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FRIDAY, March 31, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- Despite a longstanding assumption that babies’ gut microbiome development could be affected by whether they were born vaginally or through cesarean section, scientists report this doesn't appear to be the case.A team of Canadian researchers looked to infant stool microbiome composition in the first weeks and months of life to evaluate the theory.“We show that the composition of the maternal vaginal microbiome does not substantially influence the infant stool microbiome in early life,” said study author Dr. Deborah Money, a professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of British Columbia. “It does not appear that exposure to maternal vaginal microbiota at the time of vaginal birth establishes the infant stool...

FRIDAY, March 31, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- Cats constantly licking and chewing because of a skin condition called feline allergic dermatitis may benefit from a new generic treatment approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The FDA approved Modulis for Cats on March 29, making it the first generic cyclosporine oral solution for cats with skin conditions resulting from this allergic dermatitis. The immunosuppressant drug tamps down the allergic process that causes cats with this condition to be itchy. The medication contains the same concentration and dosage of cyclosporine as an approved brand-name drug, Atopica for Cats. That medication was approved in August 2011.Cats with this condition can be intensely itchy. They may lick, chew and scratch at their skin and hair.This can...

FRIDAY, March 31, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- Telehealth appointments — meetings with a doctor through a phone or video call — are valuable tools in the fight against opioid use disorder in the United States, researchers say.The use of telehealth during the COVID-19 pandemic, along with medications for addiction, reduced the risk for fatal overdose among Medicare recipients, a new study finds.The study findings support continuing these services.“The results of this study add to the growing research documenting the benefits of expanding the use of telehealth services for people with opioid use disorder, as well as the need to improve retention and access to medication treatment for opioid use disorder,” said lead author Christopher Jones. He is director of the National Center for...

THURSDAY, March 30, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- Early morning college classes can be a prescription for poor attendance and lower grades, a new study suggests.But starting classes later boosted both, as students got more sleep, were more likely to attend and were less likely to be groggy, which leads to better grades, researchers reported."Early morning classes likely impair learning due to effects on presenteeism -- being in class, but not able to perform at one's best due to sleepiness -- and absenteeism," said lead researcher Joshua Gooley. He's an associate professor in the neuroscience and behavioral disorders department of Duke-NUS Medical School in Singapore. "This is alarming, given that the purpose of formal education is to prepare our students with the knowledge and skills to be...