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Since its outbreak in late December 2019 in Wuhan, coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic has posed a therapeutic challenge for the world population, with a plenty of clinical pictures and a broad spectrum of severity of the manifestations. In spite of initial speculations on a direct role of primary or acquired immune deficiency in determining a worse disease outcome, recent studies have provided evidence that specific immune defects may either serve as an experimentum naturae entailing this risk or may not be relevant enough to impact the host defense against the virus. Taken together, these observations may help unveil pathogenetic mechanisms of the infection and suggest new therapeutic strategies. Thus, in this review, we summarize current knowledge regarding the mechanisms of immune response against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection and clinical manifestations with a special focus on children and patients presenting with congenital or acquired immune deficiency.

Background The unprecedented worldwide crisis caused by the rapid spread of COVID-19 and the restrictive public health measures enforced by some countries to slow down its transmission have severely threatened the physical and mental wellbeing of communities globally. Methods We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to determine the prevalence of anxiety in the general population during the COVID-19 pandemic. Two researchers independently searched for cross-sectional community-based studies published between December 1, 2019 and August 23, 2020, using PubMed, WoS, Embase, and other sources (e.g., grey literature, manual search). Results Of 3049 records retrieved, 43 studies were included. These studies yielded an estimated overall prevalence of anxiety of 25%, which varied significantly across the different tools used to measure anxiety. Consistently reported risk factors for the development of anxiety included initial or peak phase of the outbreak, female sex, younger age, marriage, social isolation, unemployment and student status, financial hardship, low educational level, insufficient knowledge of COVID-19, epidemiological or clinical risk of disease and some lifestyle and personality variables. Conclusions As the overall global prevalence of anxiety disorders is estimated to be 7.3% normally, our results suggest that rates of anxiety in the general population could be more than 3 times higher during the COVID-19 pandemic. These findings suggest a substantial impact on mental health that should be targeted by individual and population-level strategies., Highlights • Anxiety in the general population has increased 3-fold during the COVID-19 outbreak. • Anxiety appears to be highest at the initial phase and the peak of the epidemic. • Several risk factors have been identified. • Preventive and therapeutic strategies should be implemented.

A higher risk of thrombosis has been described as a prominent feature of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). This systematic review synthesizes current data on thrombosis risk, prognostic implications, and anticoagulation effects in COVID-19. We included 37 studies from 4070 unique citations. Meta-analysis was performed when feasible. Coagulopathy and thrombotic events were frequent among patients with COVID-19 and further increased in those with more severe forms of the disease. We also present guidance on the prevention and management of thrombosis from a multidisciplinary panel of specialists from Mayo Clinic. The current certainty of evidence is generally very low and continues to evolve.

INTRODUCTION: The severe acute respiratory syndrome corona virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) continues to cause havoc globally, resulting in unprecedented healthcare, societal and economic disruption. People with diabetes have been shown to be at higher risk of complications and death when exposed to pneumonia, influenza and other coronaviruses. Despite pandemic scale infection, there is currently limited understanding on the potential impact of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) on people with diabetes. AIMS: (1) To characterise the outcomes of COVID-19 for people with diabetes and (2) add value to current recommendations for healthcare providers and people with diabetes to encourage optimal management. METHODS: A search of PubMed, Embase and MEDLINE to March 2020 was undertaken, using search terms pertaining to diabetes, coronavirus and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). We briefly reviewed the epidemiology and pathophysiology of SARS-CoV-2 in the context of diabetes. CONCLUSION: People with diabetes are at greater risk of severe infection and death with COVID-19. COVID-19 has significantly impacted the daily lives of individuals living with diabetes through financial implications, food and medication scarcity and its burden on mental health. In Australia, delivery of medical care has been adapted to reduce the risk of transmission, with a particular emphasis on telehealth and remote monitoring.

A novel coronavirus (CoV), Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), emerged in late 2019 in Wuhan, China and has since spread as a global pandemic. Safe and effective vaccines are thus urgently needed to reduce the significant morbidity and mortality of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) disease and ease the major economic impact. There has been an unprecedented rapid response by vaccine developers with now over one hundred vaccine candidates in development and at least six having reached clinical trials. However, a major challenge during rapid development is to avoid safety issues both by thoughtful vaccine design and by thorough evaluation in a timely manner. A syndrome of “disease enhancement” has been reported in the past for a few viral vaccines where those immunized suffered increased severity or death when they later encountered the virus or were found to have an increased frequency of infection. Animal models allowed scientists to determine the underlying mechanism for the former in the case of Respiratory Syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine and have been utilized to design and screen new RSV vaccine candidates. Because some Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) and SARS-CoV-1 vaccines have shown evidence of disease enhancement in some animal models, this is a particular concern for SARS-CoV-2 vaccines. To address this challenge, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) and the Brighton Collaboration (BC) Safety Platform for Emergency vACcines (SPEAC) convened a scientific working meeting on March 12 and 13, 2020 of experts in the field of vaccine immunology and coronaviruses to consider what vaccine designs could reduce safety concerns and how animal models and immunological assessments in early clinical trials can help to assess the risk. This report summarizes the evidence presented and provides considerations for safety assessment of COVID-19 vaccine candidates in accelerated vaccine development.

Background COVID-19 is commonly associated with skin manifestations, and may also exacerbate existing skin diseases, yet the relationship between COVID-19 and skin diseases remains unclear. Objective By investigating this relationship through a multi-omics approach, we sought to ascertain whether patients with skin conditions are more susceptible to COVID-19. Methods We conducted an epidemiological study and then compared gene expression across nine different inflammatory skin conditions and SARS-CoV-2 infected bronchial epithelial cell lines, then performed a GWAS trans-disease meta-analysis between COVID-19 susceptibility and two skin diseases (psoriasis and atopic dermatitis). Results Skin conditions, including psoriasis and atopic dermatitis, increase the risk of COVID-19 (OR=1.55, p=1.4x10-9), but decrease the risk of mechanical ventilation (OR=0.22, p=8.5x10-5). We observed significant overlap in gene expression between the infected normal bronchial epithelial cells (NHBE) and inflammatory skin diseases, such as psoriasis, and atopic dermatitis. For genes that are commonly induced in both the SARS-CoV-2 infection and skin diseases, there are four S100 family members located in the epidermal differentiation complex (EDC), and we also identified the ‘IL-17 signaling pathway’ (p=4.9x10-77) as one of the most significantly enriched pathways. Furthermore, a shared genome-wide significant locus in the epidermal differentiation complex (EDC) was identified between psoriasis and SARS-CoV-2 infection, with the lead marker being a significant eQTL for S100A12 (p=3.3x10-7). Conclusion Together our findings suggest association between inflammatory skin conditions and higher risk of COVID-19, but with less severe course, and highlight shared components involved in anti-COVID19 immune response., Skin conditions increase the risk of COVID-19 but reduce ventilation. Epidermal differentiation complex (EDC) genes are up-regulated in both SARS-CoV-2 infection and skin conditions, and EDC is a shared genetic locus between COVID-19 and psoriasis.

Highlights • Five viral infectious diseases with high global prevalence are discussed. • Those diseases include influenza, CHB, AIDS, SARS, and COVID-19. • The complicated life cycle and rapid genetic mutations of viruses demand novel medicines. • Potential of peptides in therapy, vaccine, and diagnostic of viral infection diseases are addressed. • Peptide-based candidates in pre-clinical and clinical stages are highlighted., Viral infectious diseases have resulted in millions of deaths throughout history and have created a significant public healthcare burden. Tremendous efforts have been placed by the scientific communities, health officials and government organizations to detect, treat, and prevent viral infection. However, the complicated life cycle and rapid genetic mutations of viruses demand continuous development of novel medicines with high efficacy and safety profiles. Peptides provide a promising outlook as a tool to combat the spread and re-emergence of viral infection. This article provides an overview of five viral infectious diseases with high global prevalence: influenza, chronic hepatitis B, acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, severe acute respiratory syndrome, and coronavirus disease 2019. The current and potential peptide-based therapies, vaccines, and diagnostics for each disease are discussed.