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Season may influence asthma test results
People undergoing exercise tests to diagnose asthma may receive different results depending on the season, according to a study in Chest. Scientists at Shaare Zedek Medical Center, Jerusalem, reported that exercise tests appear less likely to confirm an asthma diagnosis in the summer than during other seasons. The study included 532 17-year-old potential military recruits, who participated in treadmill tests for suspected asthma, which were conducted in a laboratory under constant temperature and humidity. Overall, 26 percent tested positive for asthma after exercising (10 percent or greater drop in lung function), but only about 13 percent tested positive during the summer months.  

Education improves asthmatics’ disease management
Many people with asthma don’t have the knowledge needed to properly manage their disease, but they are capable of learning, according to a study in American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. Researchers at Boston University School of Medicine studied 73 adults who were hospitalized for severe asthma at two inner-city hospitals. Of the 73, 16 were identified as having inadequate health literacy. At discharge, all subjects received one-on-one, 30-minute, guideline-based written and oral instruction about their asthma discharge regimen, as well as information about MDI technique. Those with inadequate health literacy did not have difficulty learning or retaining discharge instructions or appropriate MDI technique.

Mold remains worst health threat in Big Easy
The city is making steady progress to rebuild, but experts say the major health problems in New Orleans continue to be mold, hazardous waste and injuries suffered during the cleanup. But mold remains the one major area of concern. One doctor from Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine warned that people with health conditions such as asthma or compromised immune systems should stay away from mold and not attempt to get rid of it themselves. In addition, the Los Angeles Times recently reported that New Orleans doctors are seeing an increase in what locals call "Katrina cough," believed to be caused by allergies to the mold and dust resulting from the storm.  

A word from Dr. William  K. Dolen, president

Greetings from the ACAAI annual meeting in sunny Anaheim. Kudos to Dr. Myron Zitt for his leadership as president during the past year. I welcome Dr. Jay Portnoy, who will rejoin the Board as vice president. The ACAAI is a strong, vibrant organization of people committed to patients and to the subspecialty of allergy-immunology. To maintain and build on this strength, we need your input and support. Please feel free to send me your ideas for College activities, and I’ll direct them to the appropriate committees.

Dr. Daniel Ein, our president-elect, will be making committee appointments later in the year. Please let him know of your interests. Likewise, Dan’s Annual Program Committee has already begun work on the program for the 2006 Philadelphia meeting. Now’s the time to give him suggestions for plenary sessions, symposia, workshops and Meet the Professor breakfasts.

One of the hot discussion topics in committee meetings and in the hallways has been funding sources for clinical fellowships in allergy-immunology. The JCAAI is exploring ways to approach Congress to increase federal funding, and the College is collaborating in this endeavor. It is clear that there are multiple potential sources for fellowship funding, as noted in the poll questions below.

I’d like to hear your comments* on the relative advantages and disadvantages of these options, as well as your thoughts about innovative ways to fund training. Watch for more on this in future reports.

Dr. William K. Dolen
ACAAI president

*You will be directed to the comments section of this issue's poll.

William K. Dolen installed as ACAAI president
Daniel Ein becomes president-elect
Dr. William K. Dolen, Augusta, Ga., was installed as president of the American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (ACAAI) on Nov. 8 at the ACAAI Annual Meeting in Anaheim.

Other officers elected were: Drs. Daniel Ein, Washington, D.C., president-elect; Jay M. Portnoy, Kansas City, Mo., vice president; and Richard G. Gower, Spokane, Wash., treasurer. Elected as Regents for three-year terms were Drs. James R. Claflin, Oklahoma City; Michael B. Foggs, Chicago; and Kathleen Ruffing May, Cumberland, Md.

Dr. Dolen is professor of pediatrics and medicine in the allergy and immunology section at the Medical College of Georgia.

A Fellow since 1988, he became vice president of ACAAI in 2003 and is serving his second term on the ACAAI Board of Regents (1993-96 and 2003-present) and Executive Committee. During this past year, he served on the Foundation Board and chaired the Annual Meeting Program Committee, and served on numerous committees, including Finance, Bylaws, Publications, Workshop, Continuing Medical Education, CD-ROM Oversight, A/I Training Program Directors’ Planning, Technology and Computers.

Dr. Dolen is past president of the Southeastern Allergy, Asthma and Immunology Society and the Allergy, Asthma & Immunology Society of Georgia. He is an ad hoc reviewer for the Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology and the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology; and he was a member of Allergy-Immunology MKSAP III. He has written more than 90 abstracts, publications and audiovisual programs. He received the ACAAI 2001 Distinguished Fellow Award.

Dr. Ein is clinical professor of medicine, and chief of the Division of Allergy at George Washington University School of Medicine in Washington, D.C.
He previously served on the ACAAI Board of Regents(2000-2003) and as an Executive Committee member. He chairs the Pharmaceutical Symposium Committee and the Acorn Project Ad Hoc Committee; is vice chair of the Abstract Review Committee; and also chaired the ACAAI/AAAAI Task Force on Smallpox. He is a member of the committees on Finance, Annual Program, Ethics and Site Selection, and Managed Care.

Dr. Ein is past president of the Joint Council of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (1999) and was founder and president of the Capitol Physicians Network. He is also past president of the Medical Society of D.C., the Jacobi Society of Washington and the Greater Washington Allergy Society.

High School Student Asthma and Allergy Expo attracts 250 students
The ACAAI and the Asthma & Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA) extended learning in science and medicine beyond the classroom at a High School Student Asthma and Allergy Expo held in conjunction with the ACAAI Annual Meeting in Anaheim on Nov. 4.

Some 250 students accompanied by their science teachers interacted with scientists, physicians, nurses and other health care professionals to learn the latest on a variety of asthma and allergy-related topics. Hands-on demonstrations included lung function testing, the correct use of medicines, up-close and personal views of various allergens and irritants, and several exhibits where students were challenged to apply what they learned.

“The Expo introduced high school students in Orange County to the medical specialty and the science that underpins our current understanding of asthma, allergy and immunology. Plus, it raised their awareness of asthma and allergies and related conditions as important public health priorities,” said Dr. Myron J. Zitt, ACAAI immediate past president.

“Among the exhibitors were four young entrepreneurs from Pottstown, Pa., who, while in high school, developed ‘Scanner Patrol.’ This handheld scanner reads barcodes on food labels to identify potential allergens among the ingredients. They have also been working on a national database of food ingredients,” Dr. Zitt said.

The four students won a $25,000 Christopher Columbus Award community grant for their work and were recognized at the Convocation in Anaheim.

The Expo is made possible through an educational grant from GlaxoSmithKline.

Allergy Practice Tip: Reduce Wait Times
Advice from The Patient-Centered Allergy Practice
If patients need to wait weeks before their appointment, they are more likely to forget their appointment date. Work through your backlog and find other ways to get patients in faster. For more advice, 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.