Here are some of the latest health and medical news developments, compiled by the editors of HealthDay:
World TB Cases Rose to 9 million in 2013: WHO
The number of people worldwide with tuberculosis rose from 8.6 million in 2012 to nine million in 2013, but the number of people dying from the lung disease continues to decline, according to a World Health Organization report.
It said 1.5 million people died of TB last year, including 360,000 who also had HIV. The number of TB deaths in 2013 was 45 percent lower than in 1990, BBC News reported.
One of the main reasons for the increase in TB cases was improved collection of TB data by countries, according to the WHO.
The organization emphasized that a “staggering number of lives are being lost to a curable disease and confirms that TB is the second biggest killer disease from a single infectious agent,” BBC News reported.
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Assured Brand Naproxen Sodium Tablets Recalled
More than 11,600 boxes of Assured brand naproxen pain relief tablets distributed to Dollar Tree stores are being recalled because they might actually contain bottles of ibuprofen, a different type of pain drug.
The recall by Contract Packaging Resources, Inc. includes boxes labeled as containing 15-count bottles of 220-milligram tablets of naproxen sodium, but may actually contain bottles of ibuprofen softgels in 200 mg strength, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said.
People who can’t use ibuprofen due to allergy but mistakenly take the ibuprofen softgels could suffer problems ranging from mild irritation and hives to life-threatening allergic reactions.
The recalled products were sold in Dollar Tree retail stores across the United States and on the company’s website. Consumers can return the recalled products to the place of purchase.
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Dr. Oz-Endorsed Diet Pill Study Retracted
A study about the supposed weight loss benefits of green coffee bean extract contained unverified data and has been retracted.
The study — published in the journal Diabetes, Metabolic Syndrome and Obesity — was promoted on the Dr. Oz TV show and received national attention, CBS News reported.
However, the two researchers who were paid to write the study have admitted they could not verify the data, according to the science watchdog website Retraction Watch.
“The sponsors of the study cannot assure the validity of the data so we, Joe Vinson and Bryan Burnham, are retracting the paper,” the researchers said in a statement, CBS News reported.
Their study claimed that green coffee bean extract pills could help people shed excess pounds without having to diet or exercise. Sales of the pills soared after Dr. Oz promoted them on a show in May 2012.
However, federal regulators later found that data in the study appeared to have been altered, CBS News reported.
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Utility Workers Face Charges for Not Testing Water for Brain-Eating Amoeba
Two utility workers are facing charges for allegedly not testing three Louisiana towns’ water supply for a deadly brain-eating amoeba and then trying to cover up their negligence.
The 13,000 people in the three towns in St. John the Baptist Parish were told in late August that Naegleria fowleri had been found in their water supply, ABC News reported. The amoeba enters the brain through the nose.
In September, state police began investigating inconsistencies in water inspection data from the parish.
On Monday, indictments were issued for utility workers Kevin Branch, 54, and Danielle Roussel, 43. Each faces one count of failing to perform a duty required of a public employee and another count of creating and maintaining false public records, ABC News reported.
The men were given 24 hours to surrender, the Louisiana Attorney General said.
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