This survey confirms that HCV infection is clearly also declining in southern Italy, especially among the elderly. HCV genotype 2a predominates, reflecting the current epidemiology of HCV in Italy. Age, blood transfusion, and household contact with HCV-infected individuals may have had a role in the spread of HCV infection.

A 61-year-old man was observed to develop type 1 diabetes mellitus following a 3-month treatment with recombinant alpha-2b peginterferon combined with ribavirin for chronic hepatitis C. Serum samples, collected before the start of therapy and 2 months after the diagnosis of diabetes mellitus, revealed islet-cell antibodies at a titer of 20 and 40 JDF-U, respectively, and glutamic acid decarboxylase autoantibodies at a value of 76.5 and 196 IU/ml, respectively. Antibodies to second islet autoantigen were persistently negative. HLA class II typing revealed the presence of DRB1*04/DRB1*14, DQA1*0303-0104 and DQB1*04-0503 alleles. Eight months after the onset of type 1 diabetes mellitus, the patient is still receiving 30 IU insulin daily; the liver function tests are normal and serum hepatitis C virus RNA is negative. These data confirm that, in patients with potential diabetes mellitus, the disease may become manifest as a side-effect during therapy with peginterferon-alpha plus ribavirin. The patient as a candidate for interferon treatment should therefore be investigated, in addition to thyroid autoimmunity, also for pancreatic autoantibodies before starting therapy.

Scope The study aims to investigate the effects of fresh table grape consumption in healthy subjects on circulating levels of the most common human microRNAs (miRNAs). The regulatory network governed by these modulated miRNAs is also investigated. Methods and Results Autumn Royal table grape, used in this study, is chosen for its high polyphenolic content and antioxidant properties. The study is a randomized controlled trial, in which 40 consecutive subjects are recruited on a voluntary basis and randomly assigned to two groups of the study, the control group, receiving only dietary recommendations and a grape group receiving a daily dose of 5 g of fresh table grape per kg of body weight for 21 days. All analyses are performed at baseline and after 21 days of dietary treatment. Circulating miRNAs levels are detected by Real‐Time quantitative PCR (RT‐qPCR) followed by bioinformatic functional analysis. The study identifies 20 circulating miRNAs differentially expressed in healthy subjects after grape intake, and in particular, 18 of 20 are down‐regulated and 2 are up‐regulated. Conclusion The dietary intake of table grape affects circulating miRNAs levels in healthy subjects, particularly the miRNAs related to pathways involved in counteracting cancer development, including gastrointestinal cancers.

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Background: Previous studies have shown that alexithymia is associated with gene polymorphisms that regulate the availability of serotonin (5-HT) in the brain. Since the 5-HT network is involved in interferon (IFN)-induced depression, this paper aimed to investigate the role of alexithymia and the functional gene variants of the 5-HT1A receptor (HTR1A) and the 5-HT transporter (5-HTTLPR) in induction of depression during antiviral treatment. Methods: The depressive symptoms of 130 consecutive patients with chronic hepatitis C and no current psychopathology were measured during treatment with IFN and ribavirin (6-12 months) and at a 6-month follow-up. At baseline, alexithymia and 2 genotypes (5-HTTLPR and HTR1A) were also assessed. Results: Patients with homozygosity for HTR1A-G and 5-HTTLPR long alleles had significantly higher levels of alexithymia. After controlling for sociodemographic and disease-related factors, alexithymia and HTR1A-G polymorphism, both separately (20-22%) and jointly (14-16%), significantly and independently predicted the development of IFN-induced depression. Conclusions: Subjects carrying HTR1A-G and 5-HTTLRP double long alleles are more vulnerable to alexithymia. Also patients with a higher level of alexithymia and the HTR1A-G gene variant are more vulnerable to experiencing IFN-induced depressive symptoms. The clinical implications of targeting alexithymia and HTR1A receptors as a possible treatment option for mood disorders should be investigated in further studies.

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