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July 2, 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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FIT Archive |
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Sixty-two percent of readers responding prefer to get their CME at national conferences. Online conferences are of interest to 75 percent.
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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
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Calendar |
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JULY
Guides for the Trail Ahead:
Intermountain West Allergy Association
Pending ACAAI Joint Sponsorship
July 17-20, Coeur d’Alene, Idaho
Contact: Doug Huneywell
Tel: 509-924-9722
Email
26th Annual Aspen Allergy Conference
Pending ACAAI Joint Sponsorship
July 22-26, Aspen, Colo.
Contact: Jill Hibbeln
Tel: 303-733-9590
Email
AUGUST
The Alabama Society of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology's
29th Annual Postgraduate Course
Aug. 8-10, Destin, Fla.
Contact: Richard Carson
Tel: 334-954-2577
Email
9th Annual Tennessee Society Meeting
Pending ACAAI Joint Sponsorship
Aug. 22-24, Franklin, Tenn.
Contact: Anna Brooks
Tel: 865-342-7057
Email
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
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
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
ONGOING
World Allergy Organization Society Meetings
ACAAI
CME Website
Contact: Mary Campbell
Tel: 847-427-1200
Email
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Sponsored
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Top
Stories |
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Study: Long-term hay fever progressively reduces nasal airflow
Patients with persistent allergic rhinitis, depending on its duration, may develop progressively reduced nasal airflow, according to a study in Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery. Researchers at Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria San Martino, Genoa, Italy, and colleagues evaluated nasal function in 100 subjects with persistent allergic rhinitis. Half had short-term rhinitis (not more than two years) and half had long-term rhinitis (for at least six years). Subjects with long-term rhinitis had significantly lower nasal airflow values (348 milliliters per second) than those with short-term rhinitis (466 milliliters per second). According to the authors, a reduced response to decongestants may indicate that nasal passages have undergone remodeling. 
CDC: Most U.S. asthma patients don’t get flu shot
Nearly two-thirds of people with asthma in the United States are not vaccinated against influenza each year, according to a report in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. Investigators from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention analyzed data from 1,248 subjects with asthma who completed the 2006 National Health Interview Survey. Only 36 percent were vaccinated against influenza from September 2005 to February 2006. Rates increased among subjects who had experienced asthma flares. Among those reporting an asthma attack in the previous 12 months, 38 percent had a flu shot. Among those visiting an emergency department or urgent care facility in the previous 12 months, 42 percent got vaccinated. Vaccination rates also increased with age, insurance coverage, number of healthcare visits, and family income.
Mayo researchers see link among asthma, osteitis, sinus problems
There may be a direct relationship among sinus mucosal thickening, osteitis, and markers of eosinophilic inflammation, according to a study in Mayo Clinic Proceedings. Scientists at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., examined blood and sputum eosinophil levels, sinus mucosal thickening, and osteitis in 201 subjects with asthma. All subjects also underwent sinus computed tomographic (CT) imaging and induced sputum analysis. Sixty-five percent of the 201 subjects reported using inhaled corticosteroids daily. Mucosal abnormalities showed in 68 percent of the CT scans, with nearly half being severe. Nine percent had osteitis, and more than half of those subjects had undergone sinus surgery. Researchers found a positive correlation between CT scores and eosinophil levels in both peripheral blood (p < 0.001) and induced sputum (p < 0.001). They also found an association between elevated blood and sputum eosinophil levels and the presence of osteitis and previous sinus surgery. |
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Message from ACAAI Foundation
President Dr. Emil J. Bardana Jr.
The Foundation of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology was created in 1999 as the philanthropic arm of the ACAAI. Its initial major focus was providing $50,000 biennial grants to support activities of asthma camps nationwide through the Consortium on Children’s Asthma Camps. In this undertaking, the Foundation endorsed quality medical care within the camp setting and promoted asthma education to the campers and their parents. These camps have had a constructive influence on the lives of children with asthma. Perhaps more than anything, the camp experience has removed some of the inhibitions and taboos often associated with childhood asthma and opened the door to a fuller and more rewarding life. The Foundation has contributed $250,000 to this worthy cause since its inception and continues its support.
The ACAAI has dedicated itself to furthering the education of its constituent members. Leadership of the College realized that the specialty of allergy and immunology was being increasingly pressured by inadequate NIH-funded training grants and, as a result, an intensifying pressure by academic departmental chairs of pediatrics and medicine to trim faculty and training programs. The emphasis was clearly an expansion of procedure-oriented specialties to the disservice of the cognitive specialties such as allergy/immunology. These fiscal constraints resulted in a significant reduction in the number of academic training programs in allergy and immunology. In 1989-1990 there were 92 accredited programs in allergy and immunology, which dwindled to a mere 72 programs in 2007-2008 — an almost 22-percent reduction.
In an attempt to stem this trend, the Foundation awarded 10 clinical fellowship stipends of $28,000 each in 2002 and 2003, totaling $280,000, plus two emergency clinical fellowship stipends in 2004.
Funding for clinical fellowship stipends then shifted from the Foundation to the College. During his presidency (2004-2005), Dr. Michael S. Blaiss and the leadership of the College earmarked funds set aside by Dr. Betty B. Wray during her presidency (1996-1997) to continue funding clinical fellowship stipends through the College’s Acorn Project. The Acorn Project funds five two-year fellowship stipends for $50,000 per year, totaling $250,000. To date, the program has awarded 2.5 million to fund 20 fellowships.
The Foundation funds emergency clinical fellowship grants of $50,000, which are made to cover unique exigencies, eg., Katrina. It also has funded Fellow-in-Training research grants, Scholar Return awards, and nearly $500,000 in Young Faculty Support awards. It is my personal belief these grants are fundamental to what ACAAI represents, i.e., the preservation and enrichment of the specialty of allergy and immunology.
To sustain these programs, the Foundation needs the consistent support of the College membership. In addition to supporting the fundraiser at the ACAAI Annual Meeting, I urge every member of the College to contribute to the specialty of allergy and immunology. This can be done with a one-time donation, a donation pledge to become a member of the “Committee of 500,” i.e., those who pledge to contribute $5,000 over a period of five years. The Board of Trustees has recently created an additional benchmark to recognize Foundation supporters, i.e., the “10K Club” to honor those who donate $10,000. Another mechanism by which every member can actively contribute is the “Tithe-a-Talk Program” where honoraria received for a presentation during the course of a year can be pledged to the College Foundation.
For information on the Committee of 500, Tithe-a-Talk program, bequests and other planned giving options, visit the Foundation’s Web site or e-mail MikeSlawny@acaai.org.
The Alliance of the ACAAI has been instrumental in raising additional funds each year by organizing its Annual Meeting Silent Auction. I invite the membership to participate by donating items directly to the auction. Donations to the Silent Auction will be recognized as a contribution to the Foundation. The amount for which a donated item is sold will be credited to the donor. A recent Board of Trustees meeting of the Foundation decided that contributors to previous Silent Auctions (2005-2007) shall also be acknowledged for their past donations. Members also can participate in the Silent Auction by making a direct cash donation, which the Alliance can use to create attractive auctionable items. For more information or to make a donation, e-mail HeidiSmith@acaai.org.
I sincerely hope that the entire membership of the College will come to realize that the Foundation of the ACAAI represents a vehicle by which each one of us can return a tangible gift to the specialty of Allergy and Immunology to assist in its continued viability and expansion. I end this short essay with an old, Italian proverb: “The foundation for a better tomorrow must be laid today since the present represents the past of our respective futures.”
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Association
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ACAAI and AAAAI respond to editorial in The Lancet
ACAAI President Dr. Jay M. Portnoy and AAAAI President Dr. Hugh Sampson sent the following letter to the editor of The Lancet:
In response to the editorial in the June 21, 2008, issue of The Lancet, titled “Allergic Rhinitis: Common, Costly, and Neglected,” we agree that the prevalence of allergic rhinitis has been increasing and that there is a need for more allergy specialists to manage those patients. Given the current shortage, the ACAAI and the AAAAI recommend better training of primary care providers to manage milder forms of allergic conditions and to work closely with allergy specialists.
Your editorial also states that pharmacists should “fill the cavernous hole of allergy knowledge, treatment, and management.” We strongly disagree with this statement.
As you mentioned, the prevalence of allergic rhinitis is increasing. This presents serious cost and quality-of-life issues. Unless a proper diagnosis is made and appropriate environmental control measures are incorporated into a comprehensive management program, patients are unlikely to achieve optimal control.
A Task Force of the AAAAI and the ACAAI just released an updated Practice Parameter on Allergic Rhinitis, keeping specialists current with the latest research to provide the most effective patient care for those suffering from the disease.
Pharmacists remain an important component of the health care system, but they should not be encouraged to take on a provider role. Allergy specialists working with PCPs remain the best option for provision of optimal patient care.
Experience Cirque Ingenieux: Preview video online
The amazing Cirque Ingenieux will perform at the ACAAI Annual Meeting Fundraising Dinner, Sunday evening, Nov. 9. For a sneak peek at some of the most amazing acrobatic presentations ever performed on stage, with mystery, suspense, comedy, and dance, see “What’s New” at the ACAAI Member Web site.
Neil Goldberg’s award-winning production of Cirque Ingenieux has won critical worldwide acclaim with its signature style and inventive performances. The innovative show incorporates the most creative and original artistry with some of the finest music, costumes, choreography, and special effects ever produced.
The fundraising event includes a cocktail reception, dinner, and Cirque Ingenieux performance. Net proceeds from the event will be donated to the ACAAI Foundation to support the Consortium on Children’s Asthma Camps, Scholars Return Programs and Young Faculty Support Awards.
The program is supported in part by grants from Alcon Laboratories, AstraZeneca, GlaxoSmithKline and Teva Specialty Pharmaceuticals.
Mark your calendar to attend the ACAAI Annual Meeting, Nov. 6-11, and Fundraising Dinner, Nov. 9, in Seattle.
WAO State of World Allergy Report 2008 now available
As allergic diseases continue to increase in prevalence and complexity worldwide, there is an urgent need to create awareness of the global burden of allergies and the need to train more physicians to care for allergy sufferers. WAO announces the June publication of the State of World Allergy 2008 Report, an analysis of current global trends in the prevalence of allergic disease, a look to the future, and a call to action for all those involved in the provision of allergy patient care.
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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.
AMA adopts new policies at Annual Meeting
At its recent Annual Meeting in Chicago, June 15-18, the AMA House of Delegates set new policies on covering the uninsured, strategies to help address medical student debt, health care disparities, and much more.
For summaries of actions of each reference committee, day-by-day meeting highlights, and highlights from AMA Sections and Special Groups, visit the AMA Web site.
New York internist inaugurated as AMA president
Dr. Nancy H. Nielsen, an internist from Buffalo, N.Y., was inaugurated as the 163rd president of the AMA on June 17. During her inaugural address, Dr. Nielsen urged doctors to take the initiative and work with other stakeholders in health care to address the many issues affecting physicians and patients. She said one of the most pressing issues is the fact that 47 million Americans lack health insurance, a situation Dr. Nielsen described as “unconscionable.”
Also at the Annual Meeting, the AMA House of Delegates (HOD) elected Texas cardiologist Dr. J. James Rohack, as president-elect. Also re-elected were Denver psychiatrist Dr. Jeremy A. Lazarus as speaker of the AMA-HOD and Dr. Andrew W. Gurman, an orthopaedic surgeon from Altoona, Pa., as vice speaker. Delegates elected Dr. Mary Anne McCaffree, an Oklahoma City neonatal-perinatal medicine specialist, to the AMA Board of Trustees and re-elected Dr. William A. Hazel Jr., a Northern Virginia orthopaedic surgeon, to the Board.
AMA leader delivers message of hope
During an emotional speech June 14 to open the 2008 Annual Meeting of the AMA House of Delegates, Dr. Ronald M. Davis, closed out his term as AMA president by detailing his battle with pancreatic cancer and calling on the nation’s physicians to leave a legacy to the next generation. His message was one of hope, both for organized medicine and the future. |
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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 30 of Pediatric Allergy: Principles & Practices, edited by Donald Y.M. Leung, et al. Review questions were written by Drs. Jennifer W. Mbuthia, Walter Reed Army Medical Center, and Tracy Pitt, Winnipeg Children’s Hospital.
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