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Previous studies reported that the hepatitis C virus (HCV) could help disseminate the hepatitis D virus (HDV) in vivo through the unrelated hepatitis B virus (HBV), but with essentially inconclusive results. To try to shed light on this still-debated topic, 146 anti-HCV-positive subjects (of whom 91 HCV/HIV co-infected, and 43 with prior HCV eradication) were screened for anti-HDV antibodies (anti-HD), after careful selection for negativity to any serologic or virologic marker of current or past HBV infection. One single HCV/HIV co-infected patient (0.7%) tested highly positive for anti-HD, but with no positive HDV-RNA. Her husband, in turn, was a HCV/HIV co-infected subject with a previous contact with HBV. While conducting a thorough review of the relevant literature, the authors attempted to exhaustively describe the medical history of both the anti-HD-positive patient and her partner, believing it to be the key to dissecting the possible complex mechanisms of HDV transmission from one subject to another, and speculating that in the present case, it may have been HCV itself that behaved as an HDV helper virus. In conclusion, this preliminary research, while needing further validation in large prospective studies, provided some further evidence of a role of HCV in HDV dissemination in humans.

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Previous studies reported that the hepatitis C virus (HCV) could help disseminate the hepatitis D virus (HDV) in vivo through the unrelated hepatitis B virus (HBV), but with essentially inconclusive results. To try to shed light on this still-debated topic, 146 anti-HCV-positive subjects (of whom 91 HCV/HIV co-infected, and 43 with prior HCV eradication) were screened for anti-HDV antibodies (anti-HD), after careful selection for negativity to any serologic or virologic marker of current or past HBV infection. One single HCV/HIV co-infected patient (0.7%) tested highly positive for anti-HD, but with no positive HDV-RNA. Her husband, in turn, was a HCV/HIV co-infected subject with a previous contact with HBV. While conducting a thorough review of the relevant literature, the authors attempted to exhaustively describe the medical history of both the anti-HD-positive patient and her partner, believing it to be the key to dissecting the possible complex mechanisms of HDV transmission from one subject to another, and speculating that in the present case, it may have been HCV itself that behaved as an HDV helper virus. In conclusion, this preliminary research, while needing further validation in large prospective studies, provided some further evidence of a role of HCV in HDV dissemination in humans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Diet and Androgen-5 (DIANA-5) trial aimed at testing whether a dietary change based on the Mediterranean diet and on macrobiotic principles can reduce the incidence of breast cancer (BC)-related events. We analyzed the adherence to the DIANA-5 dietary recommendations by randomization group after 1 year of intervention. We evaluated the association between dietary adherence and changes in body weight and metabolic syndrome (MS) parameters. BC women aged 35–70 years were eligible. After the baseline examinations, women were randomized into an intervention group (IG) or a control group (CG). A total of 1344 BC women (689 IG and 655 CG) concluded the first year of dietary intervention. IG showed greater anthropometric and metabolic improvements compared to CG. These changes were significantly associated with increased adherence to the dietary recommendations. Women who increased recommended foods consumption or reduced discouraged foods consumption showed an Odds Ratio (OR) of 1.37 (0.70–2.67) and 2.02 (1.03–3.98) to improve three or more MS parameters. Moreover, women in the higher category of dietary change showed a four times higher OR of reducing body weight compared to the lower category (p < 0.001). The DIANA-5 dietary intervention is effective in reducing body weight and MS parameters.