Can't leave your house without your earphones, airpods or headphones? Well, you aren't alone. There are millions of others who feel the same. However, do not be surprised if I tell you that it may lead to memory loss and dementia. According to the National Library of Medicine, the auditory nerve, which carries sound signals to the brain, when constantly bombarded with loud noises, starts transmitting weaker signals. This forces the brain to work harder to interpret the sound, leading to cognitive overload. Prolonged cognitive strain can eventually pave the way for dementia and memory loss.

Long-term headphone use also affects brain function directly. High decibel levels of noise can damage the insulation of nerve fibres that carry auditory signals to the brain, disrupting the flow of information. Moreover, the electromagnetic waves produced by headphones have been linked to problems like headaches, fatigue, and, in some cases, neurological discomfort.

Beyond The Brain, Headphones Can Make You Deaf

Empirical evidence shows that nearly one billion young people are at risk of hearing loss due to excessive exposure to loud music through headphones. For the uninitiated, sound intensity is measured in decibels. Prolonged exposure to noise above 85 decibels can be harmful to hearing. Music listened to at maximum volume using headphones often falls in the range of 85 to 120 decibels, a level capable of causing significant hearing damage over time.

Studies Show The Ill Effects

According to a recent survey in the UK, a staggering 65% of students admitted to listening to music at maximum volume through their headphones. A similar study revealed that adolescents exposed to high noise levels via headphones in noisy environments experienced a hearing loss prevalence of 22.6%. Those who used earphones for 80 minutes or more per day had a hearing loss prevalence of 22.3%. These figures are alarming, especially given how ingrained headphone use has become in daily life.

The ramifications of early-onset hearing loss go far beyond damaged ears. It can also jeopardize your mental health. Hearing loss in youth can set off a chain reaction, leading to social isolation and depression. Over time, it can also escalate and jeopardise your relationships. Ill-fitting headphones add to the woes, causing pain that extends from the inner ear to the jaws and top of the head. They can also lead to ear infections, which eventually hamper cognitive functions.

Protecting hearing and brain health requires a shift in listening habits. Experts recommend keeping the volume below 60 per cent and limiting usage to 60 minutes per day. Investing in noise-cancelling headphones can also help reduce the need to crank up the volume in noisy environments.

A simple strep throat infection, can trigger sudden skin inflammation, leading to psoriasis, particularly in children and young adults, according to a study.

Researchers from the Karolinska Institutet in Sweden showed that a strep throat infection caused by the Group A Streptococcus (GAS) bacterium, can trigger guttate psoriasis by altering the behavior of key immune cells. Guttate psoriasis is an often sudden-onset form of psoriasis with small, red, "drop-shaped" scaling spots on arms and legs.

While neutrophils -- the most common type of immune cell -- are the first immune cells to respond to GAS infection, the study showed that during a streptococcal infection, the immune cells behavior changes depending on their environment.

Notably, among people with guttate psoriasis, the neutrophils presented with antigens -- fragments of pathogens that signal and guide other immune cells -- get accumulated. Once accumulated, the immune cells activated the T cells, leading to inflammation, explained the researchers in the paper, published in the journal eBioMedicine.

"Doctors have long known that strep throat can precede guttate psoriasis, but the biological explanation has been unclear," said Avinash Padhi, first author of the study and Research Specialist at the Division of Dermatology and Venereology, at Karolinska.

"Our findings suggest a link between infection and skin inflammation through the accumulation of antigen-presenting neutrophils in patients' skin," Padhi added.

How Cells Shape Immune Response

Magdalini Lourda, senior author of the study and senior research specialist at the Department of Laboratory Medicine, noted that the "results challenge the traditional view of neutrophils as simple first-line defenders".

The findings show that the neutrophils play "a wider role in shaping immune responses, which may be important when designing future treatments."

How Was The Study conducted?

To find how neutrophils work in psoriasis, the blood neutrophils from psoriasis patients were compared with those from healthy individuals. Blood neutrophils from patients with severe strep-related lung inflammation were also compared.

What Is Guttate Psoriasis?

Guttate psoriasis is a distinct form of acute-onset psoriasis. It is an inflammatory skin disease characterized by the sudden appearance of red, scaly, and smaller skin lesions widespread over the body.

The condition typically follows an infection, most commonly tonsillitis caused by Group A Streptococcus (GAS). Adolescents and young adults are the most affected. It accounts for about 2 per cent of all cases of psoriasis.

Genetics, environmental triggers, such as an upper respiratory tract infection, and the onset of an inflammatory condition in a distant organ are the major risk factors.

The condition may be diagnosed by skin biopsy, throat swab culture, and blood tests.

Hangover star Ken Jeong's wife Tran Ho Jeong in 2007 discovered a hard lump in her breast while she was breastfeeding their newborn twins Alexa and Zooey. She was diagnosed with stage 3 triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) in 2008.

What Is Stage 3 Triple Negative Breast Cancer?

As per the American Cancer Society, it is an advanced aggressive, and fast-growing cancer that has spread to nearby lymph nodes or tissue, however, does not distant organs. It is characterized by the absence of estrogen, progesterone and HER2 receptors, which requires a combined approach of chemotherapy, surgery, and sometimes also radiations As per the American Cancer Society, TNBC accounts for about 10 to 15 per cent of all breast cancers.

At stage 3, TNBC has grown extensively and invaded nearby tissues and is likely to spread to lymph nodes. However, it has not metastasized to distant organs.

Hangover Star Ken Jeong's Wife Cancer Journey

As doctors said, for Tran, it was a "year of hell". She underwent 16 rounds of chemotherapy when Ken was filming The Hangover. This was then followed by a mastectomy and radiation therapy.

"I am going to survive this. I am going to fight. I have to live for the girls and for Ken," she said. After two years of battle, Tran was finally declared cancer free in 2010. Ken called it "the greatest moment" of his life.

What Happens In Breast Cancer?

As per the World Health Organization (WHO), breast cancer is the most common cancer globally with around 2.3 million new cases every year. At the rate of 1 in every 8 person in both sexes and a quarter of all cancer in women with 70% mortality occurs due to constrained resources.

It is a disease where abnormal breast cells grow out of control and form tumors. If it is left unchecked, the tumors can spread throughout the body and become fatal.

It originates in the milk ducts or the milk-producing lobules of the breast. The earliest form is not life-threatening and can be detected in the early stages. Cancer cells can spread into nearby breast tissue and create tumors that cause lumps or thickening. These invasive cancers can spread to nearby lymph nodes or other organs and metastasis can be life-threatening and fatal.

Signs And Symptoms Of Breast Cancer

The common signs are:

• A breast lump or thickening, often without pain
• Change in size, shape or appearance of breasts
• Dimpling, redness, pitting or other changes in the skin
• Change in nipple appearance or the skin surrounding the nipple (areola)
• Abnormal or bloody fluid from the nipple

Treatment

The treatment depends on the stages and subtypes of the cancer. However, common treatments involve:

• Surgery to remove breast tumor
• Radiation therapy to reduce recurrence of breast cancer around the breast tissues
• Medicals to kill cancer cells and prevent spread
• Therapies like hormonal and chemotherapy or targeted biological therapy

A new global analysis by the World Health Organization and its cancer research arm, the International Agency for Research on Cancer, has found that prevention could dramatically reduce cancer cases worldwide. The report estimates that 37 percent of all new cancers in 2022, about 7.1 million cases, were linked to causes that can largely be avoided.

The findings are based on data from 185 countries and 36 cancer types and were released ahead of World Cancer Day. Researchers examined 30 risk factors including tobacco use, alcohol, obesity, lack of physical activity, air pollution, ultraviolet radiation and nine cancer causing infections. The report stresses that prevention may be the single most powerful tool available to reduce the global cancer burden.

According to WHO data, tobacco remains the biggest contributor, responsible for about 15 percent of all new cancer cases globally. Infections accounted for around 10 percent while alcohol contributed to roughly 3 percent. Three cancers together made up nearly half of all preventable cases worldwide. Lung cancer was strongly linked to smoking and polluted air, stomach cancer to Helicobacter pylori infection, and cervical cancer to human papillomavirus infection.

WHO cancer control experts said the analysis shows clearly how much cancer risk comes from factors people and governments can act on before the disease even develops.

Differences between men, women and regions

The report shows clear gender differences. Preventable cancer accounted for 45 percent of new cases among men compared with 30 percent among women. Among men, smoking alone contributed to 23 percent of new cancers followed by infections at 9 percent and alcohol at 4 percent. Among women, infections were the largest contributor at 11 percent, followed by smoking at 6 percent and high body mass index at 3 percent.

The burden also varied widely across regions. In women, preventable cancers ranged from 24 percent in North Africa and West Asia to 38 percent in sub Saharan Africa. Among men, East Asia had the highest share at 57 percent while Latin America and the Caribbean recorded the lowest at 28 percent. Researchers say these differences reflect lifestyle habits, environmental exposures, workplace safety standards and public health policies.

The WHO report highlights practical steps that could reduce cancer cases. These include stronger tobacco control laws, limits on alcohol use, vaccination against HPV and hepatitis B, improved air quality, safer workplaces and promotion of healthier diets and physical activity.

Health officials say coordinated action across sectors such as transport, education, labour and energy can prevent millions of cancer diagnoses and lower long term healthcare costs while improving overall population health.