Researchers found that short-term intensive fasting enhances the immune function of red blood cells, including their ability to combat SARS-CoV-2, without affecting their oxygen-carrying capacity. The study reveals that this fasting regimen popular in Asia could offer a multifaceted benefit by amplifying the body's defenses without compromising essential functions.
Plasmodium vivax malaria is one of the major infectious diseases of public health concern in Nouakchott, the capital city of Mauritania and the biggest urban setting in the Sahara. The assessment of the current trends in malaria epidemiology is primordial in understanding the dynamics of its transmission and developing an effective control strategy. A 6 year (2015–2020) prospective study was carried out in Nouakchott. Febrile outpatients with a clinical suspicion of malaria presenting spontaneously at Teyarett Health Centre or the paediatric department of Mother and Children Hospital Centre were screened for malaria using a rapid diagnostic test, microscopic examination of Giemsa-stained blood films, and nested polymerase chain reaction. Data were analysed using Microsoft Excel and GraphPad Prism and InStat software. Of 1760 febrile patients included in this study, 274 (15.5%) were malaria-positive by rapid diagnostic test, 256 (14.5%) were malaria-positive by microscopy