Willie F Mollentze

University of the Free State | ufs · Department of Internal Medicine and Geriatrics

Background: Patients attending outpatient departments for follow-up of diabetes mellitus (DM) may seem content about the control of their disease. However, complications resulting from DM may present before diagnosis and treatment initiation or continue to develop while on treatment. Aim: This study aimed to report on the prevalence of DM complicat...

Background: Hypothyroidism is a common clinical condition confronting all healthcare practitioners yet there remains uncertainty about the optimal medication and optimum treatment targets. In addition, many patients remain symptomatic despite using recommended medications and attaining recommended treatment targets. Methods: All endocrinologists i...

Background. The selection of pharmacotherapy for the treatment of alcohol withdrawal remains a clinical challenge. Research continues into the underlying pathophysiology of dependence and withdrawal. A spectrum of clinical presentations of alcohol dependence is emerging, yet recommendations and guidelines have remained unchanged for some time. Obje...

Abstract Objectives: The study was undertaken to investigate the role of private general practitioners (GPs) in the treatment of alcohol dependence in the Free State province. Design: A descriptive cross-sectional study. A questionnaire was used to describe the experiences of GPs with patients with alcohol dependence. Outcome measures: The treat...

strong>Background. The selection of pharmacotherapy for the treatment of alcohol withdrawal remains a clinical challenge. Research continues into the underlying pathophysiology of dependence and withdrawal. A spectrum of clinical presentations of alcohol dependence is emerging, yet recommendations and guidelines have remained unchanged for some tim...

All rigorous primary cardiovascular disease (CVD) prevention guidelines recommend absolute CVD risk scores to identify high- and low-risk patients, but laboratory testing can be impractical in low- and middle-income countries. The purpose of this study was to compare the ranking performance of a simple, non-laboratory-based risk score to laboratory...

Background: Integration of HIV care into primary care is a potential strategy to improve access to antiretroviral therapy (ART) in high-burden countries. This study was conducted to determine the effect of integration of HIV care on the survival of patients needing ART. Methods: A questionnaire was used to measure the integration of HIV care int...

Integration of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) care into primary care services is one strategy proposed to achieve universal access to antiretroviral treatment (ART) for HIV-positive patients in high burden countries. There is a need for controlled studies of programmes to integrate HIV care with details of the services being integrated. A semi-...

Survey of integration of HIV care in ARV clinics and their referring primary care clinics. (DOC)

Introduction. Current data regarding treatment needs in South Africa for substance dependence are based on admissions to specialised treatment centres. The data therefore do not include patients presenting to independent healthcare workers and state hospitals. Aim. The aim of this study was to investigate help-seeking behaviour for substance depend...

p> Introduction. Current data regarding treatment needs in South Africa for substance dependence are based on admissions to specialised treatment centres. The data therefore do not include patients presenting to independent healthcare workers and state hospitals. Aim. The aim of this study was to investigate help-seeking behaviour for substance de...

Diabetic nephropathy is a frequent but potentially preventable long-term complication of diabetes mellitus which is responsible for significant morbidity and mortality, and is also a monetary burden on the healthcare system. Regular follow-up of all patients and adhering to a strict treatment protocol will go a long way towards preventing or retard...

Diabetic eye disease is a leading cause of visual impairment in the developing world, and is mainly comprised of diabetic retinopathy and cataract formation. Diabetic retinopathy is by and large preventable and/or treatable, while cataract surgery can now successfully be performed on a large scale. Stopping smoking and optimal glycaemic and blood p...

STRETCH Toolkit. STRETCH Implementation toolkit developed by the research team to assist clinic staff in implementing the STRETCH intervention.

ART algorithms. Algorithms for initiation and management of patients on antiretroviral therapy included in the STRETCH edition of the PALSA PLUS guideline that was used in intervention clinics during the STRETCH trial.

ABSTRACT: Task shifting and the integration of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) care into primary care services have been identified as possible strategies for improving access to antiretroviral treatment (ART). This paper describes the development and content of an intervention involving these two strategies, as part of the Streamlining Tasks an...

Background Data for trends in serum cholesterol are needed to understand the eff ects of its dietary, lifestyle, and pharmacological determinants; set intervention priorities; and evaluate national programmes. Previous analyses of trends in serum cholesterol were limited to a few countries, with no consistent and comparable global analysis. We esti...

To study the progress and challenges with regard to universal antiretroviral (ARV) access in Free State Province, South Africa. Data from the first 4 years of the public sector ARV roll-out and selected health system indicators were used. Data were collected from the public sector ARV database in Free State Province for new patients on ARVs, averag...

On 26 June 2009 Diabetologia, official mouthpiece of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD), sounded the alarm in a press release regarding a possible association between the use of insulin glargine and an increased risk for the development of certain malignancies compared to human insulin and other insulin analogs. The evidence...

Objectives: To gather baseline information on the knowledge, attitudes and practices regarding iodine and iodised salt among patients with hyperthyroidism in the Free State. Subjects and Setting: The study was part of a large cohort study that included the first 96 patients aged 13 years or older diagnosed with hyperthyroidism and referred to Unive...

Objectives: To gather baseline information on the knowledge, attitudes and practices regarding iodine and iodised salt among patients with hyperthyroidism in the Free State. Subjects and Setting: The study was part of a large cohort study that included the first 96 patients aged 13 years or older diagnosed with hyperthyroidism and referred to Unive...

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To compare the effects of Humalog Mix25 (Humalog Mix75/25 in the USA) (Mix25) and human insulin 30/70 (30/70) on the 24-hour inpatient plasma glucose (PG) profile in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). A randomised, open-label, 8-week crossover study. Study insulins were injected twice daily, 5 minutes before breakfast and dinner. Four-w...

Objectives. Glutamic acid decarboxylase antibodies (GAD65Ab) are found in the serum of patients with latent autoimmune diabetes of adults (LADA). We investigated clinical characteristics of GAD65Ab-positive type 2 diabetic subjects and possible association of GAD65Ab presence with hypothyroidism in type 1 and type 2 diabetic patients. Design. Analy...

Objectives. Glutamic acid decarboxylase antibodies (GAD65Ab) are found in the serum of patients with latent autoimmune diabetes of adults (LADA). We investigated clinical characteristics of GAD65Ab-positive type 2 diabetic subjects and possible association of GAD65Ab presence with hypothyroidism in type 1 and type 2 diabetic patients. Design. Analy...

To examine the implications for epidemiological studies of the American Diabetes Association (ADA) recommendation that the fasting blood glucose at a lowered level becomes the main diagnostic test for diabetes on cross-sectional-based data from sub-Saharan Africa. Data from 11 surveys conducted in rural, peri-urban and urban Cameroon (n = 1804), So...

Objectives. To present a new case of central hyperthyroidism caused by thyrotropin (TSH)-producing adenoma. Design. Case report. Setting. Departments of Internal Medicine, Diagnostic Radiology and Biochemistry, University of the Orange Free State, Bloemfontein. Subject and outcome measures. A 36-year-old woman with symptoms and signs of hyperthyroi...

Objectives. The aim of this study was to investigate effectiveness, action rate and eventual complications of radioactive iodine (RAI) therapy in our patients with hyperthyroid Graves' disease. Design. Retrospective analysis of clinical results. Setting. Departments of Internal Medicine, Nuclear Medicine and Biostatistics at the University of the O...

To estimate and compare the percentage of body fat in Black South Africans by underwater weighing (using three different equations), skinfold thicknesses measurements and bioelectrical impedance, in order to ascertain whether existing equations for body fat estimation apply to this racial group. Blind comparison of techniques. Academic hospital. 22...

Objective. To assess methods available in clinical practice for the early detection of osteoporosis and prediction of fracture risk, and to set guidelines for their use. To make recommendations regarding cost-effective screening of asymptomatic subjects by physicians. Options. Three methods to predict fracture risk are considered: (i) clinical risk...

Human T-lymphotropic virus type I (HTLV-1) is associated with tropical spastic paraparesis (TSP) and adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma. HTLV-I infection is endemic in certain parts of the Natal/KwaZulu region of South Africa. No studies on the seroprevalence of HTLV-I infection in the Free State (FS) have been published. This study was designed to det...

To determine and compare the prevalence of ischaemic heart disease (IHD) risk factors in a rural and an urban black population. A survey to determine the prevalence of hypertension, diabetes mellitus, smoking, obesity, central obesity and dyslipidaemia in black subjects 25 years and older. The indigenous black populations of QwaQwa and Mangaung. A...

We report our experience with a provocative test of calcitonin (CT) release using a combined stimulus of intravenous 10% CaCl2 solution and pentagastrin on 34 normal adults (15 females: age 41 +/- 12.3 years and range 22-65 years; and 19 males: age 43 +/- 9.1 years and range 23-60 years) and in 44 family members of three proven multiple endocrine n...

Multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2A (MEN 2A), an uncommon heritable disease, was investigated in an Afrikaner kindred. Serum calcitonin levels after combined pentagastrin and calcium chloride stimulation were measured to determine thyroid involvement, as were urinary metadrenalin levels to determine adrenal gland involvement. MEN 2A genotype statu...

A multidisciplinary group was formed to advise on strategy and to co-ordinate the management of a family at risk for the multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2A (MEN 2A) syndrome. A proposed strategy is outlined in which DNA analysis and provocative calcitonin testing is central.

A South African family, at risk for the multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2A (MEN 2A) syndrome, was identified. The Bloemfontein MEN Study Group was founded, inter alia, to study the effects of early detection of medullary carcinoma of the thyroid (MTC) and treatment by total thyroidectomy in children and young adults with MEN 2A. Genotypes were id...

The prevalence of chronic calcific pancreatitis (CCP) was determined in 25 successive patients with both diabetes mellitus and newly diagnosed pulmonary tuberculosis. Twenty patients (80%) were alcoholics and all were black. Of these, 9 (45%) had CCP. In only 3 of these 9 patients was the history compatible with the condition diagnosed. Clinical st...

The contribution of non-mydriatic fundus photography in the detection of diabetic retinopathy before and after dilatation of the pupils in black diabetics was investigated and compared with direct ophthalmoscopy. Eighty-six patients were examined and good-quality photographs were obtained for 54.7% of eyes before and 86.6% of eyes after dilatation....