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
Nucleoside Analogs and Coronaviruses
Coronaviruses (CoVs) are positive-sense RNA enveloped viruses, members of the family Coronaviridae, that cause infections in a broad range of mammals including humans. Several CoV species lead to mild upper respiratory infections typically associated with common colds. However, three human CoV (HCoV) species: Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS)-CoV-1, Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS)-CoV, and SARS-CoV-2, are responsible for severe respiratory diseases at the origin of two recent epidemics (SARS and MERS), and of the current COronaVIrus Disease 19 (COVID-19), respectively.
  • 927
  • 24 May 2021
Topic Review
Oxidative Stress/Inflammation in SARS-CoV-2 Infection
Oxidative stress (OS) has a potential key role in the COVID-19 pathogenesis by triggering the NOD-like receptor family pyrin domain containing 3 inflammasome and nuclear factor-kB (NF-kB). While exposure to many pro-oxidants usually induces nuclear factor erythroid 2 p45-related factor2 (NRF2) activation and upregulation of antioxidant related elements expression, respiratory viral infections often inhibit NRF2 and/or activate NF-kB pathways, resulting in inflammation and oxidative injury. Hence, the use of radical scavengers like N-acetylcysteine and vitamin C, as well as of steroids and inflammasome inhibitors, has been proposed. The NRF2 pathway has been shown to be suppressed in severe SARS-CoV-2 patients. Pharmacological NRF2 inducers have been reported to inhibit SARS-CoV-2 replication, the inflammatory response, and transmembrane protease serine 2 activation, which for the entry of SARS-CoV-2 into the host cells through the angiotensin converting enzyme 2 receptor.
  • 1.2K
  • 18 Mar 2021
Topic Review
Supply Chain Management in Pandemics
Pandemics cause chaotic situations in supply chains (SC) around the globe, which can lead towards survivability challenges. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic is an unprecedented humanitarian crisis that has severely affected global business dynamics. Similar vulnerabilities have been caused by other outbreaks in the past. In these terms, prevention strategies against propagating disruptions require vigilant goal conceptualization and roadmaps. In this respect, there is a need to explore supply chain operation management strategies to overcome the challenges that emerge due to COVID-19-like situations. 
  • 1.2K
  • 16 Mar 2021
Topic Review
SARS-CoV-2 infection induced Immunity
SARS-CoV-2 infection-induced adaptive immunity includes humoral and cellular immune responses. Though the duration of protection is unclear so far, the induced immunity has been found to play an important role in mediating protection against subsequent  SARS-CoV-2 infections.    
  • 912
  • 11 Mar 2021
Topic Review
COVID-19 Vaccination
The vaccination for the novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) is undergoing its final stages of analysis and testing. It is an impressive feat under the circumstances that we are on the verge of a potential breakthrough vaccination. This will help reduce the stress for millions of people around the globe, helping to restore worldwide normalcy. In this review, the analysis looks into how the new branch of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) came into the forefront of the world like a pandemic. This review will break down the details of what COVID-19 is, the viral family it belongs to and its background of how this family of viruses alters bodily functions by attacking vital human respiratory organs, the circulatory system, the central nervous system and the gastrointestinal tract. 
  • 1.1K
  • 10 Mar 2021
Topic Review
Complexity of Needs Model (DEA)
Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) is a powerful non-parametric engineering tool for estimating technical efficiency and the production capacity of service units. The Complex-of-Needs Allocation Model proposed by Nepomuceno et al. (2020) is a two-step methodology for prioritizing hospital bed vacancy and reallocation during the COVID-19 pandemic. The framework determines the production capacity of hospitals through Data Envelopment Analysis and incorporates the Complexity of Needs in two categories for the reallocation of beds throughout the medical specialties. As a result, we have a set of inefficient health-care units presenting less complex bed slacks to be reduced, i.e. to be allocated for patients presenting more severe conditions.
  • 1.7K
  • 08 Apr 2021
Topic Review
Vitamin K and SARS-CoV-2
Prevalent coagulopathy and thromboembolism are observed in severe COVID-19 patients with 40% of COVID-19 mortality being associated with cardiovascular complications. Abnormal coagulation parameters are related to poor prognosis in COVID-19 patients. Victims also displayed presence of extensive thrombosis in infected lungs. Vitamin K is well-known to play an essential role in the coagulation system. Latest study revealed an existing correlation between vitamin K deficiency and COVID-19 severity, highlighting a role of vitamin K, probably via coagulation modulation.
  • 909
  • 06 Mar 2021
Topic Review
Immune Response to SARS-CoV-2 Infection
In December 2019, a novel coronavirus known as SARS-CoV-2 was first detected in Wuhan, China, causing outbreaks of the coronavirus disease COVID-19 that has now spread globally. For this reason, The World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 a public health emergency in March 2020. People living with pre-existing conditions such as obesity, cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes (T2D), and chronic kidney and lung diseases, are prone to develop severe forms of disease with fatal outcomes. Metabolic diseases such as obesity and T2D alter the balance of innate and adaptive responses. Both diseases share common features characterized by augmented adiposity associated with a chronic systemic low-grade inflammation, senescence, immunoglobulin glycation, and abnormalities in the number and function of adaptive immune cells. In obese and T2D patients infected by SARS-CoV-2, where immune cells are already hampered, this response appears to be stronger.
  • 891
  • 08 Mar 2021
Topic Review
Telehealth Nutrition Care During COVID-19
Widespread transmission of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection has resulted in a global COVID-19 pandemic that is straining medical resources worldwide. In the United States (US), hospitals and clinics are challenged to accommodate surging patient populations and care needs while preventing further infection spread. Under such conditions, meeting with patients via telehealth technology is a practical way to help maintain meaningful contact while mitigating SARS-CoV-2 transmission. The application of telehealth to nutrition care can, in turn, contribute to better outcomes and lower burdens on healthcare resources. To identify trends in telehealth nutrition care before and during the pandemic, we emailed a 20-question, qualitative structured survey to approximately 200 registered dietitian nutritionists (RDNs) from hospitals and clinics that have participated in the Malnutrition Quality Improvement Initiative (MQii). RDN respondents reported increased use of telehealth-based care for nutritionally at-risk patients during the pandemic. They suggested that use of such telehealth nutrition programs supported positive patient outcomes, and some of their sites planned to continue the telehealth-based nutrition visits in post-pandemic care. Nutrition care by telehealth technology has the potential to improve care provided by practicing RDNs, such as by reducing no-show rates and increasing retention as well as improving health outcomes for patients. We therefore call on healthcare professionals and legislative leaders to implement policy and funding changes that will support improved access to nutrition care via telehealth.
  • 1.0K
  • 02 Mar 2021
Topic Review
Rheumatology Drugs for COVID-19
While waiting for the development of specific antiviral therapies and vaccines to effectively neutralize the SARS-CoV2, a relevant therapeutic strategy is to counteract the hyperinflammatory status, characterized by an increase mainly of interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-2, IL-6, IL-7, IL-8, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, which hallmarks the most severe clinical cases. ‘Repurposing’ immunomodulatory drugs and applying clinical management approved for rheumatic diseases represents a game-changer option.
  • 971
  • 02 Mar 2021
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