Meloxicam and/or Etoricoxib Could Be Administered Safely in Two Equal Doses during an Open Oral Challenge in Patients with Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drug Hypersensitivity.

BACKGROUND: Hypersensitivity reactions to nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are common. These patients require an effective and safe analgesic alternative. OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to demonstrate the safety of meloxicam and etoricoxib administered by open oral challenge in 2 equal steps in patients with NSAID hypersensitivity. METHODS: A cross-sectional, descriptive study of patients with a diagnosis of NSAID hypersensitivity who underwent an oral drug provocation test (DPT) with meloxicam or etoricoxib between January 2011 and August 2017 was conducted. The analysis was performed from a database in BD Clinic. RESULTS: Two hundred and twenty-eight oral provocations were performed with an alternative NSAID (203 with meloxicam and 25 with etoricoxib) in 217 patients with hypersensitivity to NSAIDs. The median age was 38 years. Ninety-eight percent of meloxicam and 100% of etoricoxib DPTs were performed in 2 steps (without previous placebo), and 52% and 64% of meloxicam and etoricoxib DPTs, respectively, were performed with 50% of the therapeutic dose in each step. Tolerance to meloxicam was demonstrated in 192 patients (94.5%) and in 100% of patients receiving etoricoxib. CONCLUSIONS: Open oral provocation with meloxicam and etoricoxib carried out in 2 steps without placebo seems to be safe and implies less costs and less time expenditure. Also, it could be performed with 2 equal doses.

Photo-oxidative and photo-reductive capabilities of ilmenite-rich black sand concentrates using methyl orange as a probe molecule.

Ilmenite-rich black sands from an alluvial deposit of Barbacoas (Nariño, Colombia) were used as a natural source aiming to obtain a low-cost and highly available photocatalyst. Mineral concentrates were obtained by gravimetric concentration in a Wilfley table (deck tilt angle: 11-14°) followed by dry magnetic or wet electromagnetic separation. Afterwards, the particle size was manually reduced down to -325 mesh. Rietveld refinements using X-ray diffraction data showed that the highest purity achieved was 93.46% of ilmenite (FeTiO3). Scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy revealed a polyhedral morphology with an average grain size of 1.33-2.27 µm, granular inclusions of aluminosilicates and appreciable quantities of manganese. The band-gap values determined by UV-Vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy were underestimated compared to those reported in the literature, given the impurities in the samples and their optical behavior. Photoluminescence experiments provided a band-gap of 2.68 eV. The photo-oxidative and photo-reductive capabilities of the concentrates were evaluated in the degradation of methyl orange in aqueous solution under UV irradiation. 99% of discoloration was achieved after 50 min for oxidation and after 20 min for reduction, showing the potential of ilmenite-rich concentrates as photocatalysts.