Current interventional options for palliative care for patients with advanced-stage cholangiocarcinoma

Primary biliary tract tumors are malignancies that originate in the liver, bile ducts, or gallbladder. These tumors often present with jaundice of unknown etiology, leading to delayed diagnosis and advanced disease. Currently, several palliative treatment options are available for primary biliary tract tumors. They include percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage (PTBD), biliary stenting, and surgical interventions such as biliary diversion. Systemic therapy is also commonly used for the palliative treatment of primary biliary tract tumors. It involves the administration of chemotherapy drugs, such as gemcitabine and cisplatin, which have shown promising results in improving overall survival in patients with advanced biliary tract tumors. PTBD is another palliative treatment option for patients with unresectable or inoperable malignant biliary obstruction. Biliary stenting can also be used as a palliative treatment option to alleviate symptoms in patients with unresectable or inoperable malignant biliary obstruction. Surgical interventions, such as biliary diversion, have traditionally been used as palliative options for primary biliary tract tumors. However, biliary diversion only provides temporary relief and does not remove the tumor. Primary biliary tract tumors often present in advanced stages, making palliative treatment the primary option for improving the quality of life of patients.

Risk of noncommunicable diseases and associated factors in Algerian adolescents (10-19 years old)

OBJECTIVE

Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) are a public health problem and their prevalence is increasing worldwide at an alarming rate. The objective of this study was to assess the predictive factors for NCDs in adolescents.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

The study included adolescents enrolled in public establishments in Constantine (east of Algeria). Demographic variables, health variables, smoking, anthropometry, diet, and physical activity were assessed by means of a questionnaire. All data were analyzed using the software R 3.2.4. The significance threshold was set at 95%.

RESULTS

The sample consisted of 1,222 adolescents (56.1% girls) aged 10-19 years. Overall, 8.6% had NCDs; 23.2% were overweight (obesity included). The frequency of consumption was insufficient for dairy products and fruits and vegetables (p=0.0000) and the opposite was found for fatty and sugary products (p=0.0000). A total of 82.8% had been breastfed. Physical activity recommendations were not followed. Risk factors for the development of NCDs were family history of these diseases (odds ratio [OR]=2.89), active smoking (OR=3.18), passive smoking (OR=2.03), fetal macrosomia (OR=1.40), time in front of screens ≥3 h/day (OR=1.28), and overweight (OR=1.15). The consumption of fatty and sweet products was positively correlated with weight status (r=0.258; p=0.0000). Protective factors were breastfeeding for ≥ 6 months (OR=0.69) and moderate physical activity of ≥60 min/day (OR=0.38).

CONCLUSION

Adolescents presented predictors factors for NCDs due to harmful behaviors to their health.

Computation of the infrared active modes in single-walled boron nitride nanotube bundles

In this work, the infrared active modes are computed for homogeneous bundles of single-walled boron nitride nanotubes (BBNNTs), using the so-called spectral moments method. The dependence of the wavenumber on these modes in terms of diameters, lengths, and numbers of tubes, is investigated. To this end, use is made of a Lennard-Jones potential for describing the van der Waals interactions between tubes in a bundle. We find that, for a finite homogeneous bundle, additional modes appear as a specific signature. Finally, these results are useful for the interpretation of the experimental infrared spectra of BBNNTs.