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Jan.
17, 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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Stories |
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Distance Learning |
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Drugs and Devices |
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Association
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Fellows-in-Training |
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Periodicals |
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FIT Archive |
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The College’s top lobbying priorities, according to readers
responding, should be: a permanent Medicare payment formula fix
(50 percent) and federal support for A-I training programs (36
percent). |
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Are you in favor of federal funding for embryonic
stem cell research?
Do you believe liberalization of drug importation is
in the best interest of your patients? |
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Distance Learning |
ACAAI
Podcast/Vodcast Library
Link
2005 Board/Recertification Review Course:
DVDs, Audio CDs, MP3s
Link
ACAAI Tape Store
Complete Listing
Link
2005 ACAAI ANNUAL MEETING
• Symposia Online
Nov. 4-9, Anaheim
Link
2004 ACAAI ANNUAL MEETING
• Symposia Online
Nov. 12-17, Boston
Link
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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Periodicals |
•
Annals of
Allergy, Asthma and Immunology
Current issue
• AllergyWatch
Current issue
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Calendar |
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FEBRUARY
2007 Meeting of the Allergy, Asthma & Immunology Society of
Georgia
Feb. 2-3, Greensboro, GA
Tel: 770-534-0534
E-mail
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
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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Aspirin linked to asthma
prevention in men
A post-hoc analysis of data from a study investigating
aspirin’s role in preventing first heart attacks suggests
aspirin may reduce new-onset asthma risk in adult males,
according to a report in the American Journal of Respiratory and
Critical Care Medicine. Researchers at Brigham and Women's
Hospital, Boston, retrospectively analyzed The Physicians'
Health Study, which randomized 22,071 healthy male physicians,
from 40 to 84 years old, to aspirin or placebo. Subjects
answered questionnaires that included information about asthma
diagnosis at baseline, six months and annually thereafter. The
subjects who took 325 mg of aspirin every other day had
22-percent less risk of new onset asthma. The potential
protective effect was not affected by baseline risk factors such
as age, body mass index, or smoking. And the protection also was
greater among younger men.
Total asthma control results in best quality of life, study
says
Total asthma control in keeping with medical guidelines —
versus simply well-controlled asthma — results in the best
quality of life, according to a study in the European
Respiratory Journal. Researchers from the University of Capetown
in South Africa administered the Asthma Quality of Life
Questionnaire (AQLQ) to 1,994 patients participating in a
year-long study comparing two asthma treatments’ efficacy.
Subjects were divided into three groups based on asthma control
during the study: totally controlled, well controlled, or not
well-controlled. While all groups saw quality of life
improvement during the study, subjects with totally controlled
asthma had significantly higher AQLQ scores than did those with
well-controlled disease. Subjects with not well-controlled
asthma scored lowest.
Study: Children with asthma can reliably report own health
status
Children as young as 7 years old can dependably report on
their asthma health status, according to a study in Pediatrics.
Scientists at the American Academy of Pediatrics, Elk Grove
Village, Ill., interviewed 414 parents and children separately,
using the Children's Health Survey Asthma-Child Version (CHSA-C)
to measure physical health, activities and emotional health. The
children ranged from 7 to 16 years old, with a mean age of 11.5.
The scientists evaluated the data reported by the children for
reliability based on internal consistency and test-retest, for
validity by comparison to symptoms and lung function, and for
feasibility reflected by completion time and missing data.
Reliability estimates for the activities and emotional health
scales were in the acceptable (at least .70) range in all but
one category. Internal consistency ratings were acceptable in
five of nine age groups. Test-retest correlations were high for
all age groups and increased with child age.
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 A
message from ACAAI President Dr. Daniel Ein
I know that the past several President’s columns have
been about activities in my home town of Washington,
D.C., that affect allergy, and I promise that not
all of my future columns will be about politics,
social policy, and legislation. But one cannot live
in D.C. and be untouched by the political life. And,
it is a curious fact that people living elsewhere
assume that we Washingtonians know all about
politics and policy, as if this information reaches
us by osmosis. We become the instant experts
wherever we find ourselves, and our opinions and our
gossip are taken very seriously.
On the other hand, it is true that many of us are
privileged to meet, know, and engage policymakers in
discussions about the current state of the world. I
think this is especially true for doctors. Some of
the most interesting, and unrepeatable, political
conversations I have ever had have been in my office
with patients whose names and faces are recognizable
from television and the newspapers. And, after all,
politics is the major industry in D.C., much like
the automotive industry in Detroit or entertainment
in Los Angeles, which is why politics is what
everybody talks about in D.C.
So it comes as no surprise that, throughout the
years, I have had a special interest in health
policy and have had the opportunity to discuss it
with experts and to occasionally give Congressional
testimony on behalf of the allergy community. So
don’t be surprised if my columns during the coming
year have a heavy emphasis on what is going on in
Washington, which will affect our professional lives
and the well-being of our patients.
In that vein, let me summarize some of the year-end
developments in health care policy. My last column
reported the temporary fix of the Medicare payment
formula. And I will not repeat that news. Dr. Allen
Meadows also beautifully summarized some of the
year-end news outside of D.C., especially regarding
Medicare, so I would like to turn our attention
elsewhere.
Congress confirmed Dr. Andrew von Eschenbach as the
new commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration
(FDA). Dr. von Eschenbach had proven himself an able
administrator of the National Cancer Institute and
FDA (in an acting capacity), and is highly regarded
in D.C. circles. It is hoped he will provide the
strong, consistent, and fair leadership the FDA has
been missing for too long.
Congress has reauthorized the National Institutes of
Health (NIH) for the first time since 1993. There
have been some changes in the organization and
functions of the Office of the Director, which will
allow for transinstitute initiatives and more
centralized strategic planning. Currently, NIH
operates as a series of independent fiefdoms or a
federation, which makes coordinated, targeted
intradisciplinary research quite difficult. Congress
also has significantly increased NIH funding — by 7
percent for 2007, 8 percent for 2008, and “such sums
as shall be necessary” for 2009.
The big news is, of course, the new Congress, with
both houses now dominated by Democrats. Their hold
on the Senate is tenuous ever since Sen. Tim Johnson
(D-S.D.) required emergency brain surgery for
bleeding from an AV malformation. (He is being cared
for in my hospital – George Washington University –
but I have absolutely no inside information on his
condition.) It is theoretically possible that if he
cannot return to work, he might be replaced. Since
the governor of South Dakota is a Republican,
Johnson’s replacement is likely to be Republican,
making the Senate 50-50 with Vice President Dick
Cheney casting the tie-breaking vote.
A Democratic Congress is expected to pass
legislation restoring federal funding for embryonic
stem cell research. A recent telesurvey, cited in
The New York Times, shows 56 percent of 1,004
randomly selected people favor this initiative.
Support among voters for stem cell research is
consistently high.
Another issue on the Democrats’ agenda is
liberalization of drug importation. This is favored
by 69 percent of people polled. This bears watching
because the devil will be in the details of the
proposal. The major issue is how to ensure the same
quality in imported drugs as we do of those
manufactured in the United States. And we need to be
sure that our own drug industry is not destroyed by
cheap foreign competition.
I suspect that global health care issues, such as
covering the uninsured, will eventually make their
way back into the national dialog because health
care is high on the list of citizens’ concerns –
near the war in Iraq, the economy, and Congressional
corruption.
Of course, it is highly possible that nothing will
change if Democrats insist on using their new
majorities as an opportunity for revenge and
political posturing in preparation for the 2008
Presidential election and if President Bush vetoes
whatever they pass that does not conform exactly to
his principles and previous policy.
As the old Chinese curse goes, “May you live in
interesting times.”
Voice your views on embryonic stem cell research
funding and drug importation. Vote in the
poll. |
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Association
News |
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First Annual
Meeting vodcast attracts 450 viewers
The College’s first vodcast (video podcast) of its 2006
Annual Meeting drew more than 450 unique visitors in just
the first week alone.
 The
current
vodcast, from Jan. 14 to 31, features Dr. Marc E.
Rothenberg who spoke at the International Food Allergy
Symposium on “Gastrointestinal Eosinophilic Disorders.” The
first vodcast of Dr. Joseph Bellanti discussing
“Gastrointestinal Immunoregulation Relevant to Food Allergy”
is now archived for continued viewing.
Every second week, the College will post a new 30-minute
vodcast of a key scientific presentation. Each vodcast will
contain the original audio and presentation slides and can
be viewed from a computer or downloaded to a portable media
player (like an iPod).
The ACAAI podcast program is sponsored by an unrestricted
educational grant from GlaxoSmithKline.
Indian Academy of Allergy welcomes College speakers
The College co-sponsored workshops and scientific programs
with the Asian Allergy & Asthma Foundation (AAAF) at the 7th
Annual Congress of the Indian Academy of Allergy held in
Kochi, Kerala, India, Jan. 5-7, and a satellite symposium in
Bangalore on Jan. 8.
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Indian Academy of
Allergy congress speakers included
(from left)
Drs. William Dolen, Michael Blaiss,
Ruby Pawankar and
Jay Portnoy. |
“The Indian
Allergy Academy is trying to get the Indian Healthcare
Ministry to approve a specialty of allergy so that Indian
physicians can be officially trained in allergy,” said ACAAI
President-Elect Dr. Jay M. Portnoy, who presented a
scientific program and workshop. “With its tropical climate,
India has a huge problem both with asthma and allergic
rhinitis, primarily due to dust mite, cockroach, and most
interestingly, mosquito as an aeroallergen.
“The need for the College to help our Indian colleagues was
made clear by the substantial attendance at our lectures,
the insightful questions, and the involvement of local
political figures in the convocation. Even more important,
we made new friends who share a common interest with us and
who can give us new perspectives on the practice of
allergy,” Dr. Portnoy said.
There’s still time to register for the Board Review
Course
Online registration is fast and easy for the ACAAI/AAAAI
Certification/Maintenance of Certification Board Review
Course, April 19-22, at the Renaissance Hotel in Chicago.
The Board Review Course is developed and presented by a
conjoint committee appointed by ACAAI and AAAAI. As ABAI is
the certifying organization for the specialty – and separate
from these educational organizations – ABAI Directors
responsible for preparing the 2007 ABAI examinations are not
involved with the course presentations. Content outlines for
the examination are available on the
ABAI Web site.
The Board Review Course is sponsored by IVAX Laboratories,
Inc., a member of TevaGroup.
Apply for leadership role by Feb. 15
The ACAAI is accepting applications for Vice President for
2007-2008, Treasurer for 2007-2008, and for a position on
its Board of Regents for 2007-2010. All interested Fellows
are encouraged to submit a standardized questionnaire with a
cover letter and curriculum vitae to ACAAI no later than
Feb.15. Applicants for the position of vice president must
have previously served a three-year term on the ACAAI Board
of Regents.
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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 “Archive”
link in the left column.
Allergy-Immunology Review Corner: Chapter 86 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; Soo Kim-Delio,
Walter Reed Army Medical Center.
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