All posts tagged: rapid

Highguard to Go Offline After Rapid Player Drop

Highguard to Go Offline After Rapid Player Drop

Published by skeptic

Highguard found itself in the spotlight of the online video game discourse back in December during The Game Awards show, when host Geoff Keighley made a special introduction for the game’s trailer, which came very late in the show, a time reserved for some of the night’s biggest reveals. The next day, there were questions as to what this free-to-play multiplayer shooter from a new studio was. Now, less than two months after its release, Highguard is being shut down.  Developer Wildlight Entertainment posted on X about Highguard’s shutdown on Tuesday. The developer says it was unable to gain the player base it needed to get the game going, and it will shut down servers on March 12.  “Despite the passion and hard work of our team, we have not been able to build a sustainable player base to support the game long term,” the studio said. “Servers will remain online until March 12th. We hope you’ll jump in with us one more time to show your support and get those final great matches in while …

China’s healthcare system races to catch up with rapid ageing

China’s healthcare system races to catch up with rapid ageing

Published by Sam Flores

TOP POLICY PRIORITY  As demographic pressures mount, China is increasingly looking outward for expertise and investment to upgrade its healthcare system.  Chinese officials have signalled that the country is prepared to further open up its healthcare sector to foreign investors, particularly in areas such as eldercare, rehabilitation and specialised medical services.  “Both policymakers and investors are taken aback by such an explosive growth of the Chinese demographics,” said Liu Baocheng, director of the Center for International Business Ethics at Beijing’s University of International Business and Economics.  “China now has a far (older) population than before. Therefore, it needs strategic adjustment to understand such a reality. From senior homes to the tomb. There is a large potential that needs to be further tapped.”  The issue is expected to be in focus as thousands of delegates gather in Beijing for the annual Two Sessions – known as “lianghui” in Chinese – that is set to take place next week, where top leaders outline policy priorities and economic targets for the year ahead.  Healthcare is among the key …

What is behind China’s rapid rise as a pharmaceutical powerhouse?

What is behind China’s rapid rise as a pharmaceutical powerhouse?

Published by Sam Flores

ADCs are a newer class of cancer drugs designed to target tumours more precisely. They have three main parts: A monoclonal antibody that targets a specific protein on the surface of cancer cells. Chemotherapy drug payloads. Linker molecules that connect the two. The linker is engineered to break apart once the ADC enters a cancer cell, releasing its toxic payload. This helps limit damage to healthy cells. Zhu believes the US still leads China in identifying the right biological targets, but argues that China is especially strong in the technical and chemical aspects of developing these drugs. “(It’s about) what kind of linker you choose, what kind of payload you design. You need medicinal chemists to design it, and then you have to engineer it,” he said. “On this side, China’s capability is actually very strong – and getting stronger. China has excellent medicinal chemists and excellent engineers, and we can also scale up well.” He added that Chinese teams are “comparatively really hardworking” when it comes to technology, and argued that the country no longer …

McGill rapid test combats antimicrobial resistance

McGill rapid test combats antimicrobial resistance

Published by skeptic

A breakthrough in bacterial detection promises faster, more effective treatments. In a groundbreaking development, scientists at McGill University have created a diagnostic system that can identify bacteria and determine which antibiotics are effective against them in just 36 minutes. This innovation marks a significant step forward in the global fight against antimicrobial resistance (AMR), a growing public health threat. Traditional laboratory tests often take 48 to 72 hours, delaying treatment decisions and contributing to inappropriate antibiotic use. The global threat of antimicrobial resistance Antimicrobial resistance occurs when bacteria, viruses, fungi, or parasites evolve to resist the drugs designed to kill them. Over time, this makes infections harder to treat, increasing the risk of severe illness and death. AMR is already responsible for over one million deaths annually worldwide, surpassing fatalities from diseases like HIV/AIDS or malaria. Experts warn that delayed diagnosis and misuse of antibiotics are major drivers of this crisis, emphasising the urgent need for rapid, reliable testing methods. Introducing QolorPhAST: Fast, accurate, and portable The new system, named QolorPhAST, is compact, automated, and …

Peter Geoghegan on rapid growth of investigative newsletter Democracy for Sale

Peter Geoghegan on rapid growth of investigative newsletter Democracy for Sale

Published by Sam Flores

Peter Geoghegan (centre left) and Lucas Amin (centre right) pick up the Specialist Journalism prize for Democracy for Sale at the British Journalism Awards 2025. Picture: Press Gazette/Adam Duke Photography Investigative journalism outlet Democracy for Sale has more than tripled revenue and subscribers in the past 12 months, according to founder Peter Geoghegan. The Substack-based newsletter won the Specialist Journalism prize at the British Journalism Awards in December for reports on foreign and “dark” money being funnelled into UK politics. Democracy for Sale is staffed by three former Open Democracy journalists: ex-chief executive and editor-in-chief Geoghegan, Lucas Amin and Jenna Corderoy. Geoghegan told Press Gazette said he hopes to increase the proportion of revenue coming from readers and not be overly reliant on philanthropic support which Geoghegan said “allows us to do work we would struggle to do otherwise” but can prove unstable. “What we’re looking to get to is sustainability.” Democracy for Sale is not paywalled but, like The Guardian, asks for reader support to keep it free for all. It has almost 50,000 …

Leading UK hospital in Cambridge under ‘rapid but thorough’ review | UK News

Leading UK hospital in Cambridge under ‘rapid but thorough’ review | UK News

Published by Sam Flores

One of the country’s leading neuroscience units is under urgent review following concerns about the service. The neuroscience service at Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge helps treat complex brain injuries and head trauma cases. The hospital’s trust, Cambridge University Hospitals (CUH), took the unusual step of ordering a “rapid but thorough” review which will look at a “number of clinical teams”. The review will be independent and carried out by two official health bodies. Suspended surgeon It comes just months after Sky News revealed another investigation at the same hospital into a suspended orthopaedic paediatric surgeon. An independent review was ordered into Kuldeep Stohr last year after serious issues were found with some of her surgeries on children. Read more:Anger as report exposes hospital’s failingsHospital accused of ‘covering up’ concerns The report found the trust had missed multiple opportunities to act on concerns raised about her surgeries. Addenbrooke’s is a world-renowned hospital benefitting from the prestige of close associations with Cambridge University. ‘The review is examining a number of clinical teams’ The rapid independent investigation into …

FX intervention justified if yen moves rapid, Japan business lobby head says

FX intervention justified if yen moves rapid, Japan business lobby head says

Published by Sam Flores

TOKYO, Jan 27 : Currency intervention would be justified if it is aimed at arresting rapid moves in the yen, Yoshinobu Tsutsui, head of Japan’s biggest business lobby Keidanren, said on Tuesday. “We welcome the fact that the demerits caused by excessive yen weakness have been arrested to some extent,” Tsutsui told a news conference, when asked about the yen’s rebound after the New York Federal Reserve conducted so-called rate checks. The direction of Japanese and U.S. monetary policy would also affect the yen’s future moves, Tsutsui said. “We hope the Bank of Japan would respond appropriately on this front,” he said, without elaborating. “If there are rapid, volatile yen moves, then intervention would be justified,” Tsutsui said. Source link

Rapid expansion of ring-necked parakeets in UK sparks concern | Environment

Rapid expansion of ring-necked parakeets in UK sparks concern | Environment

Published by Sam Flores

In the past 20 years, the soundscape in the ancient wild, rolling landscape of Richmond Park has been transformed. Once you would have heard the chirrup of the stonechat, the chirp of the great spotted woodpecker or the song of the skylark. Today, the auditory power of one bird dominates. The bright green ring-necked parakeet increased 25-fold from 1994-2023 in the UK. They are still mainly based in the skies, parks, and woodlands around London and suburban areas in the south east, but in recent years they have made their way to northern cities including Manchester and Newcastle. Richmond Park, with its rolling hectares, has become a perfect habitat for the birds, with hundreds of ancient trees providing the deep holes in the trunks that parakeets prefer to nest in, and plenty of fruits, berries, buds, and flowers to feed on. The sound of parakeets recorded in Richmond Park Sorry your browser does not support audio – but you can download here and listen $https://uploads.guim.co.uk/2025/12/16/20s_clip_1.mp3 Parakeets first appeared in the UK in the late 1960s …

Psilocybin shows promise for rapid reduction of cancer-related depression

Psilocybin shows promise for rapid reduction of cancer-related depression

Published by José Betancourt

A new analysis of clinical trial data indicates that psilocybin, when administered alongside psychotherapy, may provide rapid relief for patients suffering from cancer-related anxiety and depression. The research suggests that while the reduction in anxiety symptoms persists for at least two weeks, the antidepressant effects may diminish more quickly without specific dosing strategies. This study, which synthesized data from prior randomized controlled trials, was published in The International Journal of Psychiatry in Medicine. Patients facing terminal illness often experience profound psychological challenges that differ from standard mood disorders. Individuals with advanced cancer frequently struggle with major depressive disorder and prolonged grief. They also face a unique form of existential distress characterized by a loss of meaning and a fear of death. Treating these conditions in a palliative care setting is notoriously difficult. Standard antidepressant medications, such as SSRIs, typically require a gradual increase in dosage over several weeks. It can take six to twelve weeks for the full therapeutic effect to manifest. This delay is often untenable for patients with limited life expectancy. Additionally, patients …