Summary

On 11 March 2020, the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a global pandemic, and the disease now affects nearly every country and region. Caused by SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19 continues nearly 18 months later to present significant challenges to health systems and public health in both hemispheres, as well as the economies of every country. The morbidity and mortality of the infection caused by SARS-CoV-2 has been significant, and various waves of disease outbreaks initially overwhelmed many hospitals and clinics and continue to do so in many countries. This influences everyone, and public health countermeasures have been dramatic in terms of their impact on employment, social systems, and mental health. This entry collection aims to gather diverse fields about COVID-19, including in epidemiology, public health, medicine, genetics, systems biology, informatics, data science, engineering, sociology, anthropology, nursing, environmental studies, statistics, and psychology.

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Entries
Topic Review
Designing Post COVID-19 Buildings
The COVID-19 pandemic forced the accessibility, social gathering, lifestyle, and working environment to be changed to reduce the infection. The current state-of-the-art engineering control preventive measures presented include ultraviolet germicidal irradiation (UVGI), bipolar ionization, vertical gardening, and indoor plants. They have potential to improve the indoor air quality.
  • 496
  • 20 Jan 2022
Topic Review
Syndecan-4
Emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants pose threats to vaccination campaigns against COVID-19. Being more transmissible than the original virus, the SARS-CoV-2 B.1.617 lineage, named the Delta variant, swept through the world in 2021. The mutations in the Delta’s spike protein shift the protein towards a net positive electrostatic potential. Compared to the wild-type spike, the Delta one shows a higher affinity towards heparan sulfate proteoglycans than ACE2. Cellular studies showed that syndecan-4, the syndecan isoform abundant in the lung, enhances the transmission of the Delta variant by attaching its mutated spike glycoprotein and facilitating its cellular entry. In addition to the attachment to the polyanionic heparan sulfate chains, the Delta spike’s molecular interactions with syndecan-4 also involve syndecan-4’s cell-binding domain that mediates cell-to-cell adhesion. Exogenously added heparin or syndecan-4 knockdown efficiently blocks the Delta variant’s cellular entry. A profound understanding of syndecan-4-mediated endocytosis enables the development of molecularly targeted yet simple strategies to reduce the Delta variant’s spread.
  • 429
  • 20 Jan 2022
Topic Review
Protective Effect of Melatonin Administration against SARS-CoV-2 Infection
COVID-19 is an infectious disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, responsible for an increasing number of cases and deaths. Melatonin has anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, immunomodulatory, and Mpro and MMP9 protein-inhibitory activity. Melatonin prevents SARS-CoV-2 infection, although much remains to be clarified, at high doses, it seems to have a coadjuvant therapeutic effect in the treatment of SARS-CoV-2 infection and melatonin is effective against SARS-CoV-2 infection. 
  • 566
  • 20 Jan 2022
Topic Review
Role of Selenium in Viral Infections
Viral infections have afflicted human health and despite great advancements in scientific knowledge and technologies, continue to affect our society today. The current coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has put a spotlight on the need to review the evidence on the impact of nutritional strategies to maintain a healthy immune system, particularly in instances where there are limited therapeutic treatments. Selenium, an essential trace element in humans, has a long history of lowering the occurrence and severity of viral infections. Much of the benefits derived from selenium are due to its incorporation into selenocysteine, an important component of proteins known as selenoproteins. Viral infections are associated with an increase in reactive oxygen species and may result in oxidative stress. Studies suggest that selenium deficiency alters immune response and viral infection by increasing oxidative stress and the rate of mutations in the viral genome, leading to an increase in pathogenicity and damage to the host. 
  • 506
  • 19 Jan 2022
Topic Review
Potential Impact of SARS-CoV-2 Spike Protein
The main host target receptor for the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein is angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), which is involved in maintaining blood pressure and vascular remodeling, and is expressed on adipocytes, other cells at mucosal surfaces, and in the vasculature, heart, kidneys, pancreas and brain.
  • 575
  • 21 Jan 2022
Topic Review
COVID-19 in Solid Organ Transplant Recipient
It is still uncertain whether recipients of solid organ transplant (SOT) are at increased risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection and/or poor outcomes due to COVID-19 in comparison to the general population. In this study, we report the cumulative incidence and outcomes of SARS-CoV-2 infection in a cohort of 291 SOT recipients. The COVID-19 cumulative incidence in SOT recipients resulted slightly higher compared to that of age-matched population during the study period. Moreover, the SARS-CoV-2 antibody frequency was around 2.6-fold higher than the incidence of cases who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR, suggesting that the number of SOT recipients infected with SARS-CoV-2 is likely higher than described. In symptomatic recipients, kidney transplant was associated with a higher risk of developing moderate/critical disease, while common risk factors, including age and comorbidities, resulted less relevant for COVID-19 severity. Due to the high estimated crude mortality, symptomatic SOT recipients should be considered at high risk in case of SARS-CoV-2 infection.
  • 310
  • 19 Jan 2022
Topic Review
The Effect of International Traffic on Malaria Cases
The stagnation of international traffic due to countermeasures against COVID-19 potentially reduced malaria cases by 58% in 2020 in Japan. International traffic was stagnated due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but international travel is slowly picking up from very low levels. We need to promote the preparation for the rebound of imported malaria cases in response to the normalization of international traffic.
  • 666
  • 17 Jan 2022
Topic Review
Immunosenescence, Inflammaging, and COVID-19
Aging is characterized by the dynamic remodeling of the immune system designated “immunosenescence,” and is associated with altered hematopoiesis, thymic involution, and lifelong immune stimulation by multitudinous chronic stressors, including the cytomegalovirus (CMV). Such alterations may contribute to a lowered proportion of naïve T-cells and to reduced diversity of the T-cell repertoire. In the peripheral circulation, a shift occurs towards accumulations of T and B-cell populations with memory phenotypes, and to accumulation of putatively senescent and exhausted immune cells. The aging-related accumulations of functionally exhausted memory T lymphocytes, commonly secreting pro-inflammatory cytokines, together with mediators and factors of the innate immune system, are considered to contribute to the low-grade inflammation (inflammaging) often observed in elderly people. These senescent immune cells not only secrete inflammatory mediators, but are also able to negatively modulate their environments. In this review, we give a short summary of the ways that immunosenescence, inflammaging, and CMV infection may cause insufficient immune responses, contribute to the establishment of the hyperinflammatory syndrome and impact the severity of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in elderly people.
  • 468
  • 19 Jan 2022
Topic Review
Crowd Management during COVID-19 with Artificial Intelligence
COVID-19 requires crowded events to enforce restrictions, aimed to contain the spread of the virus. However, we have seen numerous events not observing these restrictions, thus becoming super spreader events. In order to contain the spread of a human to human communicable disease, a number of restrictions, including wearing face masks, maintaining social distancing, and adhering to regular cleaning and sanitization, are critical. These restrictions are absolutely essential for crowded events. Some crowded events can take place spontaneously, such as a political rally or a protest march or a funeral procession. Controlling spontaneous crowded events, like a protest march, political rally, celebration after a sporting event, or concert, can be quite difficult, especially during a crisis like the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • 380
  • 14 Jan 2022
Topic Review
The Case of Hydroxychloroquine in COVID-19 Patients
Using drugs to treat COVID-19 symptoms may induce adverse effects and modify patient outcomes. These adverse events may be further aggravated in obese patients, who often present different illnesses such as metabolic-associated fatty liver disease. In Rennes University Hospital, several drug such as hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) have been used in the clinical trial HARMONICOV to treat COVID-19 patients, including obese patients. The aim of this entry is to determine whether HCQ metabolism and hepatotoxicity are worsened in obese patients using an in vivo/in vitro approach. 
  • 515
  • 14 Jan 2022
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