The novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, has increased the burden on healthcare systems already strained by a high incidence of tuberculosis (TB) as co-infection and dual presentation are occurring in syndemic settings. We aimed to understand the interaction between these diseases by profiling COVID-19 gene expression signatures on RNA-sequencing data from TB-infected individuals.
 
  We performed a systematic review and patient-level meta-analysis by querying PubMed and pre-print servers to derive eligible COVID-19 gene expression signatures from human whole blood (WB), PBMCs or BALF studies. A WB influenza dataset served as a control respiratory disease signature. Three large TB RNA-seq datasets, comprising multiple cohorts from the UK and Africa and consisting of TB patients across the disease spectrum, were chosen to profile these signatures. Putative "COVID-19 risk scores" were generated for each sample in the TB datasets using the TBSignatureProfiler package. Risk was stratified by time to TB diagnosis in procate development of blood-based diagnostic signatures of co-infection.
 
  Our results identify shared dysregulation of immune responses in COVID-19 and TB as a dual risk posed by co-infection to COVID-19 severity and TB disease progression. These individuals should be followed up for TB in the months subsequent to SARS-CoV-2 diagnosis.
 Our results identify shared dysregulation of immune responses in COVID-19 and TB as a dual risk posed by co-infection to COVID-19 severity and TB disease progression. These individuals should be followed up for TB in the months subsequent to SARS-CoV-2 diagnosis.
  Acute and chronic alcohol abuse have adverse impacts on both the innate and adaptive immune response, which may result in reduced resistance to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection and promote the progression of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). However, there are no large population-based data evaluating potential causal associations between alcohol consumption and COVID-19.
 
  We conducted a Mendelian randomization study using data from UK Biobank to explore the association between alcohol consumption and risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection and serious clinical outcomes in patients with COVID-19. A total of 12,937 participants aged 50-83 who tested for SARS-CoV-2 between 16 March to 27 July 2020 (12.1% tested positive) were included in the analysis. The exposure factor was alcohol consumption. Main outcomes were SARS-CoV-2 positivity and death in COVID-19 patients. We generated weighted and unweighted allele scores using three genetic variants (rs1229984, rs1260326, and rs1310age amount of alcohol consumed weekly (HR=1.480, 95%CI 1.059-2.069; 
  =.099).
 
  Our findings suggested alcohol consumption may had adverse effects on the progression of COVID-19 in white participants with obesity, but was not associate with susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2 infection.
 Our findings suggested alcohol consumption may had adverse effects on the progression of COVID-19 in white participants with obesity, but was not associate with susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2 infection.Comorbid medical illnesses, such as obesity and diabetes, are associated with more severe COVID-19, hospitalization, and death. However, the role of the immune system in mediating these clinical outcomes has not been determined. We used multi-parameter flow cytometry and systems serology to comprehensively profile the functions of T cells and antibodies targeting spike, nucleocapsid, and envelope proteins in a convalescent cohort of COVID-19 subjects who were either hospitalized (n=20) or not hospitalized (n=40). To avoid confounding, subjects were matched by age, sex, ethnicity, and date of symptom onset. Surprisingly, we found that the magnitude and functional breadth of virus-specific CD4 T cell and antibody responses were consistently higher among hospitalized subjects, particularly those with medical comorbidities. However, an integrated analysis identified more coordination between polyfunctional CD4 T-cells and antibodies targeting the S1 domain of spike among subjects that were not hospitalized. These data reveal a functionally diverse and coordinated response between T cells and antibodies targeting SARS-CoV-2 which is reduced in the presence of comorbid illnesses that are known risk factors for severe COVID-19. Our data suggest that isolated measurements of the magnitudes of spike-specific immune responses are likely insufficient to anticipate vaccine efficacy in high-risk populations.Following its emergence in late 2019, SARS-CoV-2 has caused a global pandemic resulting in unprecedented efforts to reduce transmission and develop therapies and vaccines (WHO Emergency Committee, 2020; Zhu et al ., 2020). Rapidly generated viral genome sequences have allowed the spread of the virus to be tracked via phylogenetic analysis (Hadfield et al ., 2018; Pybus et al ., 2020; Worobey et al ., 2020). While the virus spread globally in early 2020 before borders closed, intercontinental travel has since been greatly reduced, allowing continent-specific variants to emerge. However, within Europe travel resumed in the summer of 2020, and the impact of this travel on the epidemic is not well understood. Here we report on a novel SARS-CoV-2 variant, 20A.EU1, that emerged in Spain in early summer, and subsequently spread to multiple locations in Europe, accounting for the majority of sequences by autumn. We find no evidence of increased transmissibility of this variant, but instead demonstrate how rising inci wave.'
  While pathogens often evolve towards reduced virulence, many counterexamples are evident. When faced with a new pathogen, such as SARS-CoV-2, it is highly desirable to be able to forecast the case fatality rate (CFR) into the future. Considerable effort has been invested towards the development of a mathematical framework for predicting virulence evolution. Although these approaches accurately recapitulate some complex outcomes, most rely on an assumed trade-off between mortality and infectivity. It is often impractical to empirically validate this constraint for human pathogens.
 
  Using a compartment model with parameters tuning the degree to which symptomatic individuals are isolated and the duration of immunity, we reveal kinetic constraints where the variation of multiple parameters in concert leads to decreased virulence and increased pathogen fitness, whereas independent variation of the parameters decreases pathogen fitness.  https://www.selleckchem.com/products/AP24534.html  Smallpox, SARS-CoV-2, and Influenza are analyzed as diverse representatives of human respiratory viruses.