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Preeclampsia remains a leading cause of maternal and fetal mortality, due to ineffective treatment and diagnostic strategies, compounded by the lack of clarity on the etiology of the disorder. Although several clinical and biological markers of preeclampsia have been evaluated, they have proven to be ineffective in providing a definitive diagnosis during the various stages of the disorder. Exosomes have emerged as ideal biomarkers of pathological states, such as cancer, and have more recently gained interest in pregnancy-related complications, due to their role in cellular communication in normal and complicated pregnancies. This occurs as a result of the specific placenta-derived exosomal molecular cargo, which may be involved in normal pregnancy-associated immunological events, such as the maintenance of maternal–fetal tolerance. This review provides perspectives on placenta-derived exosomes as possible biomarkers for the diagnosis/prognosis of preeclampsia. Using keywords, online databases were searched to identify relevant publications to review the potential use of placenta-derived exosomes as biomarkers of preeclampsia.

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Sepsis, a dysregulated immune response due to life-threatening organ dysfunction, caused by drug-resistant pathogens, is a major global health threat contributing to high disease burden. Clinical outcomes in sepsis depend on timely diagnosis and appropriate early therapeutic intervention. There is a growing interest in the evaluation of nanotechnology-based solutions for sepsis management due to the inherent and unique properties of these nano-sized systems. This review presents recent advancements in nanotechnology-based solutions for sepsis diagnosis and management. Development of nanosensors based on electrochemical, immunological or magnetic principals provide highly sensitive, selective and rapid detection of sepsis biomarkers such as procalcitonin and C-reactive protein and are reviewed extensively. Nanoparticle-based drug delivery of antibiotics in sepsis models have shown promising results in combating drug resistance. Surface functionalization with antimicrobial peptides further enhances efficacy by targeting pathogens or specific microenvironments. Various strategies in nanoformulations have demonstrated the ability to deliver antibiotics and anti-inflammatory agents, simultaneously, have been reviewed. The critical role of nanoformulations of other adjuvant therapies including antioxidant, antitoxins and extracorporeal blood purification in sepsis management are also highlighted. Nanodiagnostics and nanotherapeutics in sepsis have enormous potential and provide new perspectives in sepsis management, supported by promising future biomedical applications included in the review.

Salt-sensitive hypertension can be caused through abnormalities related to sodium and body fluid homeostasis; renin-angiotensin-aldosterone (RAAS) plays a key role in this regard. The molecular basis of the purported antihypertensive benefits of some plant-derived compounds such as quercetin is still lacking. To this end, we investigated RAAS in the Dahl salt-sensitive rat model with emphasis on the kidney. Eighteen rats were treated with captopril (CAP), quercetin (QUE), and dimethyl sulfoxide (controls) over a 4-week period. CAP and QUE lowered systolic blood pressure significantly in comparison to day 0 (baseline values). These findings were in keeping with their increased urinary output, increased sodium output, decreased aldosterone and decreased AT1a mRNA. QUE did not differ significantly from controls with regards to aldosterone levels. QUE was effective in lowering blood pressure in this model of hypertension, probably because of a modulation of renal function.

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