516-572-3214
Email
ONGOING
World Allergy Organization Society Meetings
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Sponsored
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Top
Stories |
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Three studies confirm health risk of higher ozone levels
Three independent ozone studies, in the July issue of
Epidemiology, seem to confirm that higher atmospheric ozone
levels are dangerous and even may be life-threatening. The
studies were funded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
and attempted to quantify mortality risk of rising ambient ozone
levels, which are increased by automobile exhaust and industrial
pollution. According to one study, for every
10-parts-per-billion increase in daily ozone level, the total
death rate for the day and the two following days climbed by
0.87 percent. All three studies were meta-analyses, combining
results of 153 studies to identify patterns that may not be
apparent in individual studies.
Parents' depression, panic tied to
children's asthma, allergies
Parents with major depression or panic disorder are more
likely to have biological children with asthma and allergies,
says a study in Psychosomatic Medicine. The association
held only for biological children, suggesting a "shared genetic
liability." Researchers from Columbia University, New York,
studied a sample of 9,240 parent-child pairs drawn from the 1999
U.S. National Health Interview Survey. Of the parent-child
pairs, 8,686 were biological and 554 were not. Among biological
parent-child pairs, researchers noted a statistically
significant association between major depression and panic
attacks in parents and allergic disorders in children.
AMA works on image with “real-life
heroes” ads
The American Medical Association is launching a $60 million
marketing campaign aimed at improving its image and increasing
membership, which includes ads portraying doctors as "everyday
heroes." The AMA recently announced the campaign at its annual
meeting in Chicago. The ads feature AMA doctors and their
patients and emphasize the nobility of the profession.
High-salt diet increases airway inflammation
Changing your salt intake for two weeks can affect airway
inflammation and oxygen flow to the bloodstream, says a small
Indiana University study in Medicine & Science in Sports &
Exercise. Researchers put 24 subjects with asthma and
exercise-induced asthma on either a low-salt (1,446 milligrams
of sodium/day) or high-salt (9,873 milligrams of sodium/day)
diet for two weeks. At the end of the two weeks, the subjects on
the high-salt diet showed a dramatic decline in lung function
after physical activity, with their forced expiratory volume in
one second dropping by 27.4 percent over the two weeks, compared
with a 7.9 percent decline among the low-salt diet subjects.
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 A
word from President Myron Zitt, M.D.
Among the College’s greatest assets and member benefits
are its peer-reviewed scientific journal Annals of
Allergy Asthma & Immunology and its synopsis of
allergy and asthma literature, AllergyWatch.
The ACAAI takes great pride in its flagship publication,
the Annals of Allergy Asthma and Immunology, and
its nationally acclaimed editor, Dr. Edward O’Connell, who
will be completing his second four-year term at the end of
December and passing the baton to his successor Dr. Gailen
D. Marshall. The Annals, now in its 62nd year of
publication, boasts a database of 826 reviewers, of which
at least 300 have critiqued papers in 2004. Of about 500
manuscripts submitted last year, from 39 countries around
the globe, approximately 55 percent were accepted for
publication. Dr. O’Connell reports that progress is being
made in modifying the CME Review Article feature to comply
with Maintenance of Certification requirements, with hopes
of an eventual link between the article and the American
Board of Allergy and Immunology’s Web site.
Ever-busy Ed recently has been appointed a Web site editor
for the World Allergy Organization journals. Nothing keeps
a good editor from working!
It’s hard to believe how quickly time goes by, but it has
been more than six years since Dr. Bud Bardana first
published AllergyWatch. This publication, written
and distributed every two months, has been a tremendous
aid to our College membership, many of whom have
difficulty finding the time to identify and/or read all of
the pivotal articles published in our most influential
journals. AllergyWatch features concise summaries
and editorial comments not only of articles from our
specialty journals but also from the most widely read
general medicine and pediatric publications. From my
perspective, with the traveling I’ve had to do this year,
I can’t begin to tell you what an asset it has been to me.
Most flattering to Dr. Bardana and his nine-member
editorial team is that AllergyWatch is recognized
throughout the world. Last year, AllergyWatch,
under the leadership of Dr. Marek Kowalski, was translated
into Polish and distributed to physicians across Poland.
At present, negotiations are under way to translate the
proceedings into Spanish for the benefit of our Latin
American colleagues. Distributing AllergyWatch
electronically to Mexico and South America not only will
be a valuable educational tool, but it also will help to
fulfill a mission of our organization — to grow ACAAI
membership worldwide. It is likely that we will be seeking
to recruit a deputy editor to oversee the Spanish
translation project.
A 2001 survey of approximately 5,000 readers indicated
that 99 percent of respondents said they read
AllergyWatch always or most of the time. It also
received high marks on relevance of information, writing
style, timeliness of information and editorial comments.
Because of the huge success of AllergyWatch, many
of our members have requested the creation of a similar
publication addressing issues in immunology. The
Publication Committee, under the direction of its Chair,
Dr. Susan Wynn Bailey, determined that rather than
creating an independent ImmunologyWatch, it would
be best, at least initially, to assess the popularity of
this subject material by adding an immunology supplement
to the year-end issue of AllergyWatch. Faculty
presenting the Update in Clinical Immunology Section of
the Literature Review Course, conducted at the ACAAI’s
Annual Meeting in Anaheim, will be invited to author this
new ImmunologyWatch supplement under the direction
of the AllergyWatch editor-in-chief. Its success
and the enthusiasm with which it is received will help to
determine the future of an immunology publication.
Dr. Bardana reports that, at the end of 2006, he will step
down as editor of AllergyWatch. The ACAAI must
therefore select a capable successor to assume the
editorial mantle. At our recent meeting in Washington, the
Publications Committee selected a panel of allergists to
actively recruit a new editor. The College would encourage
recommendations from the membership of qualified
applicants. Qualifications and instructions for applying
by Sept. 23 are available
online.
Thanks to Drs. O’Connell and Bardana as Editors-in Chief
of the Annals and of AllergyWatch, nobody
has better publications than the allergist!
Myron Zitt, M.D.
President, ACAAI |
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Association
News |
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Join the
“Committee of 200” and sponsor a FIT Travel Grant
The ACAAI seeks Fellow-in-Training Travel Grants for the
Annual Meeting. Thanks to the generosity of members, a record
230 FITs attended last year’s Annual Meeting on Travel Grants.
This year, the ACAAI Committee of 200 hopes again to
bring even more Fellows to the Anaheim meeting, Nov. 3-9.
Please consider sponsoring a Fellow at one of the following
levels:
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Platinum
Level — $1,000 contribution
Gold Level — $750 contribution
Silver Level — $500 contribution |
Sponsors receive
appropriate recognition at the convention with Committee of
200 ribbons attached to their name badges and
acknowledgement in the Program Guide. In addition, their names
will be published in the post-convention issue of the ACAAI
newsletter.
Look for your travel grant sponsorship form arriving soon in
the newsletter mailing.
Board Review Course DVDs, audio CDs, MP3s, syllabus
available
If you were unable to attend the ACAAI/AAAAI Conjoint
Committee Board and Recertification Review Course held April
14-17, you can take the course from the convenience of your
home or office.
The Review Course DVDs, Audio CDs and MP3s are available for
purchase at the
ACAAI Online Audio, Video & CD Store. Plus, the syllabus
is still available at a cost of $95 by e-mailing Dianne Kubis
at
diannekubis@acaai.org.
A record-breaking 658 attendees participated in the program
coordinated by the ACAAI, and co-sponsored by the College and
the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology.
The purpose of the intensive course, made possible by a
generous educational grant from sanofi-aventis Group,
was to help allergists prepare for the ABAI Certification Exam
Oct. 10-16 and the Recertification Exam Oct. 17-21.
Allergy Practice Tip: While
You Work
Advice from The Patient-Centered Allergy Practice
Encourage staff in low-level repetitive jobs – like your
records file clerk – to take on a secondary task that suits
their personality. When they aren’t busy, they could
re-organize the supply closet, spend a weekend redecorating
the waiting room, or clean out the exam room drawers. This
keeps them motivated and busy. For more advice on staffing in
an allergy practice, visit
www.PatientCenteredAllergyPractice.com
These tips are drawn The Patient-Centered Allergy Practice,
a CME Series in Practice Management, supported through an
educational grant from sanofi-aventis Group and
endorsed by the American College of Allergy, Asthma &
Immunology. |
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Fellows-in-Training |
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Welcome to the Board Review Corner prepared by Dr. Thao N.
Tran, Senior Representative of ACAAI’s fellows-in-training (FITs)
to the Board of Regents. The Board Review Corner is your chance
to test your Board preparedness.
To refer to a previous Board Review Corner, click the “Archive”
link in the left column.
Immunology Review Corner: Chapter 49 of the 6th edition
of Middleton’s Allergy Principles and Practice, edited by
N. Franklin Adkinson, et al.
Prepared by Dr. Thao N. Tran, Stony Brook University
Hospital- SUNY, and Dr. Karla Lowe, Walter Reed Medical Center.
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Copyright
© 2005 American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. All
rights reserved.
E-newsletter services provided by the medical editors at Ascend
Media, LLC.
Do you have news, responses or opinions to share with us? Please
e-mail the association office at
enews@acaai.org.
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