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December 7, 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
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Association
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Fellows-in-Training |
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Archive |
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FIT Archive |
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Government agencies, medical schools and hospitals are the most
appropriate sources of funding for fellowships in clinical
allergy-immunology, say 71 percent of readers responding. |
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Which
is the most appropriate source for funding clinical
allergy-immunology subspecialty training? |
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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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DECEMBER
Evolving
Approaches to Optimize Asthma Outcomes
Immunology Educational Institute of New England (IEINE)
Jointly Sponsored by ACAAI
Tel: 201-864-0600
Fax: 978-632-1573
Email
6:30 pm – 10:30 pm in 20 cities
Dec. 13, Minneapolis
Dec. 14, Seattle
Dec. 15, San Diego
Dec. 20, Orlando, Fla.
Dec. 21, Miami
JANUARY
The Management of Pediatric
Allergy:
In Whose Hands? – from Bench to Bedside
In cooperation with ACAAI
Jan. 20-26, 2006
Milan, Italy
Tel: 39-02-34934404
Fax: 39-02-34934397
E-mail
Link
WSAAI 44th
Annual Scientific Session
Western Society of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (WSAAI)
Jan. 22-26, 2006
Lanai City, Hawaii
Tel: 623-266-9148
Fax: 628-266-7885
Link
ONGOING
World Allergy Organization Society Meetings
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Sponsored
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Top
Stories |
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Toxins in dust increase asthma risk
Bacterial toxin levels of endotoxins in house dust are
directly related to asthma symptoms and use of asthma
medications, according to a study in American Journal of
Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. Researchers from the
University of Iowa, Iowa City, and the National Institute of
Environmental Health Sciences, Research Triangle Park, N.C.,
evaluated dust samples from 831 U.S. homes. The residents of the
homes also completed questionnaires about their health and
asthma symptoms. The strongest link between endotoxin levels and
asthma risk in adults was found in bedroom floors and bedding,
despite that the concentrations of endotoxins in these areas
were significantly lower than in other areas of the home.
Dander affects asthmatics long after cat removed
Cat allergens can hamper the lung function of people who
have asthma and are allergic to cats — for up to 22 hours after
exposure — according to a study presented recently at the
Radiological Society of North America annual meeting, in
Chicago. Researchers at the David Geffen School of Medicine at
the University of California, Los Angeles, performed
high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) scans, using them to
examine the functioning of the small airways deep in the lungs
to detect the extent of impairment caused by exposure to the
allergen. Researchers induced an asthma attack in 10 subjects
with asthma and allergies to cats, then took a series of HRCT
scans during the next few days. Even after the outward symptoms,
such as difficulty breathing abated, all 10 subjects continued
to experience a decrease in lung function, according to scans.
Girl dies from peanut butter kiss
A 15-year-old Canadian girl with a peanut allergy died
recently after kissing her boyfriend who had eaten a peanut
butter sandwich about nine hours earlier, according to the AFP
news agency. The girl, from Saguenay, Quebec, failed to
respond to days of treatment, including an adrenaline shot,
which was administered almost immediately after she suffered
the reaction.
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 A
word from Dr. William Dolen, president
Thank you for your replies on the funding options for
clinical allergy-immunology training programs. Results
of the poll are listed in the Nov. 23 archived issue
(click Vote button). Let’s explore these options a few
at a time during the next few weeks. Please send an
e-mail to the ACAAI office with any additional
thoughts and comments.
1. Fellows should pay their own way, either by
moonlighting or getting their own grants. This is the
historical model for all fellowship funding, and many
of you trained this way. In the poll, 5 percent of you
felt that this is the option of choice.
Advantages
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Are
there any advantages of this model vs. the others? |
Disadvantages
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This is the “you eat
what you kill” model. |
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Fellows have
completed college, medical school, and a
three-year residency in pediatrics or internal
medicine and have already accumulated substantial
debt. They are at least 28 to 30 years old; many
of their college friends have had well-paying jobs
for many years. |
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Many fellows have a
spouse and children. |
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Unless independently
wealthy, the fellow also will have to make a
substantial moonlighting commitment that would
certainly interfere with the reading commitment of
fellowship training. |
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Grants for clinical
allergy-immunology training appear to be few and
far between. Does anyone know of such grant
sources? |
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This option could
create disparities by attracting individuals from
wealthy families for subspecialty training. |
2. The pharmaceutical
industry should make grants to the training programs.
In the poll, 5 percent of you chose this option. One
of you made a written comment reiterating your support
of this option, while another person emphatically
stated, “Training programs should never be funded by
drug companies.”
Advantages
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The
fellow would be paid at the same rate as peers in
other subspecialty fellowships. |
Disadvantages
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Perception of
strings attached to the educational grant. |
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Clear potential for
conflict of interest. Even in the best of
circumstances, it is not clear how there could not
be some sense of obligation on the part of the
fellow, faculty, or institution. |
3. The training programs
should have local endowment funds. In this model,
former fellows from a training program, other
interested private donors, foundations, and others
contribute to a university endowment fund. The income
from this fund provides income for fellows. In the
poll, 10 percent of you chose this option.
Advantages
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Security |
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The
fellow would be paid at the same rate as peers in
other subspecialty fellowships. |
Disadvantages
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To generate $60,000
per year to train one fellow, there needs to be a
lot of principal. |
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The endowment fund
must be protected from malevolent deans,
department chairs, or others who might wish to
divert income away to fund other programs. |
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There must be a plan
in place to determine what will happen to the
endowment account in the event that the
allergy-immunology training program closes for
some reason. |
The other options will
be explored in a future eNews column. Again, please
send your feedback to the ACAAI office and vote in
this week’s poll.
Dr. William Dolen
ACAAI president |
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Plan to attend the ACAAI-HSACI meeting in Greece
The ACAAI and Hellenic Society of Allergy & Clinical
Immunology (HSACI) are co-sponsoring a
Joint Allergy Symposium, Allergy Update in
Greece, Sept. 6-9, 2006, in beautiful Athens.
This international meeting brings together many of the
finest researchers and clinicians to present cutting-edge
lectures on the most important topics for the clinical
practice of allergy and immunology.
Plan to join your colleagues in Athens, one of the most
exciting cities in the world, the metropolis of wisdom,
philosophy and inspiration. The modern Athens Ledra
Marriott Hotel is the perfect venue for this meeting, with
its spacious conference center and view of the Acropolis.
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Association
News |
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 Connections
to Allergy and Asthma Care program introduced in Anaheim
The College’s Managed Care and Health Plans Committee has
launched a new Connections to Allergy and Asthma Care
program, designed to empower patients and employers to make
informed decisions about allergy and asthma care benefits in
health plans.
Central to the program is a brochure called “Checking Up on
the Best Health Plans.” The brochure includes a consumer
checklist that advises patients about features to look for and
questions to ask before enrolling in a health plan. It also
can be a guide for employers and other purchasers of group
health care in choosing plans that will lower overall health
care costs and reduce time lost from work because of allergies
and asthma.
The program was introduced to ACAAI members at the Annual
Meeting and all members were sent copies of the brochure by
mail following the meeting. Please display the brochures in
your office. Many of your patients will be participating in
open enrollment at their places of employment this fall and
will find this information useful.
The brochure is also posted on the
ACAAI Web site and is being promoted through national
consumer and trade media relations.
Nationwide Asthma Screening Program 10th Anniversary “Call
to Action”
2006 marks the 10th anniversary of the Nationwide Asthma
Screening Program, and the College is issuing a “Call to
Action” for members to sign up to conduct a screening in their
community next year. Downloadable preregistration forms for
participating in this special milestone year are available
online.
The 2005 public service campaign included 233 ACAAI members
coordinating screenings in their communities. More than 10,000
people were screened, and half were referred for a
professional diagnosis. Media coverage spread news of the
program with 571 print articles and broadcast reports reaching
228 million people, driving more than 30,000 visitors to the
ACAAI Web site for screening program information.
The campaign has been conducted with support from AstraZeneca
in cooperation with the Asthma & Allergy Foundation of America
(AAFA) and the Allergy and Asthma Network Mothers of
Asthmatics (AANMA).
What is FALCPA?
The Food Allergen Labeling and Consumers Protection Act of
2004 was passed to ensure that individuals could easily and
accurately identify food ingredients that may cause reactions
by reading food labels. Under FALCPA, allergen declarations
must be written in plain English. FALCPA applies to all
packaged foods (except meat, poultry, and certain egg
products) sold in the United States, whether they are
manufactured in the United States or manufactured abroad and
imported into the United States.
Your patients may ask you other questions about FALCPA. You do
have a resource available. The Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis
Network (FAAN) has worked with a lawyer specializing in food
law and the FDA to develop answers to frequently asked
questions. Visit the Web site at
www.foodallergy.org/Advocacy/labeling.html.
Allergy Practice Tip:
Ping-Pong Effect
Advice from The Patient-Centered Allergy Practice
Put a Ping-Pong table in your practice. Over impromptu games,
physicians and staff can get to know each other better. Win or
lose, the result will be a happier, more productive office.
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. |
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Fellows-in-Training |
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Immunology Review Corner
Welcome to the Board Review Corner, prepared by Dr. Karla R.
Davis, 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 59 of the 6th edition
of Middleton’s Allergy Principles and Practice, edited by
N. Franklin Adkinson, et al. Review questions were written by
Drs. Thao Tran and Karla Davis.
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