Peripheral facial nerve palsy associated with COVID-19.

COVID-19 pandemic revealed several neurological syndromes related to this infection. We describe the clinical, laboratory, and radiological features of eight patients with COVID-19 who developed peripheral facial palsy during infection. In three patients, facial palsy was the first symptom. Nerve damage resulted in mild dysfunction in five patients and moderate in three. SARS-Cov-2 was not detected in CSF by PCR in any of the samples. Seven out of eight patients were treated with steroids and all patients have complete or partial recovery of the symptoms. Peripheral facial palsy should be added to the spectrum of neurological manifestations associated with COVID-19.

Ruthenium complexes endowed with potent anti-Trypanosoma cruzi activity: Synthesis, biological characterization and structure-activity relationships.

Although effective against epimastigotes (proliferative form) and of low cytotoxicity in mammals, the aryl-4-oxothiazolylhydrazones (ATZ) display only limited activity against trypomastigotes (bloodstream form) of Trypanosoma cruzi. Considering the metal complexation approach with bioactive ligands as one possible strategy for improving the biological efficacy of ATZ, a set of eight new ruthenium-ATZ complexes (RuCl(2)ATZCOD, COD is 1,5-cyclooctadiene) were prepared, chemically and biologically characterized, including in vitro assays against epimastigotes and trypomastigote forms of the parasite and also assessment of cytotoxicity in mammals. Two of these complexes presented antitrypanosomal activity at non-cytotoxic concentrations on mammalian cells and of higher potency than its metal-free ligands, while the metallic precursor [RuCl(2)COD(MeCN)(2)] showed only moderate antitrypanosomal activity. Comparative analysis between the ruthenium complexes and metal-free ligands demonstrated the usefulness of this approach, with the establishment of new SAR data. Additional pharmacological tests, including a DNA bond assay, gave rise to the proposal of a single preliminary explanation for the molecular origin of the bioactivity.