301Abstract Cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide accounting for more deaths than any other cause. CVD is regulated by stage-specific gene expression which, in turn, is controlled by myriads of regulatory noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs or miRNAs). Rapid advancement in genome mining technologies has identified different miRNAs in various tissues and body fluids. It is now well accepted that miRNAs represent critical regulators of cardiovascular function. The present review focuses primarily on recent updates on the basic miRNA biology; CVD-miRNA based research progress and functional significance of circulating noncoding RNAs. We also discuss their potential use as biomarkers and/or therapeutic targets in CVD.

In December 2019, the first case of patient with severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) caused by the novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, was reported in Wuhan, Hubei Province, Central China. SARS-CoV-2 causes CoronaVirus Disease-2019 (COVID-19 or nCoV-19) disease, which rapidly spread all over the world. In response to this serious situation, on 30 January 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared a global public health emergency of international concern, putting all health organizations on high alert. In mid-March 2020, WHO declared nCoV-19 a pandemic. By the end of September 2020, there were ~33.67 million confirmed cases and ~10.08 lakh deaths worldwide and the trend rising on each passing day. SARS-CoV-2 mainly infects the pulmonary system, but cause damage to other organs such as heart, kidney and intestine. Understanding the cardio-pulmonary issues underpinning of nCOV-19 pathogenesis is key to managing outcomes and mortality. SARS-CoV-2 uses the SARS-CoV receptor ACE2 for entry and the serine protease inhibitor TMPRSS2 for S protein priming. Alveolar cells and cardiomyocytes express ACE2 and TMPRSS2. In this Review, we summarize the current understanding of nCOV-19 pandemic from basic mechanisms to clinical perspectives, focusing on the interaction between SARS-CoV-2 and the cardio-pulmonary-immune signatures. The study provides crucial insights into the first step of SARS-CoV-2 infection, and potential targets for antiviral intervention.