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Global Burden of Disease estimates show that between 1990 and 2023, the prevalence and burden of drug use disorders, inclusive of amphetamine, cannabis, cocaine and opioid use, have been increasing in high-income countries, particularly in the USA.

The role of the complement system (CS) - part of the immune system - in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) remains underexplored. Here, the authors evaluate the association of genetic variants in CS-related genes with PDAC risk, and explore their potential role in prognosis and immune infiltration.

The CMS Collaboration reports the measurement of the spin, parity, and charge conjugation properties of all-charm tetraquarks, exotic fleeting particles formed in proton–proton collisions at the Large Hadron Collider.

A global network of researchers was formed to investigate the role of human genetics in SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19 severity; this paper reports 13 genome-wide significant loci and potentially actionable mechanisms in response to infection.

An analysis of 24,202 critical cases of COVID-19 identifies potentially druggable targets in inflammatory signalling (JAK1), monocyte–macrophage activation and endothelial permeability (PDE4A), immunometabolism (SLC2A5 and AK5), and host factors required for viral entry and replication (TMPRSS2 and RAB2A).

Hiʻiaka is the largest moon of the distant dwarf planet Haumea. Here, the authors report the first multi-chord stellar occultations of Hiʻiaka, revealing its size, shape, and density, suggesting an origin from Haumea’s icy mantle.

Glutamate metabolically reprograms bone-marrow-derived macrophages, stabilizing HIF1α, which transcriptionally activates WNT3 to promote YAP1-dependent hepatocyte proliferation, boosting liver regeneration.

The quark structure of the f₀(980) hadron is still unknown after 50 years of its discovery. Here, the CMS Collaboration reports a measurement of the elliptic flow of the f₀(980) state in proton-lead collisions at a nucleon-nucleon centre-of-mass energy of 8.16 TeV, providing strong evidence that the state is an ordinary meson.

Development of a structure-based method to predict potential ARDs present in human metagenomes indicates that resistance genes are rarely transferred within the human gut, and that individuals can be clustered into resistotypes.

Oligoclonal IgG bands are present in the cerebrospinal fluid of most patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) and constitute a useful tool to enable accurate diagnosis. A recent meta-analysis has explored the precise prevalence of these antibodies in MS and their possible relationship with geographical location and patient outcome.

The advantage of living in cities compared with rural areas with respect to height and BMI in children and adolescents has generally become smaller globally from 1990 to 2020, except in sub-Saharan Africa.

Known genetic loci account for only a fraction of the genetic contribution to Alzheimer’s disease. Here, the authors have performed a large genome-wide meta-analysis comprising 409,435 individuals to discover 6 new loci and demonstrate the efficacy of an Alzheimer’s disease polygenic risk score.

There is currently no disease-modifying treatment for Parkinson’s disease, a common neurodegenerative disorder. Here, the authors use genetic variation associated with gene and protein expression to find putative drug targets for Parkinson’s disease using Mendelian randomization of the druggable genome.

The most up-to-date combination of results on the properties of the Higgs boson is reported, which indicate that its properties are consistent with the standard model predictions, within the precision achieved to date.

Local synthesis of IgG in the CNS is present in >90% of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), and is considered a hallmark of the disease. A recent study has discovered genetic factors associated with intrathecal production of these antibodies, and suggests excessive IgG synthesis as an indicator of an aggressive disease.

The CMS Collaboration reports evidence for off-shell Higgs boson contributions in the production of Z boson pairs, and measures the width of the Higgs boson, which is inversely related to its lifetime.

The CMS Collaboration reports the study of three simultaneous hard interactions between quarks and gluons in proton–proton collisions. This manifests through the concurrent production of three J/ψ mesons, which consist of a charm-quark–antiquark pair.

Long-term metastatic relapse is observed in patients with luminal breast cancer (BC). Here, the authors show that fatty acid amide hydrolase is a tumour suppressor for lung metastasis in mouse models of BC and a predictor of metastasis in patients with luminal BC.

Analysis of 2,170 SARS-CoV-2 sequences from the first wave of the COVID-19 epidemic in Spain provides insights into transmission patterns and the effects of lockdown on the emergence of new variants.

The 2023 monkeypox outbreak was caused by a subclade IIb monkeypox virus (MPXV). Here, using advanced sequencing techniques, the authors identify variations on low-complexity regions of the MPXV genome and describe their potential as evolutionary drivers.

Conventional sensors generate a signal that is directly proportional to the concentration of the target molecule. Now, by means of an enzyme that controls the growth of silver nanocrystals on plasmonic transducers, a nanosensor with sensitivity that is inversely proportional to concentration and that can detect ultralow concentrations of the cancer biomarker prostate-specific antigen in whole serum is demonstrated.

Optical filter materials are used across scientific disciplines for imaging or spectroscopy, but inexpensive and eco-friendly alternatives remain underexplored. Here, the authors exploit the localized surface plasmon resonance of metal nanoparticles embedded in edible gelatine for modular light filters working in the ultraviolet to near-infrared range.

Single immune checkpoint blockade has shown limited activity in patients with neuroendocrine neoplasms (NENs). Here the authors report the results of a phase II clinical trial of durvalumab (anti-PD-L1) and tremelimumab (anti CTLA-4) in patients with advanced NENs of gastroenteropancreatic and lung origin.

Genetic and Structural analysis of COVID patients cohort reveals a correlation between mitochondrial haplogroup and SARS-CoV-2 severity.

New treatments are essential for methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia, but progress is slow. In this phase III–IV trial, cloxacillin plus fosfomycin failed to show superiority over cloxacillin alone, underscoring the challenges to improving patient outcomes.

The failure of chemotherapy in colorectal cancer is currently unclear. Here, the authors show that upon sub-lethal dose of chemotherapy wild-type p53 colorectal cancers acquire a quiescence-like phenotype and a YAP-dependent fetal-like intestinal stem cell state associated with a higher metastatic activity and poor prognosis in patients.

Lung resident memory T (T_RM) cells are important for protection from viral infection in the lungs. Here the authors use paired lung biopsy material and blood to characterize T cell responses in patients with COVID-19 over time and find persistence of antiviral lung T_RM cells that might be important to limit reinfection.

The transition to agriculture brought major changes to human populations in Europe during the Neolithic period. Here, Cubas and colleagues analyse lipid residues from Neolithic pottery from along the Atlantic coast of Europe to trace the spread of dairy production and shifts in diet.