COVID-19 has resulted in drastic socio-political and economical changes on a global scale. On an individual level, the pandemic has significantly changed the lifestyle and personal values of millions of people. It can be argued that COVID-19 was a result of humans living in an anthropocentric way, in which humans are at the top of the hierarchy. The impact and spread of COVID-19 have forced us to face our affective relationship with the environment from a Biocentric perspective, rather than an anthropocentric perspective. The Biocentric perspective encourages us to reflect on the meaning of values of our social integration and emphasizes the importance of a sustainable affective interaction with nature. To improve human capacity of coping with crises like COVID-19 in the future, it would be important that we develop biocentric education and reinforce lifestyles that promote sustainability

The COVID-19 outbreak has impacted many areas of our lives, including mental health. Lockdown and physical distancing measures have been one major effective intervention to counter the spread of the virus and reduce the impact of the disease. However, they have negatively impacted mental well-being and behaviors, either triggering the onset of new psychiatric symptoms and diseases or amplifying pre-existing ones. The pandemic and lockdown measures have also been associated with reduced access to treatment and facilities all over the world, further worsening mental health outcomes. The impact on mental health, although universal, varied between nations. Cultural and societal variables, including norms, values, religion, and stigma have played an important role in shaping COVID-19-related mental health symptoms, including anxiety, depression, grief, psychosis, and addiction. These sociocultural factors have also molded how mental health interventions are tailored and provided. Highlighting the intertwining relationship between the pandemic, mental health, and sociocultural factors are essential to managing emerging mental health symptoms adequately.

The present work corresponds to a compilation of independent contributions in the fields of endocrinology, immunity, cancer, neurobiology, and myology. Revision of current advances as well as novel findings in the form of original articles are presented in a balanced fashion. The book has been divided into three sections in line with the main subject: Molecular pathology of immune, inflammatory, and hemostatic disorders; Molecular pathology of endocrine and muscular disorders; and Molecular pathology of cancer: determinants and potential therapies. In the first section, contributing authors take the reader through the molecular pathology of immune responses, inflammation, and hemostasis, by collating an update on systemic autoimmune diseases, the therapeutic potential of statins in hemostasis, the effects of adrenergic stimulation on coagulation, the emerging field of physical burnout due to the mobility restrictions in response to the 2020 SARS-CoV-2 pandemic imposed worldwide, and the success of community-oriented muscular kinesic rehabilitation. The second section presents engaging results from a survey of iodine intake through the diet of pregnant females, an appraisal of the neuroprotective effect of dexmedetomidine, novel evidence on muscle physiopathology, describing the upregulation of CCL5/RANTES during cholestatic liver disease, the fibrotic response emerging in response to cholic and deoxycholic acids, and the altering effects of bile acids in autophagy and mitogenesis. In the third section, a comprehensive revision of cancer literature is offered with an emphasis on melanoma, myeloid-derived suppressor cells, microRNA-based diagnostic approaches, and new avenues for cancer immunotherapy. Altogether, these individual contributions offer a comprehensive and up-to-date outlook of the current state in the field of molecular pathology. Chapter 14 is available open access under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License via link.springer.com.