α-Tocopheryl succinate (α-TOS) is a well-known mitochondrially targeted anticancer compound, however, it is highly hydrophobic and toxic. In order to improve its activity and reduce its toxicity, new surfactant-free biologically active nanoparticles (NP) were synthesized. A methacrylic derivative of α-TOS (MTOS) was prepared and incorporated in amphiphilic pseudoblock copolymers when copolymerized with N-vinylpyrrolidone (VP) by free radical polymerization (poly(VP-co-MTOS)). The selected poly(VP-co-MTOS) copolymers formed surfactant-free NP by nanoprecipitation with sizes between 96 and 220 nm and narrow size distribution, and the in vitro biological activity was tested. In order to understand the structure-activity relationship three other methacrylic monomers were synthesized and characterized: MVE did not have the succinate group, SPHY did not have the chromanol ring, and MPHY did not have both the succinate group and the chromanol ring. The corresponding families of copolymers (poly(VP-co-MVE), poly(VP-co-SPHY), and poly(VP-co-MPHY)) were synthesized and characterized, and their biological activity was compared to poly(VP-co-MTOS). Both poly(VP-co-MTOS) and poly(VP-co-MVE) presented triple action: reduced cell viability of cancer cells with little or no harm to normal cells (anticancer), reduced viability of proliferating endothelial cells with little or no harm to quiescent endothelial cells (antiangiogenic), and efficiently encapsulated hydrophobic molecules (nanocarrier). The anticancer and antiangiogenic activity of the synthesized copolymers is demonstrated as the active compound (vitamin E or α-tocopheryl succinate) do not need to be cleaved to trigger the biological action targeting ubiquinone binding sites of complex II. Poly(VP-co-SPHY) and poly(VP-co-MPHY) also formed surfactant-free NP that were also endocyted by the assayed cells; however, these NP did not selectively reduce cell viability of cancer cells. Therefore, the chromanol ring of the vitamin E analogues has an important role in the biological activity of the copolymers. Moreover, when succinate moiety is substituted and vitamin E is directly linked to the macromolecular chain through an ester bond, the biological activity is maintained.

To evaluate the incidence of certain symptoms in a population of health workers exposed to coronavirus disease 2019 patients. Study Design: Case-control study. Methods: The study was conducted at a tertiary care hospital from March 1 to April 7, 2020. Health workers with suspected coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection were included. The presence of COVID-19 was detected by using real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) methods. Positive and negative RT-PCR patients were used as case and control groups, respectively. This study analyzed the incidence of COVID-19 symptoms in both patient groups. Visual analog scales were used for selfassessment of smell and taste disorders, ranging from 0 (no perception) to 10 (excellent perception). Results: There were 215 (60.6%) patients with positive RT-PCR and 140 (39.4%) patients with negative RT-PCR. The presence of symptoms such as hyposmia hypogeusia, dysthermia, and cough were strongly associated with a positive RT-PCR. The association of cough and subjective hyposmia had 5.46 times higher odds of having a positive test. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis showed that a fever higher than 37.45 C resulted in sensitivity and specificity of 0.65 and 0.61, respectively. A total of 138 cases (64.1%) and 114 cases (53%) had subjective hyposmia and hypogeusia, respectively. The 85.4% of these patients recovered olfactory function within the first 14 days of the onset of the symptoms. Conclusion: There is a significant association between positive RT-PCR and subjective hyposmia. The association of subjective hyposmia and cough increase significantly the odds of having a positive RT-PCR. The measurement of fever as the only method for screening of COVID-19 infection resulted in a poor association.

During the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, patients in intensive care units who are undergoing long-term intubation may require tracheostomy. There is controversy about indication and health care professionals’ safety regarding the conventional or percutaneous technique. We performed a prospective analysis of a series of 27 consecutive patients with COVID-19 comparing both tracheostomy techniques, safety, and prognosis clinical markers. The results show that the techniques are equally safe, without cases of infection in surgeons. The Sequential Organ Failure Assessment score before surgery and the progression in ventilation support during the first 72 hours after tracheostomy are optimal prognostic markers for these patients.

Persistence of residual symptoms 1 month after the acute BPPV can be associated with certain risk factors that should be taken into consideration (age, number of repositioning maneuvers needed, anxiety and/or depressive disorders). These patients could benefit of treatment with vestibular rehabilitation.

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