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Feb.
14, 2007 |
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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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The top three types of teaching done by readers responding
were: patient education, staff education and CMEs. |
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Periodicals |
•
Annals of
Allergy, Asthma and Immunology
Current issue
• AllergyWatch
Current issue
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Calendar |
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FEBRUARY
2007 AAAAI Annual Meeting
Feb. 23-27, San Diego
Tel: 888-869-0189 (US/Canada)
Tel: 415-979-2277 (International/Local)
Link
MARCH
IX
International Symposium on Respiratory Viral Infections
The Macrae Group
March 3 - 6, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong
Tel: (+1) 212.988.7732
E-mail
Link
APRIL
2007 World Immune Regulation Meeting
April 11-15, 2007
Davos, Switzerland
Email
Link
International Conference on Asthma
Impacts of Air Pollution
South Cost Air Quality Management District
April 26-27, Anaheim, CA
Tel: 909-396-2432
Link
JUNE
2007 Annual Meeting of the Florida Allergy, Asthma &
Immunology Society
June 8-10, Sarasota, Fla.
Tel: 904-765-7702
2nd World Congress on Work-Related and Environmental Allergy
/ 6th International Symposium on Irritant Contact Dermatitis
June 13-16, Weimar, Germany
Tel: 49-0-3641-35-330
Email
Link
JULY
2007 International Congress on Respiratory Viruses
The Macrae Group
July 20-22, Colorado Springs, Colo.
Tel: 212-988-7732
E-mail
Link
25th Annual Aspen Allergy Conference
July 24-28, Aspen, CO
Conference Coordinator: Jill Hibbeln
Tel: 720-384-5917
E-mail
Link
ONGOING
World Allergy Organization Society Meetings
ACAAI CME Website
Contact: Mary Campbell
Tel: 847-427-1200
E-mail
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Sponsored
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Top
Stories |
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Study: Pediatric Exclusivity
Program good for kids, economic returns
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Pediatric
Exclusivity Program not only improves drug outcomes in children,
but also yields economic returns, according to a study in
JAMA. Scientists at Duke University Medical College in
Durham, N.C., used a cohort study of programs to evaluate the
results of pediatric exclusivity trials for nine drugs that were
selected using an algorithm from 59 drugs. They also used final
study reports submitted to the FDA from 2002 to 2004 to estimate
study costs, after-tax outflows and market sales to calculate a
net return-to-cost ratio. Findings included: one third of drugs
tested had different effects in children than adults. Out of 59
drugs, 12 were ineffective in children and five required dosing
changes, and net return-to-cost ratio ranged widely from -0.68
to 73.63.
FDA restricts antibiotic use
to pneumonia
The Food and Drug Administration recently restricted Ketek
to treating pneumonia and not less serious illnesses. The
antibiotic had been linked to rare reports of severe liver
problems, including deaths. Ketek will remain on the market with
a new warning label. The FDA also reported jointly creating with
manufacturer sanofi-aventis a guide for patients, which details
Ketek’s risks and safe use.
Prevalence of penicillin sensitization in children declines
There’s been a marked decline in the prevalence of
penicillin sensitization among children over a 10-year period,
however, most of these reactions are exanthematous and only a
fraction is due to IgE-mediated penicillin allergy, according to
a study in the Annals of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology.
Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine, St.
Louisexamined penicillin skin test reactivity trends over time,
assessing the relative distribution of specific reagents related
to a positive skin test result. They also looked at whether
reaction history was predictive of the presence or absence of a
positive skin test result. From 1993 to 2003, penicillin testing
was administered using three reagents: benzylpenicilloyl
polylysine, penicillin G, and sodium penicilloate. Of the 359
prospectively evaluated children, 23 had a positive skin test
reaction. Twenty-two of these occurred in 1993 and one in 2002.
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 A
message from
Editor-in-Chief Dr. Gailen D. Marshall,
Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology
I am pleased to update the membership on the state of
the Annals at the invitation of President Dan
Ein. The first year with our new team has been
completed, and we have had many successes and are
addressing existing and new challenges. I am pleased
to report that we are making steady progress in
improving the quality and quantity of articles for
our readers in each monthly issue. This is based on
improving the requirements for conciseness of each
article and a more rapid, efficient review system.
We have developed an operational strategy with the
goal of publishing articles within three months of
final acceptance and providing a first decision
within three weeks of initial submission. Thus, for
authors who submit manuscripts that require little
or no revision and are sensitive to timelines for
resubmissions, galleys, etc., it will soon be
possible for authors to see their work in print in
as little as four months after initial submission.
There are many people who make the process work
optimally — beginning with the Annals office
staff, led by Kim Stamper, our managing editor, and
featuring Treasa Rowzee, our editorial assistant.
They are the initial contacts for authors with
questions or concerns about the process. The College
office in Arlington Heights, Ill., has been
outstanding with its help and support in the
publication of the Annals. Led by the efforts
of Mary Lou Callaghan, the College serves as our
publisher, negotiating contracts with our peer
review system providers (editorial manager), copy
editors and printer (Cadmus), as well as providing
support for the College editorial office in Jackson,
Miss. Without that support from headquarters, we
could not bring you a publication which, in my heart
of hearts, I sincerely believe will one day be
widely regarded as the No. 1 allergy-immunology
journal in the world for the practicing clinician.
The Associate Editorial team is second-to-none in
the world in dedication and expertise. Drs. Sami
Bahna, Leonard Bielory, Walter Canonica, John
Moffitt, Steve Tilles, and Dick Weber have each done
a great job in handling the more than 500
manuscripts that were submitted in 2006 and
selecting the best of the best for publication in
each issue of the Annals. I am pleased to
announce that 2007 has brought us two new associate
editors – Drs. Mike Tankersley and Mitch Grayson.
They have already begun their work and add even more
expertise to an already talent-laden group. This
will allow us to process even more manuscripts in a
more rapid and efficient fashion. Authors, are you
listening?
The peer review process depends on the willing
participation of volunteer reviewers. We have some
wonderful reviewers, the most active of which serve
on our editorial board. The peer review process is
central to the process of publishing objective,
useful, relevant, well-written manuscripts. There is
value in reviewers of diverse background who share
the common goal of critiquing manuscripts for
content, writing clarity, and conciseness. Those of
our readers who wish to be reviewers for the Annals
can sign up at our new
Web site. If you think you are signed up but
have not been asked to review, please log in and
check that you have listed areas of
expertise/interest in your profile. Almost all of
our reviewers are now selected based on their
self-described areas of interest/expertise. If you
have not logged onto our new site since October and
have not been asked to review, it is likely that you
are not in the database as a reviewer. If you are
listed but still have not been invited, please send
me an e-mail (gmarshall@medicine.umsmed.edu)
so I can investigate. We want as many of you as
possible who want to review to have the opportunity
to do so.
Finally, a few words about future challenges facing
the Annals. The degree of advertising in all
medical journals has steadily diminished over the
last few years, and there is no real end in sight.
Direct-to-consumer advertising is where the money
appears to be going. That means we must find other
revenue streams to maintain/improve the financial
base for our journal. (We are already working on it,
but are open to new ideas). Another area of
challenge is the increasing (and largely
appropriate) demand for transparency — disclosure of
conflicts of interest for authors, editors, and
reviewers, clinical trial registration, the problem
of ghost-written manuscripts, and the disturbing
worldwide trend of disparities between positive
results published by industry-sponsored and non
industry-sponsored studies. Rest assured that your
Annals leadership team is working constantly
to address these and other issues that will preserve
the honorable reputation of our journal. We want to
continue and steadily improve the reputation that
articles published in the Annals are of the
highest quality, caliber, and integrity.
Your Annals staff is hard at work. Stay tuned
– the best is yet to come. |
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Association
News |
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SPECIAL
BULLETIN: Immunotherapy may not be adequately presented in
the new NHLBI asthma guidelines.
As you may have heard, the new guidelines for the
management of asthma have been made public in DRAFT version,
by the NHLBI.
“The Executive Committee of the College is concerned that
immunotherapy is not adequately presented as a bona fide
treatment for asthma,” said ACAAI President Dr. Daniel Ein.
“There is a section on immunotherapy to be found on page 148
of the document and some other mentions of it elsewhere.
“If, however, one looks at the proposed treatment steps in
the tables for management of asthma, there is no mention of
immunotherapy. (Look at Figure 4-6 on page 517 in Component
2 of the document). This is particularly troublesome because
most of the readers of the guidelines will only look at the
tables and this is where immunotherapy needs to be
included,” Dr. Ein said.
The draft of the Full Report of Expert Panel:
Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Management of Asthma
(EPR-3) has been posted on the NHLBI Web site for public
review and comment through March 5. The URL is:
http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/guidelines/asthma/epr3.
We urge you to send your comments to NHLBI to point out this
shortcoming in the document. All comments must be submitted
electronically using the “review and comment form” on the
NHLBI Web site. |
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Save the date for the College meeting in Dallas, Nov.
9-14
The 2007 ACAAI Annual Meeting in Dallas, Nov. 9-14, will be
held at the Gaylord Texan Convention Center. Standing tall
on a peninsula jutting out onto Lake Grapevine, the Gaylord
Texan is a tribute to everything Texas. Its atriums –
housing 4.5 acres of gardens under glass – are filled with
the spirit of the open plains, legendary vineyards, and the
winding Rio Grande.
The Gaylord Texan includes the finest in regional cuisine at
a choice of restaurants, offering live music, entertainment,
dining, and dancing at the Glass Cactus overlooking the
lake. Shoppers can visit the unique stores and markets on
site, or take the free shuttle to downtown Grapevine or
Grapevine Mills, the largest shopping mall in Texas.
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For recreation and relaxation, there is something for
everyone, including: |
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Biking, jogging trails, and horseback riding |
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World
class spa and fitness center, a contemporary outdoor
pool, and a 20-meter indoor lap pool |
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18-hole golf course at nearby Cowboys Gold Club |
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Boating, waterskiing, jet skiing, and fishing on
Lake Grapevine. |
Join your colleagues in this wonderful setting brimming with
authentic Texas style and hospitality. Look for more
information about the College meeting in ACAAI eNews
and ACAAI News.
Gaylord Texan Lone Star Atrium
The College and AANMA expand lobbying activities on
Capitol Hill
The College’s May 3, lobbying trip to Washington, D.C..
coincides with the Allergy & Asthma Network Mothers of
Asthmatics (AANMA) 10th annual Asthma Awareness Day on
Capitol Hill, April 30-May 2.
AANMA activities: Expanded activities this
year include a three-day national asthma conference for
physicians, medical care providers, patients, and families.
Sessions critical to patient care include safe medication,
the MDI transition to HFAs, and emergency preparedness.
Workshops include teaching advocacy skills, preparing your
message, and presenting it to members of Congress and their
staffs on the last day of the conference.
Visit AANMA’s
Web
site or call 800-878-4403 for continuing updated
information. You can also refer to the conference flyer
included with the most recent issue of ACAAI News. The
deadline for registration is March 15.
College activities: The Board of Regents
fourth annual trip to Capitol Hill has been expanded to
include invited College members to participate at their own
expense. Activities include a legislative workshop and
meetings with Congressional representatives and staff. For
more information on participating in the legislative visits,
contact Rick Slawny at
rickslawny@acaai.org.
Prescribing data: the choice is yours
As a physician, you deserve to be able to choose who has
access to your prescribing data.
The AMA Physician Data Restriction Program (PDRP) makes that
decision yours alone by empowering you to determine whether
the prescribing data you generate is made available to
pharmaceutical companies. It lets you opt out of sharing
prescribing data with pharmaceutical representatives, if you
want. Yet it still keeps the data available to advance
important public health benefits, such as timely and
appropriate communication about drug recalls and
evidence-based medical research.
The AMA does not collect, sell, or have access to
prescribing data, but health information organizations match
the AMA's Physician Masterfile to prescribing data from
other sources. These organizations then license the
combination of prescribing data and the AMA Physician
Masterfile to pharmaceutical companies. This enables the AMA
to ensure compliance with the PDRP.
Visit
http://www.ama-assn.org/go/prescribingdata to learn
more about PDRP — and how to exercise your choice.
Nycomed acquires ALTANA Pharma; continues sponsorship of
ACAAI eNews
On Jan. 1,
Nycomed announced the official launch of the combined
group following the acquisition of ALTANA Pharma. ACAAI
eNews has been sponsored by ALTANA Pharma since November
2002, and the College is grateful for Nycomed’s continuing
support.
Nycomed will now focus on integrating the two companies,
while ensuring that the high level of customer service is
maintained. The integration steps include establishing a new
corporate headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland, which is
expected to be in place by around May this year. |
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Fellows-in-Training |
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Board Review Corner
Welcome to the Board Review Corner prepared by Soo Kim-Delio,
M.D., 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 “FIT
Archive” link in the left column.
Review Questions: Chapter 88 of the 6th edition of
Middleton’s Allergy Principles and Practice, edited by N.
Franklin Adkinson, et al. Review questions were written by Drs.
Bret Haymore, Walter Reed Army Medical Center, and Soo Kim-Delio,
Walter Reed Army Medical Center.
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Copyright
© 2007 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.
THIS E-MAIL WAS SENT FROM A “SEND-ONLY” MAILBOX. Please DO NOT REPLY
to this e-mail. |
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