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BackgroundThe aim of this study was to assess health-related quality of life (HRQOL) among chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients in Turkey and to study related factors.MethodsThis multicenter study was carried out between January 01 and April 15, 2015 in Turkey in 57 centers. Adults were enrolled and studied in three groups. Group 1: Inactive HBsAg carriers, Group 2: CHB patients receiving antiviral therapy, Group 3: CHB patients who were neither receiving antiviral therapy nor were inactive HBsAg carriers. Study data was collected by face-to-face interviews using a standardized questionnaire, Short Form-36 (SF-36) and Hepatitis B Quality of Life (HBQOL). Values equivalent to p < 0.05 in analyses were accepted as statistically significant.ResultsFour thousand two hundred fifty-seven patients with CHB were included in the study. Two thousand five hundred fifty-nine (60.1 %) of the patients were males. Groups 1, 2 and 3, consisted of 1529 (35.9 %), 1721 (40.4 %) and 1007 (23.7 %) patients, respectively. The highest value of HRQOL was found in inactive HBsAg carriers. We found that total HBQOL score increased when antiviral treatment was used. However, HRQOL of CHB patients varied according to their socio-demographic properties. Regarding total HBQOL score, a higher significant level of HRQOL was determined in inactive HBV patients when matched controls with the associated factors were provided.ConclusionsThe HRQOL score of CHB patients was higher than expected and it can be worsen when the disease becomes active. Use of an antiviral therapy can contribute to increasing HRQOL of patients.

BackgroundDevice-associated healthcare-acquired infections (DA-HAI) pose a threat to patient safety, particularly in the intensive care unit (ICU). We report the results of the International Infection Control Consortium (INICC) study conducted in Turkey from August 2003 through October 2012.MethodsA DA-HAI surveillance study in 63 adult, paediatric ICUs and neonatal ICUs (NICUs) from 29 hospitals, in 19 cities using the methods and definitions of the U.S. NHSN and INICC methods.ResultsWe collected prospective data from 94,498 ICU patients for 647,316 bed days. Pooled DA-HAI rates for adult and paediatric ICUs were 11.1 central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSIs) per 1000 central line (CL)-days, 21.4 ventilator-associated pneumonias (VAPs) per 1000 mechanical ventilator (MV)-days and 7.5 catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTIs) per 1000 urinary catheter-days. Pooled DA-HAI rates for NICUs were 30 CLABSIs per 1000 CL-days, and 15.8 VAPs per 1000 MV-days. Extra length of stay (LOS) in adult and paediatric ICUs was 19.4 for CLABSI, 8.7 for VAP and 10.1 for CAUTI. Extra LOS in NICUs was 13.1 for patients with CLABSI and 16.2 for patients with VAP. Extra crude mortality was 12% for CLABSI, 19.4% for VAP and 10.5% for CAUTI in ICUs, and 15.4% for CLABSI and 10.5% for VAP in NICUs. Pooled device use (DU) ratios for adult and paediatric ICUs were 0.54 for MV, 0.65 for CL and 0.88 for UC, and 0.12 for MV, and 0.09 for CL in NICUs. The CLABSI rate was 8.5 per 1,000 CL days in the Medical Surgical ICUs included in this study, which is higher than the INICC report rate of 4.9, and more than eight times higher than the NHSN rate of 0.9. Similarly, the VAP and CAUTI rates were higher compared with U.S. NHSN (22.3 vs. 1.1 for VAP; 7.9 vs. 1.2 for CAUTI) and with the INICC report (22.3 vs. 16.5 in VAP; 7.9 vs. 5.3 in CAUTI).ConclusionsDA-HAI rates and DU ratios in our ICUs were higher than those reported in the INICC global report and in the US NHSN report.

Several ELISA tests based on mycobacterial antigens have been used for the rapid diagnosis of tuberculosis (TB), although demonstration of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in a smear or culture is the most reliable method. In the present study, the diagnostic value of 16-kDa and 38-kDa mycobacterial antigens was investigated in patients who were diagnosed with tuberculosis by clinical and/or bacteriological findings in Turkey.The PATHOZYME-TB Complex Plus commercial ELISA kit was used for measuring immunoglobulin G against 38-kDa and 16-kDa recombinant antigens. Humoral immune response was analysed in a group of 179 TB patients (143 smear-positive, 19 smear-negative, eight lymphadenitis and nine pleuritis), 15 inactive TB cases and in control groups consisting of 40 healthy volunteers and 20 subjects with pulmonary diseases other than TB.The sensitivity, specifity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value of the test were determined at 52.5%, 93.3%, 95.9% and 39.7%, respectively in TB cases. Antibodies were detected at above cut-off level in three (20%) out of 15 subjects with inactive TB.In conclusion, the ELISA test has a very good specifity and an acceptable sensitivity and positive predictive value. It is thought that it could be used in combination with other methods to increase diagnostic accuracy, especially for culture-negative tuberculosis cases, which are difficult to diagnose.