Nutrition influences immunity in multiple ways, with different nutrients affecting many immune parameters. Aging also affects immunity, making the outcome of the interplay between nutrition, age and immunity complex. Moreover, a particular nutrient may alter the whole immune constellation as deficiency of one nutrient may affect the proper metabolism of another nutrient and elicit a chain reaction of secondary malnutrition. In this article, we review these interactions and the possible mechanisms mediating such relationships.

Dietary intake has been shown to influence the acid–base balance in human subjects; however, this phenomenon is poorly understood and rarely reported for the least well-studied segment of older people in a developing country. The aims of the present study were to: (1) quantify estimates of daily net endogenous acid production (NEAP) (mEq/d) in a sample of otherwise healthy elderly aged 50 years and above; and (2) compare NEAP between the elderly and young to determine the effects of aging, which could contribute to changes in the acid–base balance. Analyses were carried out among 526 elderly and 131 young participants (aged 50–80 and 23–28 years, respectively), all of whom were free of discernible disease, nonsmokers, and not on any chronic medication. Selected anthropometric factors were measured and 24-hour dietary recall was recorded. We used two measures to characterize dietary acid load: (1) NEAP estimated as the dietary potential renal acid load plus organic acid excretion, the latter as a multiple of estimated body surface area; and (2) estimated NEAP based on protein and K. For the young and elderly, the ranges of NEAP were 12.1–67.8 mEq/d and 2.0–78.3 mEq/d, respectively. Regardless of the method used, the mean dietary acid–base balance (NEAP) was significantly higher for the elderly than the young (P = 0.0035 for NEAP [elderly, 44.1 mEq/d versus young 40.1 mEq/d]; and P = 0.0035 for the protein:potassium ratio [elderly, 1.4 mEq/d versus young 1.1 mEq/d]). A positive and significant correlation was found between NEAP and energy, protein, and phosphorus (P < 0.05 for all trends). The findings from this study provide evidence of the relatively higher production of NEAP in older people, possibly as an effect of higher consumption of certain acid-producing foods by the elderly.

Hepatitis C is an ailment of liver caused by hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. About 3% of the world population is infected by this virus. HCV infection is a leading reason for liver cirrhosis and therefore a major source of hepatocellular carcinoma. The study focused on the incidence of active HCV infection in blood donors of Mardan district of KPK, Pakistan. A total of 5318 blood donors were inspected for the presence of anti-HCV antibodies and HCV-RNA using ICT (immune-chromatographic test), ELISA and RT-PCR at Mardan Medical Complex (MMC), Mardan. Out of these, 157 (2.95%) were positive by ICT, 60 (1.12%) by ELISA and 56 (1.05%) for HCV-RNA. The frequency of active HCV infectivity amongst the blood donors from district Mardan, KPK Pakistan was 1.05 %. Application of strict measures during blood donor selection and use of proper screening assays such as ELISA in place of ICT devices can give a more accurate picture so that the incidence of this viral infection in HCV negative blood recipients can be reduced.

Background: Acute watery diarrhea is a common clinical entity encountered daily in emergency department worldwide. In adults more than 90% of cases of acute diarrhea are caused by infectious agents spread by ingestion of feces contaminated food and water. Objective: To assess the stool Culture & Sensitivity for Vibrio Cholera in Acute Out Break of Diarrhea. Methodology: This   study was prospective cohort study targeting all acute bacterial diarrhea cases in patients of either sex and all ages attending the emergency department of Qazi Hussain Ahmed Medical Complex, Nowshera Pakistan. The overall sample size was 86 on the basis of WHO sample size calculator. Culture and sensitivity was done for all the isolates of Vibrio cholera. All the data was documented in a special designed proforma and then analyzed by SPSS version 24. Results: In the current study, totally 86 patients were enrolled. There were 50 (58.14%) males and 36 (41.86%) females’ patients in our study. Based on identification, 11 (12.79%) samples were positive for vibrio cholera while 3 (3.49%) samples were positive for Salmonella typhi. Ampicillin was susceptible to 2 (18.18%) isolates while 3 (27.27%) isolates were resistant to ampicillin.

Keywords:PAIgG PAIgM Secondary dengue virus Thrombocytopenia Dengue hemorrhagic fever A B S T R A C TObjective: To understand the impact of platelet associated immunoglobulin G (PAIgG)/ platelet associated immunoglobulin M (PAIgM) on severity of dengue virus infection leading to thrombocytopenia. Methods: In this study we examined a total of 52 patients who were having secondary infection of dengue in acute phase by using competitive ELISA. Results: A decrease in the platelet count was observed at the acute phase of infection while all along the recovery stage the count of platelet was significantly increased. A significant decrease was observed in PAIgG and PAIgM in these subjects. Inverse correlation was found between platelets count and PAIgG/PAIgM among the subjects studied. In the platelets elution from ten subjects, anti-dengue virus immunoglobulin G and immunoglobulin M were observed. PAIgG and PAIgM with inclined levels were higher in dengue hemorrhagic fever than the classical dengue fever. In the development of dengue hemorrhagic fever PAIgM inclined level was independently associated with high specificity, showing a possible indication of dengue hemorrhagic fever. Conclusions: This study suggests that in secondary dengue virus infection, the PAIgG and PAIgM levels, and the activity of anti-dengue virus play key roles, both in the development and severity of the disease.