Evidence of Nodal Superconductivity in Monolayer 1H-TaS2 with Hidden Order Fluctuations

Unconventional superconductors represent one of the fundamental directions in modern quantum materials research. In particular, nodal superconductors are known to appear naturally in strongly correlated systems, including cuprate superconductors and heavy-fermion systems. Van der Waals materials hosting superconducting states are well known, yet nodal monolayer van der Waals superconductors have remained elusive. Here, using low-temperature scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and spectroscopy (STS) experiments, it is shown that pristine monolayer 1H-TaS2 realizes a nodal superconducting state. Non-magnetic disorder drives the nodal superconducting state to a conventional gapped s-wave state. Furthermore, many-body excitations emerge close to the gap edge, signalling a potential unconventional pairing mechanism. The results demonstrate the emergence of nodal superconductivity in a van der Waals monolayer, providing a building block for van der Waals heterostructures exploiting unconventional superconducting states.

Relapses or de-novo IgA nephropathy following COVID-19 vaccination; a narrative review

Immunoglobulin A (IgA) nephropathy is the most common type of glomerulonephritis worldwide characterized by excessive serum levels of glycosylated which triggers the generation of glycan-specific IgG and IgA autoantibodies. This pathological condition results in the formation of circulatory IgA immune complexes, which are essential for the development of glomerular inflammation, especially IgA nephropathy. The serum galactosylated IgA1, IgG, and IgA autoantibodies are suggested as the biomarkers of IgA nephropathy since IgA antibodies are early markers for disease activity too. Serum IgA antibodies emerged as the early COVID-19-specific antibody response about two days after initial symptoms of COVID-19 in comparison with IgG and IgM antibody concentrations, which appeared after five days. IgA nephropathy is frequently presented as microscopic or macroscopic hematuria and proteinuria with a male predominance. COVID-19 infection can include several organs aside from the lungs, such as kidneys through different mechanisms. It is demonstrated in most cases that short-lasting symptoms such as gross hematuria resolve either spontaneously or following a short course of steroids. This review summarized the reported cases of relapses or de-novo reported cases of relapses or de-novo IgA nephropathy and IgA vasculitis following COVID-19 vaccination.

Lung cancer risk and the inhibitors of angiotensin converting enzyme; an updated review on recent evidence

The renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) has a significant act in the pathology of blood pressure and cancer. One of the dominant sections of angiotensin II (Ang II) and angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) expression generation in the human body is the capillary veins in the lung. Changes in the expression of RAAS were revealed to be included in several lung diseases. There are several studies on the anticancer effect of ACE inhibitors; however, Hicks and colleagues reported an augmented risk of 14% for advancing lung cancer for patients consuming ACE inhibitors against angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) administration. Several lines of evidence indicated that ARB users have a lower risk of tumor progression and metastasis and progression of lung cancer. This review has surveyed some studies about the study by Hicks et al with conflicting results. Some Hicks’s study limitations are summarized here such as genetic effects, comparative study, residual confounding factors such as smoking, detection bias owing to cough, and socio-economic status. It is suggested some natural alternatives to ACE Inhibitors in here.

Herbal medicines in the treatment of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by a novel coronavirus, started in livestock within the markets of Wuhan, China and was consequently spread around the world. The virus has been rapidly spread worldwide due to the outbreak. COVID-19 is the third serious coronavirus outbreak in less than 20 years after Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) in 2003 and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) in 2012. The novel virus has a nucleotide identity closer to that of the SARS coronavirus than that of the MERS coronavirus. Since there is still no vaccine, the main ways to improve personal immunity against this disease are prophylactic care and self-resistance including an increased personal hygiene, a healthy lifestyle, an adequate nutritional intake, a sufficient rest, and wearing medical masks and increasing time spent in well ventilated areas. There is a need for novel antivirals that are highly efficient and economical for the management and control of viral infections when vaccines and standard therapies are absent. Herbal medicines and purified natural products have the potential to offer some measure of resistance as the development of novel antiviral drugs continues. In this review, we evaluated 41 articles related to herbal products which seemed to be effective in the prevention or treatment of COVID-19.

Potential of renin-angiotensin system inhibition to improve metabolic bone disorders

Metabolic bone disorder is an abnormality of bones indicated by reduced bone mass and high risk of fractures. Several lines of evidence have demonstrated that the local bone tissue renin-angiotensin system (RAS) is directly involved in bone metabolism and influences the bone health. This review aimed to assess the role of RAS in bone metabolism and comparative effectiveness of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs) and angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) in reducing the bone fractures. In summary, the clinical trials, in vivo studies, and functional - pharmacological experiments suggested that the RAS regulates bone marrow metabolism and influences the bone health. Hence, it warrants further investigation on the role of ACEIs and ARBs in reducing risk fractures.

Strive for kidney health for everyone during COVID-19; the possible theme for the world kidney day 2021

Increasing awareness regarding CKD and self-care during COVID-19 pandemic has become the most important aspect for the nephrologists. Hence it is appropriate that the theme of the forthcoming World Kidney Day on 11 March 2021 should be "Strive for kidney health for everyone during COVID-19"