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Background: COVID-19 is one of the worst pandemics worldwide, and its diagnosis and treatment are of great importance. Recent evidence has shown that circular RNA (circRNA deregulation is involved in different infectious diseases. In the present study, we tried to investigate the expression of cirRNAs RasGEF1B (hsa_circ_0127052), HIPK3 (hsa_circ_100783), and GATAD2A (hsa_circ_0050236) in COVID-19 patients. Methods: Using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction, the expression profiles of candidate circRNAs were detected in 57 COVID-19 patients and 51 healthy controls. As part of the process of identifying a candidate circRNA that is sensitive and specific, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were also utilized. Results: Our results showed higher expression levels of circRasGEF1B and circHIPK3 in COVID-19 patients, however, circGATAD2A showed no statistical difference between patients and controls. ROC curves showed that circRasGEF1B (hsa_circ_0127052), and HIPK3 (hsa_circ_100783) had favorable specificity and sensitivity, whereas GATAD2A (hsa_circ_0050236) did not. Conclusion: In summary, our study highlights the potential of CircRasGEF1B (hsa_circ_0127052) and HIPK3 (hsa_circ_100783) as biomarkers for COVID-19 diagnosis due to their high expression levels and demonstrated diagnostic accuracy. These findings suggest that circRNAs could play a crucial role in the development of diagnostic tools for COVID-19, providing a new avenue for early detection and management of the disease.

During the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, there was an unusually high submission rate of scholarly articles. Given that most academics were forced to work from home, the competing demands for familial duties may have penalized the scientific productivity of women. To test this hypothesis, we looked at submitted manuscripts and peer review activities for all Elsevier journals between February and May 2018-2020, including data on over 5 million authors and referees. Results showed that during the first wave of the pandemic, women submitted proportionally fewer manuscripts than men. This deficit was especially pronounced among more junior cohorts of women academics. The rate of the peer-review invitation acceptance showed a less pronounced gender pattern with women taking on a greater service responsibility for journals, except for health & medicine, the field where the impact of COVID-19 research has been more prominent. Our findings suggest that the first wave of the pandemic has created potentially cumulative advantages for men., Competing Interests: BM is employee of Elsevier and organised the data sharing process.

Objective: During the current coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, telemedicine has been brought to the forefront of attention. This report aimed to assess psychiatric comorbidities in COVID-19 patients by utilizing telepsychiatry. Methods: COVID-19 patients admitted in Fasa University Hospital and nonhospitalized outpatients of Fasa city were interviewed by a psychiatrist through video chat for a 1-month period (March-April, 2020). Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), Generalized Anxiety Disorder Assessment (GAD-7), and Perceived Stress Scale-14 (PSS 14) questionnaires were administered for all patients. Each patient's mental status was recorded, and if any psychiatric problem was diagnosed, supportive psychotherapy, pharmacotherapy, and follow-up visits based on the patient's condition were started. Result: From a total of 82 COVID-19 patients who entered the study, 32 (39.03%) and 50 (60.97%) subjects were inpatients and outpatients, respectively. Moreover, 32 (39.03%) subjects were male and 50 (60.97%) were female. Insomnia seen in 24 (29.3%) patients and adjustment disorder in 13 (15.9%) patients were the most common psychiatric disorders among a total of 33 (40.2%) patients suffering from mental illness. Female and hospitalized patients presented significantly more frequent comorbidities than males and outpatients. Conclusions: Psychiatric disorders were significantly more common in patients with hospital admission than those without and more frequent in female versus male subjects. There were no significant differences between male and female subjects with and without admission according to the PHQ-9, GAD-7, and PSS-14 scores. It was concluded that telepsychiatry in the early stages of mental problems during a catastrophic event like the coronavirus pandemic, can be an efficient instrument for the screening of psychosomatic comorbidities, so that pharmacological treatment (considering possible drug interactions with COVID-19 medications) and psychotherapeutic intervention can be optimized by psychiatrists.