Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19): Pathophysiology (6th Edition)

Dear Colleagues,

The COVID-19 pandemic triggered an astounding wave of research on all aspects of this novel viral disease. The pace of research on this completely unprecedented situation has been remarkable, resulting in the explosion of scientific reports and extraordinary achievements in the areas of treatment and prevention. The number of novel and efficient vaccines created is the best example of this. The avalanche of research in just one year vastly increased our knowledge of SARS-CoV-2 and other coronaviruses. We uncovered and understood some of the hitherto unknown mechanisms involved in the immune response to SARS-CoV-2 infection. Scientific research delivered novel antiviral drugs and treatments to decrease the severity of the disease and save human lives during the pandemic. Genetic research allows for the identification of continuously evolving novel variants of the virus, and epidemiological studies characterize as well as follow their propagation in various regions of the world. Unprecedented phenomena were discovered, such as enormous differences in viral infectivity and the course of the disease in children and adults or between different individuals. Although new observations and research continue to expand our knowledge about this disease, we still have many unanswered questions. Does COVID-19 provoke diabetes? Does it cause orchitis? Why are most children quite resistant to SARS-CoV-2 infection, while some of them develop pediatric inflammatory multisystem syndrome (PIMS)? Why do some COVID-19 patients continue to experience symptoms after their initial recovery? These people suffer from the so-called post-COVID-19 syndrome or "long COVID-19." What causes these long-term effects? Why do some patients, a long time after their purported recovery, suffer from nervous system and brain damage? Another area that is still not fully understood is the responses of different types of immune cells to the initial infection and their role in both the halting and propagation of the virus within the patient’s body. Additionally, why in some, but not all, patients does the immune system go into overdrive, causing a cytokine storm?

In this Special Issue, entitled “Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19): Pathophysiology”, we aim to present research and theoretical papers addressing all these questions in addition to many others related to COVID-19. Thus, we invite colleagues working in any field related to COVID-19, from viral genetics to epidemiology and computer modeling, to submit their research for publication in this Special Issue. We believe that this Special Issue of the International Journal of Molecular Sciences will be not only very timely but also scientifically innovative and exciting.

Prof. Dr. Malgorzata Kloc
Prof. Dr. Jacek Z. Kubiak
Guest Editors

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