Objective: Infertility has a serious impact on the psychosocial well-being of women in the developing world. The objective of the study was to evaluate the causes and treatment pattern of infertility patients in a tertiary care hospital. Methods:The prospective observational study focused on the sociodemographic properties of infertile patients, causes of infertility, and various treatments carried out in a tertiary care hospital, Erode, Tamil Nadu. Results:Of 200 cases, the majority was due to female factor (45.5%), followed by male factors (26%), both gender factors (25.5%), and unexplained etiology (6%). It was observed that major causes of male infertility (MI) were oligoasthenoteratozoospermia (OATS -48.42%), followed by asthenozoospermia (17.89%), azoospermia (11.57%), erectile dysfunction (7.36%), oligoasthenozoospermia (5.26%), varicocele (3.15%), oligospermia (2.10%), necrozoospermia (2.10%), asthenoteratozoospermia (1.05%), and asthenozoospermia+erectile dysfunction (1.05%). In cases of female infertility (FI), the pattern of causes was polycystic ovarian disease (PCOD) (29.6%), followed by tubular block (13.23%), cyst (6.66%), hypothyroidism (4.44%), endometriosis (4.44%), hormonal problems (4.44%), fibroid (3.7%), fibroid+cyst (3.7%), premature ovarian failure (2.96%), thin endometrium (2.96%), multifollicularovary (2.96%), PCOD+hormonalproblems (2.96%), and hypothyroidism+hormonal problems (2.22%). Intrauterine insemination was the most commonly assisted reproductive technology employed, followed by in vitro fertilization and intracytoplasmic sperm injection. Of 200 infertile couples, 57 (28.5%) were unable to conceive within 6 months and 72 (36%) after 6 months following first consultation, 44 (22%) defaulted/lost follow-up/were still under consultation, 13 (6.5%) conceived with the help of assisted reproductive treatment, 10 (5%) conceived with the help of drug treatment, anddd 4 (2%) had spontaneous pregnancy. Conclusion:The major cause of infertility was found to be PCOD in females and OATS in males. The most commonly prescribed drugs were antioxidants for males and progesterone for females.

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.

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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.

Objective: The prevalence of anemia is disproportionately high in developing countries due to poverty, inadequate diet, certain diseases, pregnancy and lactation, and poor access to health services. It is a risk factor for cardiovascular health and early death in adult. To estimate the prevalence of anemia and its associated risk factors in a rural community in India.Methods: Based on inclusion and exclusion criteria, an observational house-to-house survey was conducted for 6 months, by screening for anemia, using digital strip type hemoglobin meter.Results: Out of 200 people, 146 were anemic of which 77 were with mild anemia, 67 with moderate anemia and only 3 had severe anemia. There was more number of anemic patients in the group of normal and underweight (normal=86, 58.90% and underweight=27, 18.49%) than that of overweight and obese (overweight=22, 15.06% and obese=11, 7.53%). The newly diagnosed cases of anemia were 138 and previously diagnosed cases of anemia were 8. Out of 146 anemic populations, 13 were hyperlipidemics, 20 were hypertensives, 18 were diabetics, 5 were thyroid patients, and 4 were cardiac patients. Conclusion:This screening program helps to diagnose anemia in a selected population and benefit avoiding further complications by offering adequate patient counseling. The study population was enriched with information on nutrition intake and importance of maintaining hemoglobin concentration at normal level in daily life of an individual.