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Estimates from the Global Burden of Disease study reveal declines in chronic respiratory disease mortality between 1990 and 2023—especially during the COVID-19 pandemic—but the burdens on people affected remain substantial.

Chronic care manages long-term, progressive conditions, while acute care handles short-term ones. Here, authors show chronic conditions account for most of the global health burden, with 68% of DALYs and 93% of YLDs attributed to chronic care needs.

The approach based on analysing wastewater to monitor drugs or pathogens in the population had been used for decades before it became widespread during the COVID 19 pandemic. We have asked experts located in a number of different nations to share their views on the potential and limitations of wastewater-based epidemiology in the future.

Species’ traits and environmental conditions determine the abundance of tree species across the globe. Here, the authors find that dominant tree species are taller and have softer wood compared to rare species and that these trait differences are more strongly associated with temperature than water availability.

The authors analyze rare coding variants in 1990 individuals with congenital kidney anomalies, finding diagnostic variants in 14.1% of cases. They identify two new causal genes, ARID3A and NR6A1, along with 38 candidate genes, providing evidence for shared genetics with other developmental disorders.

Using multi-ancestry genome-wide association study and fine-mapping, 298 loci and 36 credible genes are identified in the aetiology of bipolar disorder.

The MAGIC investigators report results of a large genome-wide association study meta-analysis to identify common variants influencing fasting glucose homeostasis. They further show that several of the newly discovered loci influencing glycemic traits are also associated with risk of type 2 diabetes.

KRAS wildtype metastatic pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (mPDAC) could represent a distinct molecular entity from other PDACs. Here, the authors analyse KRAS wildtype mPDAC tumours using genomics and transcriptomics and find molecular similarities with cholangiocarcinomas.

Geospatial estimates of the prevalence of anemia in women of reproductive age across 82 low-income and middle-income countries reveals considerable heterogeneity and inequality at national and subnational levels, with few countries on track to meet the WHO Global Nutrition Targets by 2030.

Systematic analysis from the Global Burden of Disease study reported that, despite global improvements from 1990 to 2021, dietary iron deficiency-associated disease burden remains high in women, children and residents in low socio-demographic index countries.

Genome-wide association analyses of 41,917 bipolar disorder cases and 371,549 controls of European ancestry provide new insights into the etiology of this disorder and identify novel therapeutic leads and potential opportunities for drug repurposing.

A high-resolution, global atlas of mortality of children under five years of age between 2000 and 2017 highlights subnational geographical inequalities in the distribution, rates and absolute counts of child deaths by age.

High-resolution subnational mapping of child growth failure indicators for 105 low- and middle-income countries between 2000 and 2017 shows that, despite considerable progress, substantial geographical inequalities still exist in some countries.

Fine-scale geospatial mapping of overweight and wasting (two components of the double burden of malnutrition) in 105 LMICs shows that overweight has increased from 5.2% in 2000 to 6.0% in children under 5 in 2017. Although overall wasting decreased over the same period, most countries are not on track to meet the World Health Organization’s Global Nutrition Target of <5% in over half of LMICs by 2025.

A cross-ancestry meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies identifies association signals for stroke and its subtypes at 89 (61 new) independent loci, reveals putative causal genes, highlighting F11, KLKB1, PROC, GP1BA, LAMC2 and VCAM1 as potential drug targets, and provides cross-ancestry integrative risk prediction.

Multiancestry genome-wide association analyses identify new risk loci for stroke and stroke subtypes. Fine mapping and bioinformatics analyses of these risk loci point to mechanisms not previously implicated in stroke pathophysiology.

Analyses of the proportions of individuals who have completed key levels of schooling across all low- and middle-income countries from 2000 to 2017 reveal inequalities across countries as well as within populations.

Genome-wide analysis identifies 30 loci associated with bipolar disorder, allowing for comparisons of shared genes and pathways with other psychiatric disorders, including schizophrenia and depression.

Relatives of patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis have an unexpectedly high incidence of schizophrenia. Here, the authors show a genetic link between the two conditions, suggesting shared neurobiological mechanisms.

A cross-ancestry genome-wide association meta-analysis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) including 29,612 patients with ALS and 122,656 controls identifies 15 risk loci with distinct genetic architectures and neuron-specific biology.

Whole-genome sequence analysis identifies five independent risk loci for Lewy body dementia and demonstrates overlapping genetic architecture with Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases.

Hugh Watkins, Sekar Kathiresan, Ruth McPherson, Martin Farrall and colleagues report the results of a large genome-wide association meta-analysis of coronary artery disease based on 1000 Genomes imputation. They identify ten new risk loci and show that susceptibility to this disease is largely determined by common SNPs with small effect sizes.

The authors pooled resources to identify best practices and develop a new standardized protocol for estimating functional connectivity in rats with magnetic resonance imaging.

Claudia Langenberg, James Meigs and colleagues apply a joint meta-analysis approach that accounts for differences in body mass index to identify variants associated with glycemic traits. They report six new loci associated with fasting insulin levels and provide insights into the genetic basis of insulin resistance.

Integrating inventory data with machine learning models reveals the global composition of tree types—needle-leaved evergreen individuals dominate, followed by broadleaved evergreen and deciduous trees—and climate change risks.

High-throughput screening systems that better mimic the physiological complexity of diseased tissues may aid the discovery of more efficacious compounds. A co-culture system that mimics the microenvironment of leukemia stem cells (LSCs) in bone marrow enables the discovery of compounds, including lovastatin, that selectively kill LSCs.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a multifactorial neurodegenerative disorder driven by complex interactions among genetic, environmental, developmental, and resilience-related factors. The studies in this Scientific Reports’ Collection highlight major advances across diverse domains that collectively broaden our understanding of ALS pathogenesis. Genetic insights emphasise the need for functional validation, as shown by the non-pathogenic behaviour of the KIF5A P986L variant in Drosophila. Neuroimaging findings reveal hypothalamic atrophy in primary lateral sclerosis, underscoring widespread extra-motor involvement. Epidemiological analyses propose that early-life exposures may form the initial steps in a multistage pathway to ALS, while geographic correlations between ALS and multiple sclerosis suggest shared environmental determinants. Experimental model innovations demonstrate selective muscle preservation in SOD1-G93A mice and introduce electrical impedance myography as a sensitive detection method in zebrafish. Mechanistic work shows that stress influences ALS through PI3K/Akt and focal adhesion pathways, linking environment to cellular vulnerability. Finally, cognitive and brain reserve emerge as important modifiers of disease expression and progression. Together, these studies illustrate ALS as a multisystem, lifespan-spanning disorder shaped by both vulnerability and resilience. Their integration offers a forward-looking framework for advancing biomarker discovery, mechanistic research, and therapeutic development in ALS.

McMillin et al. describe a drug screening platform that takes into account the tumor microenvironment, in particular tumor-stromal interactions, enabling the screening of the antitumor activity of candidate anticancer agents in the context of such interactions. The in vitro tumor cell–specific bioluminescence imaging assay is both high throughput and scalable.