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Nov. 5, 2008 |
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Welcome to ACAAI eNews
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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
OSAAI Update on Asthma
ACAAI Jointly Sponsored
Dec. 3, Portland, Ore.
Contact: Gina J. Williams
Tel: 360-708-9555
Email
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
JANUARY 2009
NYAAS: Severe Combined Immunodeficiency — A Molecular Paradigm
Pending ACAAI Joint Sponsorship
Jan. 14, New York, N.Y.
Contact: Dr. Robert M. Klein
Tel: 973-773-7400
Email
SWAF, EAC, TAAIS Combined Meeting on Allergy, Asthma & Immunology
Pending ACAAI Joint Sponsorship
Jan. 14, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
Contact: Ginny Loiselle
Tel: 713-723-3796
Email
Western Society of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology
Pending ACAAI Joint Sponsorship
Jan. 25, Wailea, Maui, Hawaii
Contact: Karol Anderson
Tel: 503-533-7156
Email
ONGOING
World Allergy Organization Society Meetings
ACAAI CME JOINT SPONSORSHIP ACCREDITATION
Contact: Mary Campbell
Tel: 847-427-1200
Email
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Sponsored
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Top
Stories |
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CDC: Food allergies among children increasing
Approximately 3 million US children have a food or digestive allergy, up 18 percent from 10 years ago, according to a recent US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report. Eight types of food account for more than 90 percent of these food allergies: Milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, shellfish, soy and wheat, said the National Center for Health Statistics Data Brief, which used data from the National Health Interview Survey. The 2007 data indicated that children under age 5 had higher rates of food allergy compared with children ages 5 to 17, but boys and girls had similar rates. In addition, Hispanic children had lower rates of reported food allergy than non-Hispanic white or non-Hispanic black children. 
More children taking prescription drugs
More and more U.S. children are being given drugs to treat chronic conditions, such as asthma and diabetes, according to a study in Pediatrics. Researchers from Express Scripts Inc. in St. Louis, the Pediatric Research Institute at St. Louis University, and the Kansas Health Institute in Topeka, studied a cross section of ambulatory prescription claims from 2002 to 2005, which was a nationally representative sample of 3.2 million commercially insured 5- to 19-year-olds. During the three-year period, prescriptions to treat type-2 diabetes doubled and prescriptions to treat asthma increased by nearly 47 percent. Drugs prescribed for attention-deficit/hyperactivity increased by more than 40 percent and drugs to lower cholesterol increased by 15 percent.
Probiotic study: No effect on allergies in young children
Giving infants the Lactobacillus acidophilus probiotic strain during the first 6 months of life does not have any significant effect on developing childhood allergies, according to a follow-up study in Allergy. Researchers from the University of Western Australia's School of Paediatrics and Child Health, in Perth, reviewed 153 children from their original cohort at 2.5 years. They assessed clinical outcomes in relation to probiotic supplementation and immune function that was previously assessed at 6 months. The supplemented group did have a lower risk of dermatitis, but there was no significant reduction in any other allergic disease.
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Message from Dr. Richard G. Gower, president-elect and chair of the Find an Allergist, Find Relief campaign
 If you're coming to Seattle, save a little space in your suitcase to bring back new resources from the College's largest public education campaign to promote our specialty and help you market your practice.
I invite every ACAAI member-allergist to join in the Find an Allergist, Find Relief campaign to let the public know they don't need to suffer from allergy and asthma symptoms. Allergists can find the source of their suffering and help them find relief.
To raise awareness of the role of allergists, we need an integrated campaign with activity both nationally and within local communities. On the national level, the College will launch advertising and media relations campaigns this spring to drive traffic to a new Web site for the public, www.AllergyAndAsthmaRelief.org.
But there simply aren't enough resources for national efforts to stand alone. Nor do we want them to. We need each of you to spread the word within your community. You, and the patients you successfully treat, are our best advocates.
As a member of the campaign's “Allergy and Asthma Relief Team,” you'll receive a comprehensive education and advocacy toolkit containing new marketing materials most requested by ACAAI members to support local public education and practice-building efforts. The materials include a new patient education brochure, template ads, tips for community and media outreach, direct mail postcards to promote your services, and other resources.
Stop by the Relief Team registration booth outside the entrance to the meeting's plenary session hall, join the team and receive your toolkit. The booth also showcases the new consumer Web site, patient testimonials and other resources. Staff will be on site to answer questions and provide additional information.
For those who aren't able to be in Seattle, directions on how to join the team and order your toolkit will be available in the coming weeks.
I hope you will take me up on this invitation to join in our efforts to help raise awareness of allergists and the diseases we treat. The College has invested in this campaign on your behalf. Now you can own a piece of it.
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Association
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“Hot Topics in Allergy” extends to weekly ReachMD XM Radio show
The “Hot Topics in Allergy” series airing exclusively on the ReachMD XM Radio Channel 157, created in partnership with the College, has been expanded to a weekly show. The new broadcasts include:
- Dr. Stanley Fineman, clinical assistant professor in the Department of Pediatrics, Division of Allergy at Emory University School of Medicine and with Atlanta Allergy & Asthma Clinic, discusses “Monitoring Control in Asthma: Do Biomarkers Have a Role, How Do Asthma Management Plans Help?” with moderator Dr. Ketan K. Sheth, Lafayette, Ind., beginning Nov. 10.
- Dr. Jay M. Portnoy, chief, Section of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology at Children's Mercy Hospital, Kansas City, Mo., discusses “Health Effects of Mold: What's Real & What's Not?” with moderator Dr. Ketan K. Sheth, beginning Nov. 17.
ReachMD is a revolutionary new communication, information and education company designed to engage busy, practicing clinicians and medical professionals every day. This innovative radio channel debuted in the spring of 2007 on the XM satellite network with the College among its first partners. Truly one of kind, ReachMD offers breaking medical news, roundtable discussions, medical education, and other unique programming 24 hours a day.
“Hot Topics in Allergy” highlights articles and key studies including those from the ACAAI medical journal, Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology, as well as interviews conducted at the ACAAI Annual Meeting.
For a limited time, as a special benefit of your ACAAI membership, you can get free access to ReachMD XM radio channel 157. This six-month free access to ReachMD XM 157 is a $23.99 value, giving you the ability to listen to this outstanding medical content live online or by downloading the interviews as podcasts. To redeem your free member benefit, go to www.reachmd.com and click on the “Redeem Promotion Code.” Enter the code ACAAI and submit.
College members inducted into the “10K Club”
Since 65 contributors have now achieved their $5,000 donation goal for the “Committee of 500” level, the Foundation of ACAAI raised the bar and established the “10K Club” at a level of $10,000 in donations.
The Foundation is pleased to recognize the first donors inducted into the 10K Club by contributing at the $10,000 level or above as follows: Dr. Laurence M. and Ilona DuBuske, Cambridge, Mass.; Dr. David B. and Myrna Engler, Bellaire, Texas; Dr. Linda B. Ford and R. Joe Dennis, Papillion, Neb.; and Dr. Betty B. and Charles Wray, Augusta, Ga.
Faculty donate honorarium to Tithe-a-Talk
Special thanks to the following physicians who have designated their ACAAI 2008 Annual Meeting faculty honorarium to the Foundation's Tithe-a-Talk program benefiting the ACAAI Foundation:
| Donald Aaronson | Dan Atkins | Mark Ballow | |
Larry Borish | Chitra Dinakar | Paul Dowling | |
Stanley Fineman | Michael Foggs | Luz Fonacier | |
Paul Greenberger | Marshall Grodofsky | Gary Gross | |
Neal Jain | David Khan | David Lang | |
Phillip Lieberman | Allan Luskin | Gailen D. Marshall | |
Bryan Martin | Donald Pulver | Coreen Robbins | |
Nathan Segall | David Shulan | Charles Siegel | |
William Silvers | James Sublett | Dana Wallace |
In Memoriam: Dr. Sidney Friedlaender
 The College mourns the loss of Dr. Sidney Friedlaender, ACAAI past president (AACIA, 1982-83), who passed away peacefully at home in La Jolla, Calif., on Oct. 20, 2008. He was 93 years old, and for the past four years, he had been living with his son, Mitchell, a physician at Scripps Clinic.
Dr. Friedlaender received his M.D. from Wayne University in 1932, and Master of Science degree from Northwestern University in 1946. For most of his career, he practiced allergy in Detroit, with his brother, Alex. He joined the faculty of Wayne University Medical School as an instructor in medicine, and rose to the rank of clinical professor of medicine in 1975. In 1987, he joined the full-time staff of Sinai Hospital of Detroit as director of the Occupational and Environmental Allergic Disease Service. In 1987, Dr. Friedlaender relocated to Gainesville, where he was appointed clinical professor of medicine at the University of Florida. In 2005, he retired to La Jolla.
Dr. Friedlaender was a fellow of the American College of Physicians, and served as the representative for allergy on its Subspecialty Council. He was a founding director of the American Board of Allergy and Immunology and served as Secretary of the Board. He became a Fellow of the American Academy of Allergy in 1946, and an Emeritus Fellow in 1983. He chaired many of the Academy's research committees and also served as vice president, historian, and as a member of the Executive Committee. In 1975, he was the recipient of the Academy's Distinguished Service Award. He was active in basic and clinical research, and published more than 60 scientific papers. For many years, he was editor-in-chief of the journal, Immunology and Allergy Practice.
The family requested memorial donations be made to Congregation B'nai Israel in Gainesville.
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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.
November is “Heal that Claim”TM month
All physician practices are encouraged next month to hold health insurance companies accountable for making claims processing more cost-effective and transparent as part of the AMA's “Heal the Claims Process”TM campaign, which launched earlier this year.
Because physician practices often experience an increase in underpayments and denials during the last quarter of the year, November is considered “Heal that Claim”TM month—an ideal time to appeal inappropriately underpaid or denied claims. The AMA offers a number of resources to help physicians review and appeal inappropriately paid claims. Once claims review and appeals become a physician's routine, his or her practice can increase its efficiency and revenue.
New rules covering medical identity theft might apply to physicians
As part of the Federal Trade Commission's (FTC) implementation of the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act of 2003, physicians may need to comply with “red flag” regulations announced by the FTC, which require creditors of covered accounts to establish a program by Nov. 1 that can detect, prevent, and mitigate medical identity theft. While somewhat unclear, these regulations and the FTC's informal interpretation of them suggest that they will be applied to many health care providers, including physicians in all practice settings.
Campaign aims to help Americans get healthier one step at a time
New resources as part of the AMA Healthier Life Steps campaign are now available to help people live a healthy lifestyle at little or no cost. Launched Oct. 20, the campaign can help all Americans reduce risky health behaviors and show them how to work with their physicians to meet health goals.
“Eating healthy, exercising and eliminating unhealthy behaviors like smoking and excessive or risky drinking can seem like daunting tasks if you try to tackle everything at once,” President-elect Dr. J. James Rohack said. “Incorporating small changes into everyday life, like cutting 100 calories per day and getting 30 minutes of moderate exercise, can make the process of getting healthier more manageable.” |
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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 39 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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