Medicine News

Calcium supplements may raise risk of heart attack
Calcium supplements, which many people consume hoping to ward off osteoporosis, may increase the risk of heart attack by as much as 30 percent, researchers reported Friday. These tiny tablets which carry concentrated doses of calcium were also associated with higher incidences of stroke and death, but they were not statistically significant.

Predictive Value of Plasma Fibrinogen Levels in Patients Admitted for Acute Coronary Syndrome
In recent years, researchers have investigated the relationship between biological markers of inflammation and prognosis in patients who experience acute coronary syndromes; however, the association between plasma fibrinogen and coronary heart disease is still not clear. This article studied the prognostic value of fibrinogen, an acute-phase protein that is directly involved in thrombotic processes, by measuring plasma fibrinogen levels serially in 136 patients who had acute coronary syndromes, 142 patients who had stable coronary heart disease, and 82 healthy control participants. Plasma fibrinogen levels were significantly higher in the patients with acute coronary syndromes than in the patients with stable coronary heart disease and the control group. It was also found that significantly higher plasma fibrinogen levels in patients who developed clinical events than in those who did not, at 30 days and 2 years.