In the last few decades, leptospirosis has emerged globally as a fatal infectious disease. Yet, an understanding of the pathogenesis of leptospirosis continues to remain within the grey areas of scientific evidence. In a majority of the cases, the infections are asymptomatic. The benchmark test for leptospirosis is the microscopic agglutination test, commonly known as the MAT test. The standard of treatment is oral doxycycline, although penicillin and azithromycin can also be used. In this review, we aim to elaborately discuss the symptoms, diagnosis and the approved therapeutic regimen of leptospirosis.

Introduction: Drug Related Problems (DRPs) frequently take place in modern medical practices, increasing the morbidity and mortality as well as the cost of patient care. Objective: The current study was undertaken to identify and evaluate various DRPs among the inpatients of the psychiatry department in a tertiary care teaching hospital using APS-Doc classification system and to identify the most recurrent drugs causing the DRPs. Method: ology: A prospective observational study was conducted forduration of six months among 198 patients using APS-Doc classification system. The data was statistically analysed and tabulated. Results: A total of 205 DRPs were identified in 102 patients, among which 115 (56.1%) were potential drug-drug interactions (pDDI) and 62 (30.2%) were adverse drug reactions (ADRs). 21 (10.2%) DRPs belonged to the category of incorrect spelling of the trade name and 3 (1.5%) among them belonged to unintended prescription of the same drug. Two out of 205 DRPs (1%) belonged to the class of prescription of an incorrect dosage form or no dosage prescribed. One DRP each were categorised under wrong dosage form prescribed and inadequate generic substitution respectively. Out of the total of 314 drugs, risperidone (n = 43, 13.7%) was found to be the drug associated with the most number of DRPs followed by olanzapine (n = 38, 12.1%) and lorazepam (n = 32, 10.2%). Conclusion:The study revealed that more than half (51.5%) of the patients presented with DRPs and the most commonly identified DRPs were pDDIs and ADRs.

Background: Drug-drug interaction alters the efficacy of the drugs. Early identification can reduce unintended therapeutic outcomes. Objective: The main objective of the present study was to assess the drug-drug interactions among patients with psychiatric disorders. Methodology: A prospective observational study was conducted for a period of eight months. A total of 112 psychiatric inpatients were enrolled in the study. The patients were monitored regularly to identify the incidence of potential and actual drug-drug interactions. The identified interactions were analyzed for their severity by using various standard references which included published scientific articles, online databases (e.g., UpToDate) and standard textbooks. Results and Discussion:The mean age of the study population in years was found to be 37.93 ± 12.21 standard deviation. It was observed that the incidence of potential drug-drug interactions was 66.96%. A total of 201 potential drug-drug interactions were identified from 75 patients. Based on the severity assessment of the identified interactions, 52.73% were major, 37.31% were moderate, and 19.82% were minor. About 7.46% were contraindicated drug combinations. The data on the onset of interaction revealed that 34.82% were of delayed onset and 14.92% with rapid onset and 50.24% were not specified. The drug that was responsible for the majority of the interactions in the study was found to be olanzapine. Conclusion:The study revealed a high incidence of drug-drug interaction. Drug-drug interactions most frequently encountered among psychiatric patients were found to be major in terms of severity. The study concluded on the higher event of drug-drug interactions among the patients prescribed with olanzapine.

Introduction: Fungal infections have been a serious disease over a few decades. Superficial fungal infections not only cause life-threatening illnesses but slowly reduce the Quality of life of patients. Objective: To study the prescribing pattern of antifungal drugs, distribution of fungal disease, and cost variability between different antifungal drugs prescribed. Materials and methods: Prospective observational study was carried out at Justice K.S. Hegde Charitable Hospital from August 2018 to April 2019. Outpatient departments patient satisfying the inclusion criteria were included in the study. Factors like age, gender, diagnosis, and type of prescribed antifungal drugs along with Price variability among different brands of the drug were considered. Antifungal drug prescriptions of patients were analyzed. Results: More than 50% of the patients were from age 21-40 yrs. Males (51.8%) were more than females (48%). The majority of the drugs prescribed were topically (64%). Tine a corpor is was the most prevalent fungal disease. The Azoles group of Antifungal was most prescribed. And the percentage variability between different brands was high. Conclusion: The study concluded the extensive use of antifungal agents. The highly prescribed drug was found to be luliconazole. The study also concluded that the use of generic prescriptions might reduce the cost of illness and enhance the rational use of the drug.

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