Here are some of the latest health and medical news developments, compiled by the editors of HealthDay:
Trader Joe's Recalls Raw Walnut Products
The supermarket chain Trader Joe's is recalling certain types of raw walnut products due to possible salmonella contamination.
The products include 16-oz. raw California walnut pieces, 16-oz. raw California walnut halves and pieces, 16-oz. raw California walnut baking pieces, 16-oz. California premium walnut halves, and 12-oz. organic raw walnut halves and pieces.
The products have been removed from store shelves while the source of the problem is identified, the company said. It added that it has not received any reports of illness related to the recalled walnut products.
For more information, consumers can call Trader Joe's at (626) 599-3817, Monday through Friday, 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. or go to the company's website
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NFL Player Retires at Age 24 Over Head Trauma Concerns
San Francisco 49ers linebacker Chris Borland is retiring from the National Football League at age 24 due to concerns about head trauma.
His decision to leave the game after one stellar rookie season was announced by the 49ers Monday night, the Associated Press reported.
On ESPN's "Outside the Lines," Borland said he wants to do "what's best for my health."
"From what I've researched and what I've experienced, I don't think it's worth the risk," Borland said on the show, the AP reported. "I feel largely the same, as sharp as I've ever been. For me, it's wanting to be proactive. I'm concerned that if you wait till you have symptoms, it's too late."
The 49ers were surprised by Borland's decision, said general manager Trent Baalke, who added that the player was "a consummate professional."
Borland was NFC Defensive Rookie of the Month for November, the AP reported.
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New Test Improves TB Screening of Immigrants: CDC
Since 2007, a more sensitive test for tuberculosis has detected the infectious disease in nearly 2,200 immigrants and refugees bound for the United States who might otherwise not have been diagnosed with the illness, according to federal health officials.
With the sputum culture test, people cough deeply and spit material from their lungs into a container. The sample is placed in a culture dish and checked for TB bacteria growth, NBC News reported.
"These requirements have now been completely implemented in all countries with U.S.-bound immigrants and refugees," Centers for Disease Control and Prevention officials said in a statement.
The agency said that between 2007 and 2012, nearly 2,200 immigrants or refugees who tested positive for TB with the sputum culture test would have gone undetected using the old, standard screening method, NBC News reported.
In 2013, about 9 million people worldwide became ill with TB, and about 1.5 million people died of the disease, according to the CDC . That same year, about 9,500 cases of TB were reported in the U.S., a 3.6 percent decline from 2012.
