tech The Blood of Dawnwalker will receive a Performance Mode targeting 60 FPS across key consoles. This update was revealed by Bandai Namco and Rebel Wolves over the weekend. The feature will be included in the launch patch on Day 1 for PS5, PS5 Pro, and Xbox Series X. The developers acknowledged player feedback regarding console performance and prioritized testing. The game is set to launch on September 3 for PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. 🎮
entertainment Prithviraj Sukumaran's film Khalifa has seen a significant drop at the box office after its August 20 release. It was released in theaters, but poor word-of-mouth hurt its performance against competitors. Over its 4-day opening weekend, Khalifa earned a net total of 11.9 crore, with an overseas gross of 16.25 crore. This puts it trailing Aadujeevitham by 60% in the opening weekend comparison. The film might end up being Prithviraj’s third consecutive failure. 📉
science Scientists engineered yeast to convert PET plastic and crop residues into edible proteins and vitamins. This breakthrough was achieved by researchers at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. The process involves using genetically programmed yeasts on materials like discarded corn stalks. This technology offers a novel way to recycle plastic while aiding food production in tough spots. The team plans to present their findings at the ACS Fall 2026 meeting in Chicago. 🍪
health Evidence suggests microplastics, fragments between 1 nm and 5 mm, may harm people with rheumatic diseases. Stanford's Tamiko Katsumoto noted that gut barrier disturbance from ingestion could worsen inflammatory conditions. An estimate indicates 10-40 million tons enter the environment yearly, set to double by 2040. Studies show high microplastic exposure correlates with higher stroke and diabetes risks. Researchers are investigating if these particles act as environmental stressors amplifying inflammation.
health Herpes zoster was documented to cause acute urinary retention in a young patient. This happened to a previously healthy 10-year-old Japanese girl at IMS Fujimi General Hospital in Saitama, Japan. Symptoms started nine days before admission, and she was admitted on the 10th day after symptom onset. This rare presentation highlights the need to consider herpes zoster when urinary symptoms appear with a vesicular rash. The patient was ultimately diagnosed and discharged on day 7 of hospitalization.
health Adults with rheumatoid arthritis showed worse clinical responses to JAK inhibitors when they had a higher Body Mass Index. This finding came from a meta-analysis of 16 phase 3 randomized controlled trials involving 11,883 patients across various weight categories. The research, published on August 3 in The Lancet Rheumatology, showed reduced ACR20 response in those with overweight or obesity classes 2 and 3. This suggests obesity significantly modifies how well these treatments work for RA patients. Future trials need to properly represent the full BMI spectrum to ensure treatment generalizability. 🔬
science Researchers in China successfully engineered baker’s yeast to produce a precursor compound for two essential cancer medicines. The team, led by Yating Hu and Luqi Huang at Capital Medical University in Beijing, achieved this by reconstructing a 45-enzyme biosynthetic pathway inside the yeast. This process allows the yeast to generate the immediate precursor to etoposide from glucose in a simple three-day fermentation. This microbial synthesis bypasses the need for extracting podophyllotoxin from an endangered Himalayan plant. While scaling remains a future challenge, the study offers a new, efficient route for drug production. 🧪
health A study found that specific biologic drugs affect the risk of psoriasis progressing to psoriatic arthritis (PsA). Researchers observed this in 393 adults treated in Greece between January 2008 and June 2025. While 22% developed PsA overall, TNF inhibitors showed higher risk compared to IL-17, IL-23, and IL-12/23 inhibitors. These IL-targeting drugs showed significantly lower risks of PsA development than TNF inhibitors. Future prospective studies are needed to validate these interesting findings.
health Maintenance therapy showed longer overall survival than active surveillance for metastatic colorectal cancer patients who controlled their disease after bevacizumab chemo. The study, done at a single center, looked at 94 patients between January 2015 and December 2025. The maintenance group had a median OS of 24.8 months versus 18.0 months in the surveillance group. However, this survival benefit disappeared when adjusting for initial prognostic factors. Future research needs to confirm these findings given the study's retrospective nature. 🧐
health Rapid genetic screening can identify newborns at high risk for permanent hearing loss from certain antibiotics. This was studied by Erasmus University Medical Center in Rotterdam, Netherlands, using the MT-RNR1 gene variant. In a 2022 trial of 751 newborns, results were available in under 26 minutes. This shows pharmacogenetics can work in time-critical ICU settings. Now, official recommendations are being updated globally for better newborn care. 👶
health Denosumab showed better improvement in lumbar spine bone mineral density compared to alendronate for postmenopausal women with RA on glucocorticoids. The study, conducted in China, involved 295 patients between January 2018 and December 2023. Denosumab patients saw a mean difference of 0.444% in BMD after one year. While denosumab had a numerically higher fracture rate at 8.1% versus 1.6%, this difference wasn't statistically significant. Further large-scale studies are needed to confirm the comparative effectiveness of these treatments.
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