LATEST NEWS

Western Cape Branch
The Academy office is located in Pinelands, Cape Town. The role of the Academy is to attend to the educational needs of all general practitioners.

As such, the executive committee meets on a regular basis to plan educational activities which include monthly meetings, the annual mini-congress and skills workshops. The Academy is a non-profit organisation and the executive members all work voluntarily. The executive committee members include the following doctors: Strini Govender (chairperson), Anil Ramjee (vice chair), Ozzie Fernandez, Saville Furman, Pradip Patel, Arazat Sterris and Leon van den Berg.

Local Office
We are already planning the next mini-congress.

Thank you for attending and making the event successful. The mini-congress is fast becoming the most significant annual educational activity for general practitioners in the Western Cape. We look forward to your ongoing support and participation.

BENEFITS OF JOINING THE ACADEMY

• A National network of small groups of General/Family practitioners
• Monthly formal CPD meetings
• Regular informal sessions including journal clubs, ward rounds, lunchtime sessions, breakfast sessions
• Accreditation and consultation on accreditation of CPD activities and meetings
• Administrative support
• Strategic development of the discipline
• Workshops and Seminars
• Mini-Congresses on provincial level
• National General/Family Practice Congress
• Active association with representation on several bodies including RuDASA, FaMEC, CMSA, HPCSA, Medical and Dental Professional Board, Society of General / Family Practice etc
• Rural Health Initiative - a special project developed to support the rural practitioner
• Distance education products and opportunities
• SA Family Practice Journal - the only journal you NEED to read, written for South African GP's by GP's
• SA Family Practice Manual
• Special Interest Working Parties e.g. HIV/AIDS, Women's Health, CPD, Research, Information technology etc

Go to Membership form

UPCOMING MEETINGS & EVENTS

Please diarise the following.
All activities are free to members and accredited.

Main Group CPD Meeting:
(Chairperson – Dr Arazat Sterris)

Milnerton Group CPD Meeting:
(Chairperson – Dr Saville Furman)

Sea Point Group CPD Meeting:
(Chairperson – Dr Peter Metorwich)

SKILLS WORKSHOPS 2008

• Interpreting ECG’s and Spirometry
• Joint injections
• Minor Office procedures
• Interpreting Chest & Abdominal XRays
• Emergency Medicine for the General Practitioner

MAIN ARTICLE

The Family Medicine Education Consortium (FaMEC) representing all academic members of Family Medicine Departments merges with the Academy

FaMEC has recently been merged with the Academy of Family Practice/Primary Care. The name of this newly formed body is yet to be finalized. The Board of Directors are in place and the names are: Dr Shadrack Mazaza, Prof. Gboyega Ogunbanjo, Dr Neethia Naidoo, Dr Bruce Ilsley, Dr Ntodeni Ndwamato, Prof Julia Blitz, Prof Pierre de Villiers, Prof Cyril Naidoo, Prof Adri Prinsloo & Prof Khaya Mfenyana. The mission of this new body is to continually improve the clinical care of patients in any context through advocacy, teaching and learning, research and service delivery.

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WORLD JOURNAL WATCH - RELEVANT ABSTRACTS

• Newer oral medications for type 2 diabetes mellitus have not been shown to be superior. “Compared with newer, more expensive agents (thiazolidinediones, -glucosidase inhibitors, and meglitinides), older agents (second-generation sulfonylureas and metformin) have similar or superior effects on glycemic control, lipids, and other intermediate end points. Large, long-term comparative studies are needed to determine the comparative effects of oral diabetes agents on hard clinical end points.” Ann Intern Med online 17 July 2007
• Less progression to AIDS with IUDs than with hormonal contraceptives.”The IUD is effective and safe in HIV-infected women. The unexpected observation that hormonal contraception was associated with more rapid HIV disease progression requires urgent further study.” Am J Obstet Gynecol August 2007;197
• Steroids Have No Benefit for Bronchiolitis. A multicenter trial shows no benefit over placebo in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of infants aged 2 to 12 months with moderate-to-severe bronchiolitis. Journal Watch Emergency Medicine July 25, 2007
• Fruits, vegetables and the Mediterranean diet is inversely associated with asthma and allergies. “The results of this study suggest a beneficial effect of commonly consumed fruits, vegetables and nuts, and of a high adherence to a traditional Mediterranean diet during childhood on symptoms of asthma and rhinitis”. Thorax 2007;62:677-683 August 2007
• A new randomized controlled study has shown that just one square of dark chocolate a day reduces blood pressure by a few mm Hg in healthy people with above-optimum blood pressure.The current study demonstrates that habitual consumption of dark chocolate vs white chocolate can reduce BP among patients with prehypertension or mild hypertension during an 18-week treatment period. Cocoa is rich in polyphenols, specifically flavanols, which can induce expression of nitric oxide and stimulate improved endothelial function. JAMA. 2007;298:49-60.
• A randomized factorial trial of vitamins C and E and beta-carotene in the secondary prevention of cardiovascular events in women - the Women's Antioxidant Cardiovascular Study (WACS). Taking vitamin C, vitamin E, or beta-carotene supplements had no apparent effect on the long-term risk of major cardiovascular events, including stroke or death, in a trial that randomized thousands of women considered at high cardiovascular (CV) risk and followed them for an average of about nine years. Arch Intern Med 2007;167:1610-1618.
• Are Sore Throat Patients Who Hope for Antibiotics Actually Asking for Pain Relief? In this Belgian study, patients who considered antibiotics very/rather important valued pain relief significantly more than patients who considered them little/not important. Patients who hoped for antibiotics felt more unwell, had more faith in antibiotics to speed recovery and were less convinced that sore throat was a self-limiting disease. The authors conclude “that patients with acute sore throat and who hope for antibiotics may in fact want treatment for pain”.Annals of Family Medicine 4:494-499 (2006)
• BRCA mutations and breast cancer prognosis. Cancers in women who carry BRCA mutations have been associated with poorer prognosis. This study on Israeli women provides some evidence that the prognosis of breast cancer among BRCA mutation carriers is similar to that of women who are not mutation carriers. N Eng J Med 12 July 2007;357:115-123.
• Negativity in relationships and heart disease.A new prospective cohort study shows that negative aspects of a close relationship such as not confiding and not getting emotional support, can increase the risk of incident coronary events by as much as 34%. Gender and social position had no interactive effects. Arch Intern Med 2007; 167:1951-1957.
• All Probiotics May Not Be Equally Effective in Children With Acute Diarrhea.This study comparing 5 different preparations suggests that L rhamnosus strain GG may be more effective than other probiotics in shortening the duration of diarrhea. None of the other probiotic preparations (S boulardii; Bacillus clausii; a mixture of Lactobacillus delbrueckii var bulgaricus, Streptococcus thermophilus, Lactobacillus acidophilus, and Bifidobacterium bifidum; or E faecium SF68) were associated with better primary outcomes than in the control groups. BMJ. Published online August 9, 2007
• High Conscientiousness Linked to Decreased Risk for AD.Being conscientious i.e. having the ability to control impulses and to be goal directed and purposeful may provide some protection against developing Alzheimer's disease (AD). Mechanisms postulated include a greater chance of higher academic and occupational achievement (already proven to lower risks of AD), resilience and better ability to cope with difficulties. Wilson et al also note that "many people die with enough plaques and tangles to qualify for the pathologic diagnosis of AD and yet they had no or very few cognitive problems before they died." Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2007;64:1204-1212.

WATCH THIS SPACE Jon Kabat-Zinn, Ph.D. is a scientist, writer, and meditation teacher engaged in bringing mindfulness meditation into the mainstream of medicine and society. He is Professor of Medicine emeritus at the University of Massachusetts Medical School and former director of its world-renowned Stress Reduction Clinic. He is scheduled to visit South Africa in April 2008. The Western Cape Academy is proud to host an evening lecture with him. Further details in our next newsletter. DO NOT MISS THIS ONE! Back to Top