Conference Program
The role of the Gabanoids in Acute and Chronic Pain Management
Anticonvulsants have always played a role in the treatment of chronic neuropathic pain. The gabapenoids gabapentin and pregabalin have not only become the preferred compounds for this indication, but are ncreasingly seen as an important component of the multimodal treatment of acute pain.
Dr. Brendan Moore MBBS, FANZCA  Consultant Anaesthetist and Pain Medicine Specialist at the Mater Private and the Greenslopes Private Hospitals in Brisbane, Senior Lecturer at the University of Queensland School of Pharmacy, a board member for the Faculty of Pain Medicine of the Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists.

Chronic Kidney Disease update – using eGFR and managing CKD effectively
This presentation will discuss eGFR interpretation – when to use it and when not to use; CKD in the elderly – when does it matter and how to manage; drug dosing in people with CKD – can you use eGFR; and action plans for anaemia and calcium/phosphate/bone disease in CKD stages 3 and 4.
Speaker: Prof. David Johnson MB BS (Hons) (Qld), PhD (Syd), FRACP  Renal Transplant Advisory Committee, The Australia and New Zealand Society of Nephrology and the Dialysis and Transplant Committee, Head of Department in the Department of Renal Medicine at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital.

Melanoma and Litigation
Melanoma is a high profile but relatively low frequency condition in general practice. What stage in the consultation represents a danger time for missing a melanoma? Where do punch biopsies fit in to the clinical
guidelines? When is using a dermatoscope a risk? What interferes with follow-up? How can GPs help pathologists? Are pathology reports infallible? What is wrong with annual review of the site of excision of a melanoma?
Dr. Paul Nisselle AM General Manager Clinical Risk Management

Diet and the Metabolic Syndrome
The seminar aims to clarify the science behind dietary intake and its association with the metabolic syndrome (the deadly quartet of hypertension, hyperlipidaemia, insulin resistance and abdominal obesity) and provide practical advice on how to provide dietary advice to your patient population.
Dr. Catherine Itsiopoulos BSc(Hons) Grad Dip Diet MPH PhD APD

Dermoscopy for gp – accurate skin cancer diagnosis
Skin cancer is increasing in incidence and prevalence in Australia. Accurate diagnosis is important, especially to avoid unnecessary excision and related procedures. Dermoscopy is an excellent tool to augment current methods of diagnosis. This program will focus on the use of hand-held dermatoscope, being used more by GP’s, using the three point checklist. The three point checklist has been proven to be a sensitive tool for early diagnosis of pigmented skin lesions suspicious for skin cancer. 
Dr. Damien Foong MMBS (Qld) MD FACSCM

Obesity Management, options, and the role of surgery
This seminar will look at the management of obesity and the various options available, and in particular the increasing role of bariatric surgery. In Australia, an estimated 2.5 million adults were obese in 2004-05. If
rates continue to soar, there could be as many as 7.2 million obese Australians by 2025. This seminar will look at the co-morbidities associated with obesity, who is suitable for bariatric surgery, long term weight loss results & the importance of a multidisciplinary bariatric team. Included will be an overview of statistics; a review of “real” patient case studies & results; and a video of a gastric band adjustment or surgery. 
Dr. Ian Martin MBBS FRACS Specialist Upper Gastro-intestinal, Hepatobiliary, Obesity and Laparoscopic surgeon. Private specialist and visiting medical officer at The Wesley Hospital and Princess Alexandra Hospitals, Brisbane.

Ageing Metabolic Function and the Genetic Code
Ageing is a universal process to all life forms. The most current and widely accepted definition for aging in humans is that there is a progressive loss of function and energy production that is accompanied by decreasing fertility and increasing mortality with advancing age. The most obvious and commonly recognised consequence of ageing and energy decline is a decrease in skeletal muscle function which affects every aspect of human life from the ability to play games, walk and run to chew, swallow and digest food. There is hence a recognised overall decline of an individuals fitness for the environment that they occupy. In Westernised countries this decline is gradual and the signs become mostly noticeable after the 5th decade of life and henceforth, where the individual slowly progresses to death over the next three to four
decades. Given that the ageing process is slow and gradual, it presents with opportunities and options that may ameliorate and improve the overall functional capacity of the organism. Small changes in function may
be more amenable and likely to further slow down and possibly reverse some of the deleterious effects of ageing, rather, than when the incremental changes are large. This overall effect may then translate into a significant compression of the deleterious aspects of human ageing with a resultant increase in human life expectancy.
A/Prof. Luis Vitetta Principal Research Fellow for the Unit of Health Integration, School of Medicine, University of Queensland