Sponsored By

Sixty percent of readers responding say they already conduct document testing and immunotherapy that would meet OIG standards.

Fat hormone leptin increases asthma risk
Heavier women who have high levels of leptin, a hormone produced by fat cells, are more likely to have asthma, according to a study in Thorax. Researchers at Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, in Springfield, Ill., examined information on nearly 6,000 American adults who had participated in the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Study (NHANES), including data about blood leptin levels and asthma. Leptin levels were significantly higher among subjects with diagnosed asthma as compared with those who had never had the disease. The association was stronger in women than men, and stronger among women who were premenopausal. Leptin seemed to be associated with asthma beyond obesity, suggesting it may have an independent role to play. 

FDA announces work to streamline drug approval
The Food and Drug Administration recently released a list of about 75 projects, under its “critical path” initiative, which the agency believes would help shorten the time it takes for new drugs to reach patients. The initiative’s name refers to the journey a drug takes from laboratory to patient. The list focuses on two areas: new scientific projects to improve how clinical trials are designed and new ways to validate methods of measuring the toxicity and efficacy of drugs.

Private industry increasingly funding medical research
Medical research funded by pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies exceeds research funded by government or public sources among the most frequently cited studies, according to a study in the online British Medical Journal. Researchers at the University of Ioannina School of Medicine in Greece reviewed the sponsorship of 289 articles in the domain of clinical medicine, from 1994 to 2003, which had been cited most often by the end of 2004. Overall, 60 percent of articles had government or public funding, while 36 percent were funded by industry. However, private funding is rising. In 1994, about 30 percent of articles were funded by industry; in 2001, 50 percent were funded by industry. In addition, 65 of the 77 most cited randomized controlled trials involved industry funding.  

Job Source on ACAAI Web site introduces new features
The “Job Source” on the ACAAI Web site has introduced several new features to make job searches and career advancements easier than ever.

A new, easy to use Resume Builder allows job seekers to:
• Build a professional resume with template content
• Customize a resume with fonts, colors and content
• Upload an existing resume and maintain its formatting
• Store multiple resumes
• Post a resume online so that employers can find you (confidentially if desired)
• Create and send a cover letter along with a resume

A new My Site section allows you to:
• Easily create and maintain your own password-protected career Web site
• Include a home page with an introduction
• Upload a photo or image of your choice
• Post your resume
• List your references
• Upload or link to articles you’ve written or published
• Provide your unique Web site URL to anyone you wish, including potential employers

All features are free to job seekers and easy to use with simple instructions and templates. Visit www.acaai.org/Member and select JOB SOURCE to learn more and get started today.

If you have any questions about the ACAAI Job Source, contact our customer care team at 888-884-8242 or info@healthecareers.com.

CMS requests PHRs like Medem’s iHealthRecord for all Medicare patients
The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has just released a request for proposal (RFP) in conjunction with its stated goal of providing Personal Health Records (PHRs) for all Medicare beneficiaries like Medem's iHealthRecord. The RFP focuses on the ability to automatically update beneficiary PHRs using CMS claims data. CMS explains its PHR goals as follows:

"Personal Health Records will improve the quality of health care by enhancing communication between and among providers and their patients....We believe that PHRs should be used at an early stage to help encourage Medicare beneficiaries to accept health information technology (IT) related initiatives, which are focused on helping to improve their health and health care."

CMS has announced its goal is to provide PHRs to all Medicare beneficiaries, but they have also been clear that they will not offer PHR services themselves. Rather, CMS will promote PHRs to seniors, motivate providers to offer PHR services to seniors and help keep PHRs current by providing a CMS claims-based data feed to PHRs that meet specific CMS standards.

Active iHealth Services users can receive a credit to their 2007 subscription
Physicians who actively use Medem’s iHealth Services can also receive a credit from Medem. If you have 300 of your patients sign up for an iHealthRecord via your practice Web site in 2006 or perform at least one charged-for Online Consultation on average per week during the 2006 calendar year, your 2006 fees will be credited to your 2007 subscription.

ACAAI members who want to obtain or maintain a Medem practice Web site, but do not meet one of the two criteria outlined above, will still receive a 33 percent discount off the standard price ($295) of Medem’s iHealth Services.

If you need any assistance, please contact Medem’s Member Services at info@medem.com or 1-877-926-3336. If you have questions specific to your bill, e-mail billing@medem.com  

Register your children’s asthma camp in 2006 Directory
The Consortium on Children’s Asthma Camp is currently updating its 2006 Asthma Camp directory. If you sponsor, coordinate, volunteer for or know about an asthma camp in your state, please check the Consortium's Web site and make sure it’s included in the directory. You can also update your camp’s information.

To add a camp, please e-mail asthmacamp@alamn.org for a password – or if you forgot your existing password.

The Consortium on Children’s Asthma Camps was founded in 1988 by six sponsoring organizations including the College, which is recognized on the Consortium’s Web site for its ongoing support. ACAAI’s representatives on its Board of Directors are Drs. Sherwin A. Gillman, Mario Cruz-Rivera, (Secretary), and Margaret F. Guill, (Treasurer). Dr. Gillman also chairs the ACAAI Ad Hoc Committee to Advise Asthma Camps.


World Asthma Day is coming soon
World Asthma Day (WAD) is an annual event organized by the Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA). The theme, “The Unmet Needs of Asthma,” will continue to be used for this year's event to be held Tuesday, May 2, 2006.

GINA materials also emphasize the importance of asthma control. Addressing the unmet needs of asthma leads to improved asthma control and, in turn, reduces the burden of this disease.

If you are you thinking about taking part in World Asthma Day or planning an activity in your area, now is the time to put your plans into high gear. Visit the World Asthma Day Web site for activity ideas and lots of examples of activities from past World Asthma Days. You can download and adapt WAD 2006 updated materials to use as part of your activities for health care workers, patients, the media, and other audiences. Check back for more materials to be posted as WAD 2006 approaches.

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 65 of the 6th edition of Middleton’s Allergy Principles and Practice, edited by N. Franklin Adkinson, et al. Review questions were written by Karla R. Davis, Walter Reed Medical Center; Anne K. Ellis, McMaster University; and J. Michael Norvell, Vanderbilt University.