Health and population

Health and population dynamics are intertwined, embodying an intricate relationship with significant implications on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Health is fundamentally at the center of these 17 global goals, aimed to transform the world by 2030. Specifically, Goal 3 endeavors to "Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages." It acknowledges that health is pivotal to human life quality, social cohesion, and sustainable development. Inextricably linked to this are the complexities of population dynamics, including growth rates, age structure, fertility and mortality rates, and migration patterns.

With the world's population projected to exceed 9.7 billion by 2050, the pressure on health systems will undoubtedly escalate. The demographic transition, with an aging population and an increasing prevalence of non-communicable diseases, poses new challenges for health systems globally. Additionally, areas with high fertility rates often overlap with extreme poverty, resulting in heightened health risks, including higher maternal and child mortality rates, malnutrition, and infectious diseases.

Moreover, rapid urbanization and migration present both opportunities and threats to health. While urban areas may provide better access to healthcare, they also harbor risks of disease transmission, air and water pollution, and social determinants of health like inadequate housing and social inequality. Simultaneously, migrants often face disproportionate health risks due to unstable living conditions, exploitation, and limited access to healthcare services.

Achieving the SDGs will necessitate comprehensive approaches that consider the intricate interplay of health and population dynamics. It means strengthening health systems, promoting universal health coverage, and addressing social determinants of health. It also implies crafting policies that recognize demographic realities and foster an environment conducive to sustainable development. Only by understanding and harnessing these dynamics can the world meaningfully progress towards realizing the SDGs, ensuring healthy lives and well-being for all.

This article describes the discovery and characterization of FJMU1887, a novel brain-penetrant small-molecule inhibitor of Galectin-3 (Gal-3) identified through an AI-driven drug discovery platform. FJMU1887 demonstrated potent anti-inflammatory effects, reduced Aβ pathology, and improved cognitive function in Alzheimer's disease mouse models, highlighting its therapeutic potential for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease.
Elsevier,

Journal of Prevention of Alzheimer's Disease, Volume 12, 1 August 2025

The study found that long-duration and high-intensity walking were associated with reduced amyloid-beta accumulation over 4 years, with the greatest benefits seen in those who started walking earlier in life. However, walking activity was not linked to changes in tau deposition, neurodegeneration, or white matter hyperintensities.

This content aligns with Goal 3: Good Health and Wellbeing and Goal 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure by considering the role heavy metals such as lead, mercury, and cadmium can play in Alzheimer's Disease.

This content aligns with Goal 3: Good Health and Wellbeing and Goal 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure by discussing the multifactorial influences that contribute to Alzheimer's Disease progression.

This study identified seven distinct area-level deprivation trajectories in Northern Ireland from 2010 to 2016 and found that upward social mobility was generally linked to reduced risk of poor health outcomes, while downward mobility increased such risks compared to stable deprivation groups. Notably, a dose-response relationship emerged between lower deprivation at the endpoint and better health outcomes, though one upwardly mobile group exhibited unexpectedly high health risks, underscoring the complexity of social mobility's impact on health.

Elsevier,

Journal of Endometriosis and Uterine Disorders, 2025, 100124

This study examined racial/ethnic disparities in the surgical management of endometriosis using data from the National Survey of Family Growth (NSFG) 2017-2019 cycle.�

Elsevier,

Journal of Prevention of Alzheimer's Disease, Volume 12, 1 June 2025

This article provides a narrative review of the relationships between modifiable lifestyle factors and plasma biomarkers of Alzheimer's disease (AD). The key findings are that better nutrition, more physical activity, and good sleep quality are associated with more favorable plasma AD biomarker profiles, potentially reflecting less cerebral AD pathology.
The article discusses the potential of glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists (GRA) as novel therapeutic agents for neurodegenerative diseases (NDs) like Alzheimer's disease (AD) and Parkinson's disease (PD). GRA have shown promising effects in modulating neuroinflammation, oxidative stress, mitochondrial and autophagic functions, and protein misfolding in preclinical studies. Clinical trials have demonstrated that GRA like exenatide, liraglutide, and lixisenatide can improve motor deficits in PD and cognitive function in AD patients.
The article discusses the critical role of the mitochondrial contact site and cristae organizing system (MICOS) complex in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD). It highlights how MICOS abnormalities, including subunit dysfunction and interactions with disease-associated proteins, to hallmark AD pathologies such as amyloid-β accumulation, neurofibrillary tangle formation, and neuronal apoptosis. The article suggests that targeting MICOS subunits with pharmacological interventions may provide novel therapeutic insights for AD treatment.
This study investigated the prevalence and impact of auditory agnosia for environmental sounds in individuals with Alzheimer’s disease (AD), finding that over half exhibited signs of this central auditory dysfunction along with a high rate of unrecognized peripheral hearing loss. Although these factors appeared independent and showed limited direct effect on measured quality of life, possibly due to sheltered living environments and lack of patient awareness, they jointly contribute to daily functional decline, highlighting the importance of early hearing assessment and intervention in AD management.

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