January 2015

Recent Research

Wet Wraps Cut Need for Drugs in Kids with Eczema
A new study co-authored by Mark Boguniewicz, MD, Noreen Nicol, PhD, and Mary Klinnert, PhD, in the July issue of the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology: In Practice shows wet wraps can have profound effects. After being treated by health care teams at National Jewish Health, children with eczema who underwent in-patient therapy saw an average reduction in symptoms of 71 percent, they maintained healthy skin a month after returning home, and, perhaps most important, did so without relying solely on medications typically prescribed for eczema.

Vitamin D Fails to Help Asthma Patients
Researchers at National Jewish Health and across the nation found that supplemental vitamin D did not help patients with low vitamin D blood levels and symptomatic asthma. The trial, funded by the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, failed to demonstrate any benefit of vitamin D on the primary measure – time to first treatment failure – or on eight of nine secondary measures. The findings were published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Researchers Learn How Beryllium Causes Deadly Lung Disease
Using exquisitely detailed maps of molecular shapes and the electrical charges surrounding them, researchers at National Jewish Health have discovered how the metal beryllium triggers a deadly immune response in the lungs. In the July 3, 2014, issue of the journal Cell, John Kappler, PhD, and his colleagues showed how a genetic susceptibility to the disease creates a molecular pocket in an immune system protein, which captures beryllium ions and triggers an inflammatory response in the lungs. The findings describe for the first time an immune response that lies somewhere between classic forms of allergic hypersensitivity and autoimmunity.

Former Fellow Highlight

Jill Poole, MD
Associate Professor, Internal Medicine Division of Pulmonary,
Critical Care, Sleep & Allergy
University of Nebraska Medical Center

Jill Poole, MD, always enjoyed the science of immunology and how it intersects with airway diseases. That interest led her to clinical and research fellowships at National Jewish Health and eventually to establish an academic allergy and immunology program at the University of Nebraska Medical Center.

Update on the Hal Nelson Fellowship

National Jewish Health is pleased to announce that it will soon appoint the first person to hold to the Harold S. Nelson Fellowship in Allergy & Immunology. Former fellows and faculty have been dedicated to funding this fellowship to honor Dr. Nelson, and we look forward to introducing you to the appointee. The fellowship is still under funding. If you are interested in donating, please contact Eileen Danahy at 303.728.6540 or DanahyE@njhealth.org.

National Jewish Health Faculty & Fellows Reception

2015 AAAAI Annual Meeting

Are you going to be in Houston for the 2015 AAAAI conference? Join us for the Faculty and Former Fellows Reception taking place Sunday, February 22, 2015, from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. at the Hilton Americas - Houston, Level 2, Ballroom of the Americas F. It promises to be an enjoyable get-together over dessert, cocktails and conversation. To RSVP or for more information, contact Eileen Danahy at 303.728.6540 or DanahyE@njhealth.org. We look forward to seeing you there!

Mount Sinai Collaborates with National Jewish Health for IPF Meetings

The National Jewish Health educational program “Best Practices in Caring for Patients with Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis” is going east in 2015, coinciding with the opening of the Mount Sinai-National Jewish Health Respiratory Institute. The goal of this free certified educational program is to improve the knowledge, competence and performance in the diagnosis, management and treatment of IPF. CME, CE, and CRCE credit will be available. The four dates and meeting locations to choose from are: Tuesday, February 24, 2015, in New York, NY; Wednesday, February 25, 2015, in Tarrytown, NY; Wednesday, March 4, 2015, in Jersey City, NJ; and Thursday, March 5, 2015, in East Quogue, NY. For more information, please contact the Office of Professional Education at National Jewish Health at 800.844.2305 or proed@njhealth.org.

Discover Tools to Help Your Practice

Download National Jewish Health posters, brochures, flyers and more to better communicate with your patients.

Visit the National Jewish Health For Professionals website

Do you have a question or an idea for a topic in the next e-newsletter? Or do you have a comment regarding this issue of the Alumni News? Please e-mail us at DanahyE@njhealth.org.