Calcified right atrial thrombus in HIV infected patient.

Calcified right atrial thrombi are rare cardiac masses that may be complicated by pulmonary embolism. Although they can be discovered by a transthoracic echocardiography, they may need histological examination to differentiate them from other cardiac masses. We report a case of a 44-year-old woman who presented with a calcified right atrial thrombus and progressive dyspnoea.

Black tea reduces uric acid and C-reactive protein levels in humans susceptible to cardiovascular diseases.

The effect of black tea on the level of uric acid (UA) and C-reactive proteins (CRP) in humans susceptible to ischemic heart diseases was assessed in a prospective randomized controlled study. The study group consumed 9 g of black tea (equivalent to three cups of tea) daily for 12 weeks without additives followed by a 3-week wash-out (with control group consuming equivalent volume of hot water). Black tea consumption induced a highly significant decrease in the high uric acid baseline groups > 6 mg/dL by 8.