Quality of life and related factors among chronic hepatitis B-infected patients: a multi-center study, Turkey.

BACKGROUND: The 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. METHODS: This 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. RESULTS: Four 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. CONCLUSIONS: The 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

Measurement of the branching ratios b -&gt; e nu Chi, mu nu Chi, tau nu Chi, and nu Chi

The inclusive semileptonic branching ratios b --&gt; e nu X, mu nu X, tau nu X and nu X have been measured at LEP with the L3 detector. The analysis is based on 2-jet hadronic Z decays obtained in the data collected between 1991 and 1992. Three separate event samples are analysed, containing electrons, muons and large missing energy (neutrinos), respectively. From the electron sample, we measure Br(b --&gt; e nu X) = (10.89+/-0.20+/-0.51)% and, from the muon sample, Br(b --&gt; mu nu X) = (10.82+/-0.15+/-0.59)%, where the first error is statistical and the second is systematic. From the missing energy sample, we measure Br(b --&gt; nu X) = (23.08+/-0.77+/-1.24)%, assuming the relative semileptonic decay rates e:mu:tau = 1:1:(0.25+/-0.05), according to theoretical expectations. From a combined analysis of all three samples and constraining the relative semileptonic rates, we measure Br(b --&gt; e nu X) = Br(b --&gt; mu nu X) = (10.68+/-0.11+/-0.46)%. Alternatively, we can remove the constraint on the relative semileptonic rates and measure Br(b --&gt; tau nu X) = (1.7+/-0.5+/-1.1)%