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August 27, 2008 |
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Welcome to ACAAI eNews
— a bi-weekly aggregated news service from the American
College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. To be removed
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Top Stories |
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Association News |
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Fellows-in-Training |
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Periodicals |
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Calendar |
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Archive |
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FIT Archive |
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Distance Learning |
Conferences On Line Allergy Initiative (COLA)
2008 ACAAI/AAAAI Certification/Maintenance of Certification Board Review Course
2007 ACAAI Annual Meeting Podcasts and Vodcasts
2007 ACAAI Annual Meeting CME Symposium
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Periodicals |
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Annals of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology
Current issue
• AllergyWatch
Current issue
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Calendar |
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SEPTEMBER
Long Island Allergy and Asthma Society
15th Annual Scientific Conference
Pending ACAAI Joint Sponsorship
Sept. 5-7, Montauk, N.Y.
Contact: Dr. Muataz Jaber
Tel: 516-764-4180
Email
NY Allergy and Asthma Society
Sinusitis – Fall Scientific Program
Pending ACAAI Joint Sponsorship
Sept. 17, New York, N.Y.
Contact: Songhui Ma
Tel: 212-342-7410
Email
Arizona Allergy & Asthma Society Annual Meeting
Pending ACAAI Joint Sponsorship
Sept. 27-28, Phoenix, Ariz.
Contact: Miriam K. Anand, MD
Tel: 480-838-4296
Email
OCTOBER
3rd International Symposium in Italy
Co-sponsored by ACAAI
Oct. 1, Verona, Italy
Oct. 3-4, Venice, Italy
Contact: Jacqueline Roberts
Tel: 301-938-2941
Email
Northwest Allergy Forum 2008
Washington State Society of Asthma, Allergy and Immunology
Pending ACAAI Joint Sponsorship
Oct. 3-5, Seattle, Wash.
Contact: Hannah Scott
Tel: 206-341-1353
Email
Update in Allergy and Immunology
Nassau University
Pending ACAAI Joint Sponsorship
Oct. 16, East Meadow, N.Y.
Contact: Marianne Frieri, MD, PhD
Tel: 718-631-9440
Email
Annual Meeting of the Southeastern Allergy, Asthma & Immunology Society
Pending ACAAI Joint Sponsorship
Oct. 17-18, Hot Springs, Va.
Contact: Eric Bletzinger
Tel: 270-684-6144
Email
New York Allergy & Asthma Society
Difficult Problems in Asthma, Allergy & Immunology
Pending ACAAI Joint Sponsorship
Oct. 31, New York, N.Y.
Contact: Golda Hudes, MD
Tel: 212-595-6460
Email
NOVEMBER
XIX World Congress of Asthma
Nov. 5-8, Monte-Carlo
Contact: Mrs. Leonetta Baldini
Tel: +377 97 97 35 55
Email
Link
ACAAI Annual Scientific Meeting
Nov. 6-11, Seattle, Wash
Tel: 847-427-1200
Email
Link
DECEMBER
ACAAI-IAACI Conference in Israel
Allergists For Israel
Pending ACAAI Joint Sponsorship
Dec. 3-6, Jerusalem, Israel
Contact: Beth Goldfarb
Tel: 513-891-0880
Email
ONGOING
World Allergy Organization Society Meetings
ACAAI CME JOINT SPONSORSHIP ACCREDITATION
Contact: Mary Campbell
Tel: 847-427-1200
Email
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Top
Stories |
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Boys may be more likely to outgrow asthma
Boys may be more likely than girls to outgrow asthma, according to a study in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. Researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School looked at data gathered over nine years from 1,041 children enrolled in the Childhood Asthma Management Program, who were 5 to 12 years old initially and had mild to moderate persistent asthma. Researchers used spirometric testing with methacholine challenges yearly to quantify subjects’ airway responsiveness. By 18 years old, only 14 percent of the girls showed no significant degree of airways responsiveness, compared with 27 percent of boys. 
Temporary tattoo chemical may cause allergic reactions
Temporary black henna tattoos may contain a chemical called para-phenylenediamine, or PPD, that can cause allergic dermatitis, eczema and even scarring, according to an American Academy of Dermatology news release. PPD, commonly used for black hair dye, is sometimes added to natural henna to increase the intensity and longevity of the temporary tattoo. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration prohibits the direct application of PPD to the skin because of known health risks, however temporary tattoos are unregulated.
Study: Grapefruit juice may reduce fexofenadine potency
Fruit juice intake may reduce medication effectiveness, according to a study presented recently at the American Chemical Society conference in Philadelphia. Scientists from the University of Western Ontario said that while some drugs, such as blood pressure medications, carry warnings stating that taking with grapefruit juice can cause an overdose, grapefruit juice has the opposite effect with fexofenadine — making the antihistamine less potent. Researchers say grapefruit juice ingredient naringin seems to block a mechanism that moves drug molecules out of the small intestine into the bloodstream. Orange and apple juices also contain naringin-like substances, which could have a similar effect, according to the authors.
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A message from Board of Regents Member
Dr. James R. Claflin, CME/CPT Committee chair
The Continuing Medical Education/Continuing Professional Development (CME/CPD) Committee will be needing your input and involvement.
The Committee is tasked with providing necessary CME/CPD educational activities for all College members. The CME/CPD follows the guidance of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) in order for ACAAI-sponsored educational activities to receive AMA Category 1 CME/CPD credit. The ACCME has specific guidelines that are required for accreditation. Committee members were surveyed by ACCME during the first quarter of 2007 and the College received a four-year accreditation.
In September 2006, updated ACCME accreditation requirements were published. The ACCME survey of the ACAAI CME/CPD program in 2011 will be conducted according to the updated criteria. In the spirit of the requirements, your CME/CPD Committee is working on needs assessment and educational outcomes — two major areas needed for acceptable CME/CPD educational activities.
Workshop evaluations
An initial educational outcomes project will be conducted at the ACAAI Annual Meeting in Seattle. Attendees in several of the workshops will be participating in pre- and post-test evaluations, as well as a three-month Web follow-up survey to help determine baseline knowledge (pre-workshop) and acquisition of knowledge (post-workshop).
The pre-workshop evaluation will identify satisfaction of the learning objectives as well as a rough measure of competency. The three-month Web survey will help determine the application of knowledge and establish the basis of educational outcomes. Your CME/CPD Committee would appreciate your invaluable support of this project.
Balancing your CME needs with your wants
The next CME/CPD Committee challenge is to evaluate the manner in which needs assessments are being determined for educational venues. This will entail identifying the difference between what you, the learner, want and what you actually need. The conundrum is to help you develop an interest in something that you need, but may not want. Ultimately, this means you will need to attend an educational activity in which you may have no interest; hence, the conundrum.
As you can see, your CME/CPD Committee will be asking each of you for your support during educational activities that may require learner input and involvement, even in an area in which you may have no interest. The success of the ACAAI CME/CPD activities requires a joint effort of all members. Can we count on you as part of the team?
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Association
News |
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Review anaphylaxis practice parameter draft
At the request of the Joint Task Force on Practice Parameters, College members are invited to review the draft of The Diagnosis and Management of Anaphylaxis Practice Parameter: 2008 Update. The Joint Task Force will be taking comments until Friday, Sept. 12.
 Attend the ACAAI Annual Meeting, Embracing the Challenges of Change
Join your colleagues at the 2008 ACAAI Annual Meeting, Embracing the Challenges of Change, held in Seattle, Nov. 6-11.
“The meeting will address allergic and immunologic diseases in a state-of-the-art scientific manner that is both contemporary and practical,” said ACAAI President-Elect and Program Chair Dr. Richard G. Gower. “Programs will prepare attendees for the fascinating changes in medicine, science, and pharmacology, as well as the escalating legal, political and socioeconomic issues that are rapidly impacting our delivery of medical care.”
A one-day program will kick off the meeting on Thursday, Nov. 6, with a morning session on immunotherapy and an afternoon session devoted to clinical dermatological allergy.
Seattle is an ideal destination, known as the “Emerald City” for its lush evergreens in the surrounding area. Unique attractions include the Space Needle, Pike Place Market and the original Starbucks. Its waterfront is bustling with restaurants and shopping, as well as ferries, cruise ships, and boat tours.
Join your colleagues in the vibrant city of Seattle for a state-of-the-art, dynamic scientific program built on 65 years of experience. Access online registration, online housing, printable housing forms and the Preliminary Program (which was mailed to you) on the College member Web site.
Remember to order your tickets early for the Annual Fundraising Dinner and Cirque Ingenieux Sunday evening, Nov. 9.
Online registration opens for the ACAAI-IAACI Israel Conference
Now you can register and view program information online for the ACAAI-IAACI Israel Conference in Jerusalem, Dec. 3-6, 2008, held in collaboration with the Israel Association of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (IAACI) and Allergists for Israel (AFI).
The meeting will be held at the Inbal Jerusalem Hotel, situated in the heart of modern Jerusalem. It overlooks Liberty Bell Park and the Old City and is within easy walking distance of the city’s main cultural, historical and holy sites.
Pre- and post-meeting travel tours of Israel, Jordon, and Egypt — as well as day trips during the conference — are available. For travel or tour arrangements, e-mail Lisa Keller with International Travel Exchange at lakeller7@yahoo.com or call 1-352-291-0448 or 215-275-7929.
Don’t miss this unforgettable experience. For more information contact Beth Goldfarb at afiadm@gmail.com.
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AMA Corner |
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Welcome to the AMA Corner prepared by Dr. Alnoor A. Malick, ACAAI Delegate to the AMA House of Delegates, to keep you abreast of important AMA news and developments affecting allergy-immunology.
Free CME activity on secondhand smoke available on Medscape
Secondhand smoke is the nation’s third-leading cause of preventable death. Exposing children to secondhand smoke results in asthma exacerbations, ear infections, bronchitis, and other respiratory diseases. To help combat this problem, the AMA has developed a continuing medical education (CME) activity on the clinician’s role in counseling parents about the dangers of secondhand smoke.
Available at no charge, courtesy of Medscape, this activity covers the health consequences associated with exposure to secondhand smoke and presents research on clinical interventions for counseling parents. It also offers a step-by-step smoking cessation counseling process and points out referral sites for parental smoking cessation counseling and resources. This CME activity is part of a three-year initiative the AMA has launched, with funding from the Environmental Protection Agency, to address the dangers of secondhand smoke.
Virtual Mentor looks at establishing the boundaries of informed consent
The right of competent adults to consent to and refuse treatment was established through a series of often high-profile court cases that also described the types of information required to ensure that consent was truly “informed.” The August issue of Virtual Mentor, the AMA’s online ethics journal , looks at the daily patient-physician encounters that don’t make the news. Case commentaries and articles seek to find the line between those tests and treatments for which consent is assumed and those for which explicit patient consent must be secured.
Online video can help physician practices address family violence
The AMA has released “Preparing your practice to address family violence,” a new online program as part of the Educating Physicians on Controversies and Challenges in Health series. This episode explores patient exposure to family violence, including child maltreatment, intimate partner violence, and elder abuse. For the physician to best intervene, certain steps should be taken in preparation. After viewing the program, physicians should be able to recognize the impact of violence and abuse on the health and well-being of patients, and to apply the strategies to their practices to treat patients exposed to past or current family violence. |
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Fellows-in-Training |
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Board Review Corner
Welcome to the Board Review Corner prepared by Drs. Bret R. Haymore and Jennifer W. Mbuthia, Senior and Junior Representatives of ACAAI’s fellows-in-training (FITs) to the Board of Regents. The Board Review Corner is an opportunity to help hone your Board preparedness.
To refer to a previous Board Review Corner, click the “FIT Archive” link in the left column.
Review Questions: Chapter 34 of Pediatric Allergy: Principles & Practices, edited by Donald Y.M. Leung, et al. Review questions were written by Dr. Jennifer W. Mbuthia, Walter Reed Army Medical Center.
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