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Target Offers Refunds on Select Baby Wipes After FDA Warns of Life-Threatening Bacteria
Target is issuing a nationwide recall of specific Up & Up baby wipes after federal testing revealed the presence of bacteria capable of causing serious and potentially fatal infections. The recall covers Up & Up Fragrance Free and Up & Up Fresh Cucumber Scented Baby Wipes sold at Target stores across the country and online at Target.com.
The retailer initiated the action following customer complaints of product discoloration.
Subsequent Food and Drug Administration (FDA) testing identified Burkholderia cepacia complex and Burkholderia gladioli in product samples. “Use of products contaminated with Burkholderia cepacia complex and Burkholderia gladioi may result in serious and life-threatening infections,” according to Target.
Scientists Discover Gut Bacteria That May Help Protect Against Autism and ADHD
Scientists have uncovered a surprising connection between a baby’s earliest biological programming, the gut microbiome, and later brain development. The findings, published in Cell Press Blue, suggest that epigenetic changes present at birth can influence how gut bacteria develop during infancy. The study also found links between specific epigenetic patterns, certain gut microbes, and signs of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) by age three.
“Certain bacteria seem to offer protection, which is exciting because it suggests there could be ways to support a child’s development through diet or probiotics in the future,” says senior author and gastroenterologist Francis Ka Leung Chan of The Chinese University of Hong Kong.
Urine Test Can Detect Autism, Study Says
A simple urine test might help identify children who are likely to have autism earlier than the best assessment tools now available, a new study says. Autistic children appear to have specific gut microbe profiles that can be used to distinguish them from neurotypical (or typically developing) children, researchers reported May 26 in the journal Molecular Psychiatry.
A urine test based on these profiles correctly identified 90% of autistic children and did not misidentify any children without autism, researchers found. “What’s really striking about the bacteria is that they make metabolites that are basically altered versions of serotonin and dopamine,” said researcher James Adams, a professor of engineering at the Biodesign Center for Health Through Microbiomes at Arizona State University (ASU) in Tempe.
“These are two key neurotransmitters that affect mood, cognition and memory,” Adams said of serotonin and dopamine. “This could explain many of the symptoms and co-occurring symptoms in children with autism — their social communication, anxiety, depression and attention.”
More Outdoor Play During Preschool Years Linked to Better Mental Health Later in Childhood
University of Exeter reported:
Children who spend more time playing outdoors between the ages of two and four may be less likely to develop emotional and behavioural difficulties later in childhood.
That’s according to new research led by the University of Exeter, published in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry. Previous studies have shown a link between outdoor play and children’s mental health, but this is the first study to explore how outdoor play in the early years relates to children’s mental health over time.
Most children have low levels of mental health difficulties that stay low across childhood, but some increasingly experience difficulties with their mental health and others have difficulties from an early age. These new findings suggest the more often children play outdoors as preschoolers, the more likely it is that their mental health problems will be low through to middle childhood (aged eight).
Researchers analysed data from 4,151 children from the Growing Up in Scotland cohort dataset and looked at symptoms of mental health when children were aged four, five, six, and eight years old. This included externalising symptoms — which are problem behaviours such as aggression, impulsivity and hyperactivity — and internalising symptoms such as anxiety and depression.
1 in 5 Teens Turn to AI Chatbots for Mental Health Advice, but a Majority of Them Keep It Secret
The mental health crisis among young people is on the rise. Unfortunately, limited access to professional help still remains one of the largest roadblocks to effectively dealing with mental health issues. Soon after AI chatbots entered the market, many people began turning to tools like ChatGPT or Google Gemini for more than just information. They started leaning on these generative AI models for emotional reassurance and everyday psychological support.
A recent study set out to better understand how often and in what ways adolescents and young adults in the US were turning to AI chatbots for mental health advice. The online survey estimated that roughly 1 in 5 adolescents and young adults in the US have used an AI chatbot for mental health advice as of 2025, and most users found the advice helpful.
Despite finding support through these tools, a majority of users, 63.3% of them, chose to keep seeking help from a chatbot hidden from others. The findings are published in JAMA Pediatrics.
‘Dad Bods’ May Influence Childhood Obesity Risks
As obesity rates rise across the U.S., new research from Joe C. Wen School of Population & Public Health at the University of California, Irvine scientists draws attention to an often-overlooked factor in children’s long-term health: fathers.
Published in Current Obesity Reports, the review examines how a father’s health before and during parenthood—including obesity, diet, stress, mental health and lifestyle habits—can influence a child’s risk for obesity and related health conditions, even before conception. The findings suggest that what is often dismissed as a “dad bod” may reflect health factors that can shape children’s long-term well-being, or in other words, not as harmless as it may seem.
“We found that fathers’ health as an important contributor to children’s health through biological, behavioral and environmental pathways,” said corresponding author Matthew Landry, assistant professor of population health & disease prevention and a registered dietitian nutritionist.
Current trends indicate that more than 250 million people in the U.S. will be overweight or obese by 2050, according to estimates cited by the researchers. While maternal health has long been the focus of efforts to understand childhood obesity, this study and other evidence suggest fathers also play a meaningful role in shaping children’s health.
