The lactate to albumin ratio linked to all-cause mortality in critically ill patients with septic myocardial injury.

Background: The lactate to albumin ratio (LAR) has emerged as a promising prognostic marker in critically ill patients. Despite its potential utility, the prognostic value of LAR in septic myocardial injury (SMI) remains uncertain. Methods: This study aims to investigate the prognostic significance of LAR in SMI through a retrospective cohort analysis of data from the Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care III (MIMIC-III) (v1.4) database. The study included intensive care unit (ICU)-admitted patients (age ≥18 years) diagnosed with SMI. The primary endpoint was in-hospital mortality. Results: A total of 704 patients were included in the study, of which 59.10% were male. Hospital mortality and ICU mortality rates were recorded at 29.97% and 22.87%, respectively. After adjusting for confounding factors, multivariate Cox proportional risk analysis demonstrated that LAR was independently associated with an increased risk of both hospital mortality (HR, 1.39 [95% CI: 1.24-1.56] P < 0.001) and ICU mortality (HR, 1.46 [95% CI: 1.29-1.65] P < 0.001). Furthermore, the generalized additive model (GAM) and restricted cubic spline (RCS) model indicated a linear relationship between LAR and mortality rates in the ICU and hospital. Conclusions: The LAR may serve as a potential prognostic biomarker in critically ill patients with SMI. High LAR levels are associated with a higher risk of in-hospital mortality and can help identify individuals with high mortality rates. Overall, the findings emphasize the importance of using LAR as a tool for risk stratification and management of critically ill patients with SMI.

Role of RIPK3­CaMKII­mPTP signaling pathway­mediated necroptosis in cardiovascular diseases (Review).

Necroptosis, which is distinct from apoptosis and necrosis, serves a crucial role in ontogeny and the maintenance of homeostasis. In the last decade, it has been demonstrated that the pathogenesis of cardiovascular diseases is also linked to necroptosis. Receptor interaction protein kinase (RIPK) 1, RIPK3 and mixed lineage kinase domain­like protein serve vital roles in necroptosis. In addition to the aforementioned necroptosis­related components, calcium/calmodulin­dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII) has been identified as a novel substrate for RIPK3 that promotes the opening of the mitochondrial permeability transition pore (mPTP), and thus, mediates necroptosis of myocardial cells through the RIPK3­CaMKII­mPTP signaling pathway. The present review provides an overview of the current knowledge of the RIPK3­CaMKII­mPTP­mediated necroptosis signaling pathway in cardiovascular diseases, focusing on the role of the RIPK3­CaMKII­mPTP signaling pathway in acute myocardial infarction, ischemia­reperfusion injury, heart failure, abdominal aortic aneurysm, atherosclerosis, diabetic cardiomyopathy, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, atrial fibrillation, and the cardiotoxicity associated with antitumor drugs and other chemicals. Finally, the present review discusses the research status of drugs targeting the RIPK3­CaMKII­mPTP signaling pathway.