Summaryobjective To describe the rationale, design and preliminary results of an open trial of 6 months uniform multi-drug therapy (U-MDT) for all types of leprosy patients assuming a cumulative relapse rate not exceeding 5% over 5 years of follow-up.methods We intended to recruit 2500 patients each in multi-bacillary (MB) and pauci-bacillary (PB) groups from India (five centres) and China (two centres). Standardized clinical criteria were used to assess skin lesions in the field.results A total of 2912 patients enrolled from November 2003 to May 2007 (India, 2746 China, 166). MB patients constituted 39% and 3% had grade 2 disability. During follow-up, 27 patients (0.9%) developed new lesions. Of these, 78% were on account of reactions. Six patients had clinically confirmed relapse. Clofazimine-related skin pigmentation was short-lived and was acceptable to patients. We analysed data for clinical status of skin lesions. About 2.9% of patients were lost to follow-up; 85.9% completed treatment, of whom 19% had inactive skin lesions. PB patients responded better than MB patients (27% vs. 6%; P < 0.001). At the end of the first (n = 2013) and second year (n = 807) of followup post-U-MDT, in 49% and 46% patients, lesions were inactive, respectively (59% and 57% in PB, 37% and 28% in MB; P < 0.001).conclusion U-MDT appears to be promising with respect to clinical status of skin lesions.

Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the potential drug interactions among hospitalized patients in cardiac and pulmonary wards in three tertiary care hospitals. Methods:A prospective, observational study was carried out for 12 months. A sample of 1150 patients were assessed for potential drug-drug interactions (pDDIs) using Micromedex ® -2.7 and Drugs.com. Results:A total of 1150 patients were analyzed, and it was found that 685 were cardiac and 465 were pulmonary patients. The study identified 524 (76.49%) cardiac patients and 345 (74.19%) pulmonary patients, with pDDIs higher in male cardiac (298 [56.87%]) and male pulmonary (199 [57.68%]) patients, compared to females. Incidences of pDDIs were found to be higher in the age group of 60-70 years in cardiac (193 [36.83%]) and pulmonary (146 [42.31%]) patients and incidences of interactions based on duration of 4-6 days' hospital stays in cardiac were 380 (72.53%) and 215 (62.31%) in pulmonary patients, respectively. Moreover, 51.90% of cardiac patients and 56.52% of pulmonary patients were found to be prescribed with more number of drugs (cardiac 7 drugs and pulmonary 5-6 drugs) causing higher incidences of pDDIs. Some of the most common drug interacting pair was aspirin and clopidogrel combination observed in 245 cardiac patients, whereas in the pulmonary department, it was ranitidine-theophylline combination with a frequency of 195 pDDIs. Drug-food interactions were found with atorvastatin-citrus fruits in cardiac and theophylline-caffeine in pulmonary patients. The most common drug-disease interaction was found to be isosorbide dinitrate-myocardial infarction in cardiac and diazepam-COPD in pulmonary, respectively. Conclusion:Pharmacists must take responsibility in the monitoring of drug interactions and notifying the physician and patient about potential problems. With their detailed knowledge of drugs, pharmacists have the ability to relate unexpected symptoms experienced by patients to possible adverse effects of their drug therapy.

Objectives: Diabetes is one of the main global risks of mortality and is seen with a drastic rise in developing nations in accordance with rise in age. The main aim of the study is to find the prevalence of diabetes and pre-diabetes and its associated risk factors among the rural community based on diagnostic criteria. Methods:This cross-sectional study was conducted in a rural community of Salem district, Tamil Nadu, India. Patient data (demographics, lifestyle factors, and medical reports) were collected with the help of a questionnaire. Results:Of 780 populations, 425 were included for the screening of diabetes based on inclusion criteria. Of the 425 screened samples, 224 (52.7%) were diagnosed with diabetes. From these 224 diabetic cases, 133 (31.3%) were known cases of diabetes, 26 (6.1%) were newly diagnosed diabetic cases, and 65 (15.3%) were pre-diabetic cases. Most of the diabetic patients 140 (62.5%) were illiterate, and 159 (71%) were never had physical activities. A positive association (p<0.05) was observed between diabetes and age, body mass index (BMI) and tobacco use other than smoking. 65 patients were found to be pre-diabetes, among which 41.5% (27 cases) were male and 58.5% (38 cases) were female. A positive association (p<0.05) was observed between pre-diabetes and age, family history of diabetes and HTN, BMI, and lifestyle factors such as tobacco use, alcohol consumption, and smoking. Conclusion:Our study demonstrated that the burden of diabetes was observed to be increasing in India and it is becoming common among communities. Patient awareness and timely diagnosis and intervention may limit the progression of the disease.

Background A successful pandemic response in populated geographies and resource-limited settings like India relies on informed decision making. Knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) studies performed during these times are crucial to illustrate how well a community adopts prevention strategies. Objective The present study, conducted during the peak months of the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, aimed at assessing the KAP levels of internet-savvy Indians. Methods This observational cross-sectional study was conducted between 20 May and 10 October 2020. We employed a self-reported questionnaire using Google Forms, containing two parts-demographics and KAP evaluation-with the latter having three subsections of 10, 5, and 5 questions each. Data from completed questionnaires were extracted and exported from Google Forms and coded. Descriptive statistics and first-order analysis were conducted. Binary logistic regression was performed with a 95% confidence interval to determine significant associations between categorical dependent and independent variables. Results We received responses from 1154 participants (58.84% male). Most respondents had good knowledge of the disease transmission course (92.55%), showed seriousness towards the emerging illness (91.07%), had a good attitude towards personal hygiene and physical distancing (93.76%), and had followed good safety/hygienic practices (93.76%). Good attitudes differed significantly between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu provinces (OR 1.053; 95% CI 0.588-1.886; p = 0.0439). The survey participants did not show any significant gender differences in any question types (p > 0.05). Conclusions The results obtained add significant value to the existing KAP literature on COVID-19 in India and may help policymakers achieve public compliance with preventive measures.

Objectives: In India, a study on hypertension (HTN) prevalence conducted in a community over a period of 3–6 decades showed an increase of 30% in urban population and 10% in rural population. The study aimed to assess the prevalence of HTN and pre-HTN in a rural community and also to find the significance of risk factors which precipitate to it.Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in a rural community of Salem district, Tamil Nadu, India. HTN and pre-HTN was defined by the Joint National Committee 8th report guidelines. Patient data’s (sociodemographic variables, lifestyle factors, and medical reports) were collected with the help of questionnaire. Identified hypertensive patients were assessed with MMAS-8 questionnaire.Results: During the study period of 8 months, 425 subjects were screened and studied for HTN and pre-HTN. More than half (69.4%) of the study group were found to be hypertensive. Of the 295 reported cases, 228 (53.6% of 425) were “known” cases of HTN and 67 (15.8% of 425) were newly diagnosed cases. A positive association (p<0.05) was observed between HTN and age, body mass index (BMI), alcohol, and tobacco use other than smoking. 75 patients were found to be prehypertensive, in that 57.3% (43 cases) were male and 42.7% (32 cases) were female. Majority of hypertension patients (66%) were with low adherence than 24% medium and 10% high adherence towards their medications.Conclusion: Our study concluded that the prevalence of pre-HTN and HTN was higher among the study population, so there is a need for screening of individuals at the early age group. Further studies are needed to observe and confiscate the reasons why majority of hypertensive patients with low medication adherence.