Many of us believe that we are great drinkers and that alcohol does not affect us as much. People who are able to drink without showing any sign of inebriation are known as social drinkers. In short, they are not addicted to alcohol but will not turn down the opportunity to have a good time! While it may seem like it doesn’t affect you, new studies suggest that it is just an illusion, even if you have high tolerance, alcohol affects your cognitive and motor functions more than you think.

The study reveals the below implications and techniques:

• Researchers used a new MRI technique to precisely measure brain electrical activity.
• By comparing brain scans before and after drinking, scientists identified specific areas affected by alcohol and how much brain activity slowed down.
• Participants were chosen to be regular social drinkers without alcohol addiction, ensuring the study focused on the effects of alcohol alone.
• MRI technology provided reliable data on brain activity changes caused by alcohol consumption.

How does the brain react to alcohol?

Think of it as the foundation for your brain's performance. When brain conductivity is high, information flows smoothly, and that helps your brain in rapid processing and response. On the other hand, low conductivity can hinder cognitive function, leading to slower thinking, impaired memory, and difficulties with coordination.

A study conducted at the Neuroscience Research Australia (NeuRA) and UNSW Science unveiled a startling connection between alcohol consumption and brain conductivity.

What is the connection between alcohol consumption and brain activity?

While many people brush off the effects of alcohol as temporary changes in behaviour, the reality is much more complex. Beyond the obvious impacts on coordination and judgment, alcohol significantly alters brain function. Alcohol dramatically slowed down brain activity, especially in areas responsible for decision-making, planning, and physical coordination. This decline was so significant that it resembled the brain changes seen in normal ageing. This means even one drink could temporarily accelerate the ageing process of your brain.

Alcohol and Brain activity: What does the study Imply?

The implications of this research are far-reaching. It provides compelling evidence that alcohol consumption has a direct and measurable impact on brain function. The discovery that alcohol can significantly reduce brain conductivity opens new avenues for understanding the neurocognitive effects of alcohol abuse and dependence. While you may not feel like alcohol is affecting you and you have a high tolerance, it most definitely changes and affects your decision-making abilities and impulse control.

Furthermore, the MRI technique employed in the study could be a valuable tool for assessing the impact of other substances on the brain and for developing interventions to mitigate alcohol-related brain damage.

The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has accused more than 200 hospitals and healthcare providers of using improper insurance billing codes to obtain coverage for gender-related medical treatments provided to minors.

The allegations are part of a new HHS report, Wolves in White Coats: How Doctors and Hospitals Pushed and Profited from the Fraud of “Gender Medicine”, released this month. The report examines insurance coding, financial incentives and the provision of what the agency calls “sex-rejecting procedures” to children.

According to HHS, its review identified nearly $120 million in insurance claims since 2019 involving treatments like puberty blockers and hormone therapy.

The agency alleges that some providers used diagnostic codes unrelated to gender dysphoria, including codes for conditions like early puberty or unspecified hormonal disorders, to secure insurance reimbursement.

Allegations By HHS

At the centre of the report is medical billing, rather than simply whether a particular treatment was provided. HHS alleges that some hospitals coded gender-related treatments under diagnoses that could make the procedures eligible for insurance coverage.

The department argues that this amounted to fraudulent or improper billing because the codes allegedly did not accurately describe why the treatment was being provided.

The report names several major healthcare institutions, including Mount Sinai Hospital and Boston Children's Hospital, according to Reuters.

HHS says the review covered procedures including puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones and surgeries. The report estimates that nearly $120 million in insurance charges were associated with the treatments examined since 2019. HHS argues that financial incentives helped drive the expansion of pediatric gender-related services.

The agency's report also claims that hospitals and physicians could benefit financially from establishing long-term treatment relationships with patients.

However, an allegation in an HHS report is not the same as a finding of fraud by a court or a final determination by an insurer. Individual billing and claims would need to be investigated to establish whether fraud actually occurred.

Also read: What Trump’s Childhood Vaccine Order Means: When Will It Take Effect?

Part Of Trump's Broader Effort To Restrict Gender-Related Treatments

The report is part of the Trump administration's broader effort to restrict gender-related medical interventions for minors.

The administration has already taken steps affecting federal funding. Earlier this month, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services finalized a rule ending federal Medicaid and CHIP funding for certain gender-related procedures for children and young people.

HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s department has framed the issue as one involving both patient safety and the use of public and private healthcare funds.

Also read: Kennedy Announces Food Policy Reforms Under Trump’s MAHA Agenda: What Has Been Proposed?

Hospitals And Gender-Affirming Care Supporters React

Supporters of gender-affirming care argue that treatments such as puberty blockers and hormones can be medically appropriate for some adolescents with gender dysphoria and that access to such care can be important for mental health and wellbeing.

Reuters reported that supporters of the treatments dispute the HHS's characterization of the care. Boston Children's Hospital said it was reviewing the findings, while the American Hospital Association did not provide a comment to the news agency.

The allegations could lead to further scrutiny of hospitals' billing records and potential investigations into whether insurers or government health programmes were improperly charged.

The Democratic Republic of Congo's Ebola outbreak has become the deadliest in the country's history, with more than 2,300 deaths and almost 5000 cases reported. Yet the World Health Organization (WHO) says the outbreak can still be brought under control within the next three months if they get the resources they urgently need.

The outbreak, caused by the Bundibugyo species of Ebola virus, was declared in May and has now spread to six provinces. At least 2,325 people have died among nearly 4,945 confirmed cases, according to Reuters.

It has already surpassed the previous record for deaths from Ebola in the DRC and has become the second-deadliest Ebola outbreak ever recorded globally, behind the 2014-2016 West African epidemic.

The situation has turned grim as health teams are struggling to keep pace with transmission. Around 70% to 80% of new cases have no known link to previously identified infections, suggesting that the virus is spreading through chains that surveillance teams have not yet detected.

WHO Says The Outbreak Can Still Be Contained

Despite the alarming numbers, WHO officials say the window for containment has not closed and that it can be controlled within the next few months.

Thierno Balde, WHO's regional emergency director for Africa, said the outbreak could still be brought under control within three months if sufficient resources are made available.

“About the next plan for the three months, yes, if you have the necessary resources, I think it will be possible to do that,” Balde told Reuters.

One of the biggest problems in front of the authorities is that the response is underfunded. Of the estimated $115 million needed for the next phase of the response, only about 60% has been raised.

WHO is therefore pushing for additional international support while attempting to expand surveillance, treatment and community-level response.

Also read: DR Congo Ebola Outbreak Becomes Deadliest In Country's History As Death Toll Hits 2,325

Why Is This Ebola Outbreak Challenging To Control?

One of the biggest challenges is that health workers are finding many infections outside the existing contact-tracing network.

Normally, once an Ebola case is identified, teams trace people who have been exposed, monitor them and rapidly isolate anyone who develops symptoms. That system becomes much less effective when people with Ebola have no known connection to an existing case.

Conflict and population movement are contributing to the expanding outbreak. WHO has warned that the response is taking place in a remote and densely populated setting.

Health workers are also struggling with limited resources and delayed salaries. Several reports of protests among Ebola response workers over unpaid wages also surfaced recently.

Also read: Ebola Outbreak Is Claiming 1 Life Every 30 Minutes In DR Congo: UN Humanitarian Official

Course Of Action For Next 3 Months

The current epidemic is caused by Bundibugyo virus, rather than the Zaire Ebola virus responsible for some of the largest previous outbreaks.

There is currently no approved vaccine or specific treatment for Bundibugyo Ebola, although candidate vaccines and treatments are being evaluated. WHO has said work is underway to test promising candidates.

WHO's three-month target does not mean the outbreak will automatically end in 90 days. It means health authorities believe rapidly scaling up the response could still interrupt transmission before the epidemic becomes even more difficult to control.

The response is already being expanded, with additional treatment capacity, including around 400 new beds, and more epidemiologists being deployed to affected areas.

A key chemical used in many gel nail polish products has been banned in England, Wales and Scotland.

The “gel nail ban” applies to one ingredient — Trimethylbenzoyl Diphenylphosphine Oxide, commonly known as TPO. It is used in some gel manicures to help the polish achieve a glossy finish and cure properly.

What Is TPO?

TPO (Trimethylbenzoyl Diphenylphosphine Oxide) is a photoinitiator commonly used in UV- and LED-cured nail products. It makes the varnish more durable and helps it hold its color for longer.

When Did the Gel Nail Ban Start?

The European Union banned TPO in cosmetic products from September 1, 2025. In the UK, the ban came into effect on August 15.

The ban means manufacturers can no longer sell new products containing TPO. However, salons can continue to offer gel manicures using existing TPO-containing products until February 14, 2027, or until their stocks run out.

Nail technicians will not be able to purchase new stock containing TPO. TPO-containing products continue to be used in the US, Australia and Asia.

Why Has TPO Been Banned in the UK?

The ban follows several animal studies that linked TPO to long-term fertility damage and reproductive issues.

Caroline Rainsford, Director of Science at The Cosmetic, Toiletry and Perfumery Association (CTPA), said the EU ban was based on the chemical's hazardous properties and how a substance might behave in a “worst-case” situation when the body is exposed to a very large amount.

“This is not how TPO is used in cosmetics. The amount of this ingredient used in nail products is over a thousand times less than the amount which could have any negative effect on fertility, and these products are applied to the nail, so the potential for the ingredient to be absorbed into our bodies is even smaller,” Rainsford was quoted as saying in media reports.

What Will Salons Use Instead?

TPO is used only in some gel polishes and is not found in traditional air-dried nail polishes. There are already TPO-free gels on the market, and many salons use these products. While some alternatives may belong to the same chemical family, different compounds have different safety ratings.

TPO-free gel systems now use alternative photoinitiators that meet regulatory standards while still delivering similar results.

TPO-free options are available across:

• Gel polish
• Builder gels
• BIAB-style systems
• Extension and overlay products

How to Maintain Healthy Nails

• Include foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids, lean proteins, and iron.
• Hydrate your nails with regular moisturizing to keep them from becoming brittle.
• Trim nails when they are soft and don't cut too far down.
• Select non-toxic polishes and minimize use of harsh removers.
• Replace stress-relief activities with stress balls to break nail-biting habits.
• Smoking stains nails with nicotine and damages overall nail condition.