Comparison of the eficacy and safety of 4 mg of ondansetron vs. 4 mg of nalbuphine for the treatment of neuraxial morphineinduced pruritus

Objective: To compare the eficacy and safety of 4 mg of ondansetron vs. 4 mg of nalbuphine for the treatment of neuraxial morphine-induced pruritus, in patients at the “Dr. José Eleuterio González” University Hospital from September 2012 to August 2013. Material and methods: A controlled, prospective, randomized study of 28 patients (14 per group) receiving neuraxial morphine analgesia was conducted, which was registered and approved by the ethics Committee of the Institution and patients agreed to participate in the study under informed consent. The results were segmented and contrasted (according to drug) by hypothesis testing; the association was determined by X2 with a 95% conidence interval (CI). Results: Pruritus was effectively resolved in both groups and no signiicant difference was found in the rest of the variables. An increase in the visual analogue scale (eVA) was observed at 6 and 12 hours for the ondansetron group, which was statistically signiicant (p≤0.05), however both groups had an eVA of less than 3. Conclusions: When comparing the eficacy and safety of ondansetron 4 mg vs. nalbuphine 4 mg for the treatment of neuraxial morphine induced pruritus, the only signiicant difference found was the mean eVA at 6 and 12 hours, favoring the ondansetron group. However, both groups scored less than 3 on the eVA. Therefore, we consider that both treatments are effective and safe in the treatment of pruritus caused by neuraxial morphine.

Industrial synthesis and characterization of nanophotocatalysts materials: titania

Despite the recent synthesis and identification of a diverse set of new nanophotocatalysts that has exploded recently, titanium dioxide (TiO2) remains among the most promising photocatalysts because it is inexpensive, non-corrosive, environmentally friendly, and stable under a wide range of conditions. TiO2 has shown excellent promise for solar cell applications and for remediation of chemical pollutants and toxins. Over the past few decades, there has been a tremendous development of nanophotocatalysts for a variety of industrial applications (i.e. for water purification and reuse, disinfection of water matrices, air purification, deodorization, sterilization of soils). This paper details traditional and new industrial routes for the preparation of nanophotocatalysts and the characterization techniques used to understand the physical chemical properties of them, like surface area, ζ potential, crystal size, and phase crystallographic, morphology, and optical transparency. Finally we present some applications of the industrial nanophotocatalysts.