Skip to main content

Translational musculoskeletal research: Bridging the gap between lab and clinic

Call for Papers


The projected burden of musculoskeletal ailments will increase in the coming decades as humans live longer. Treatment advances are needed to improve care, so more patients receive a higher quality of life for longer. The valley of death has prospered for too long with lab research failing to transition into the clinic. Limited funding in start-ups has augmented this problem in musculoskeletal science, yet translational research offers true hope in closing the gap between lab and clinic.

BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders wants to give attention to this topic and eagerly announces a Call for Papers. Our journal wants to focus on what successes and challenges potential musculoskeletal therapeutics are facing, so they eventually benefit patients and community health.

We welcome Research Articles, Case Reports, and Study Protocols on all investigations endeavoring to progress from bench to bedside, such as lab- or simulation-based research, digitalization of biomechanics, medical code, rehabilitation devices, safety studies, research and development and/or clinical trials. Developing treatment protocols or frameworks, established in western culture /high-income countries, for adaption in other socioeconomic/ low-income settings are also encouraged to submit.

Please ensure manuscripts adheres to the submission guidelines for BMC-Series journals. Especially for manuscripts describing randomized trials, qualitative research, and systematic review/ meta-analysis methods, the Equator Network reporting guidelines should be followed. Please ensure you highlight in your cover letter that you are submitting to a collection. Articles for this Collection should be submitted via our submission system, Snapp. During the submission process you will be asked whether you are submitting to a Collection, please select "Translational musculoskeletal research: Bridging the gap between lab and clinic".

Proposals for Commentaries, Editorials, and Narrative Reviews will be considered, but editorial pre-approval is required. If you would like to inquire about a study’s suitability of a study for consideration or propose a commissioned topic, please email a pre-submission enquiry to ciaran.fitzpatrick@springernature.com.

The deadline for submissions is 30 June 2023, and articles will be published shortly after each acceptance.

Submissions focussing on a rheumatic condition, not the joint/musculoskeletal aspect, will be considered but may be transferred to BMC Rheumatology pre-acceptance.

Meet the Collection Editors

Dr Ara Nazarian
Principal Investigator Ara Nazarian’s primary focus is on translational studies at Harvard Medical School, where we can identify an unmet clinical need and set out to find appropriate solutions. Relying on my biomechanics, bioimaging and animal models expertise, Ara has forged partnerships with clinical and research collaborators to establish a cohesive and results oriented network. Specialties: Orthopedic Biomechanics and bioimaging, mechanobiology, animal models of disease and intervention, project and personnel management. Together, we have produced a body of work, consisting of over 150 peer-reviewed publications, 2 books, more than 15 patents and patent applications, 5 startups and over 200 abstracts and conference proceedings. Ara have been Editorially involved with BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders since 2019.

Dr Biao Wang
Dr Biao Wang works in the spine department of Honghui Hospital, as a doctoral supervisor of Xi'an Jiaotong University. He is a standing member of the Shaanxi Committee of Orthopaedics Professional Committee of Chinese Medical Education Association. In recent years, 45 SCI papers have been published, including 28 by the first author or correspondent, and 17 speeches at NASS, Euro Spine and SICOT conferences in the past four years. Dr Biao Wang has won the Best Paper Award for Spinal Minimally Invasive Papers at the 2015 and 2018 NASS Annual Conferences. At present, he has presided over one project of the National Natural Fund (81802167), one project of the Xi'an Science and Technology Bureau, and participated in four scientific research projects at the national, provincial and municipal levels.

Dr Imran Khan Niazi 
Dr Imran Khan Niazi has been working for the past 12 years as an active researcher in physical and neural rehabilitation, focusing on non-pharmacological/conservative modes of treatment to optimize the patient's rehabilitation journey and improve their quality of life. He has extensive experience working in multidisciplinary teams that include chiropractors, physiotherapists, medical doctors, engineers, and neuroscientists, with a strong patient-centered, evidence-informed approach. For further details please visit Imran’s ResearchGate or Google Scholar profile.

Dr Mattia Loppini
Dr Mattia Loppini is an orthopedic and trauma consultant working since 2015 in the Hip Diseases and Joint Replacement Surgery Unit at Humanitas Research Hospital in Rozzano, Milan. Mattia was appointed Assistant Professor of Locomotor Apparatus Disease and Physical and Rehabilitative Medicine at Humanitas University in 2017. Since 2018, he also serves as Scientific Director at the “Livio Sciutto Foundation”, a non-profit organization aiming to foster research and support education in the field of hip diseases and joint replacement. Since 2022, he is a standing member of the Education Committee of European Hip Society. Moreover, he is the author of over 90 peer-reviewed publications. Mattia strongly believes in the importance of scientific research in the orthopedic field, and he means it as a duty to move forward clinical practice and ensure the best care for patients. At the same time, Mattia totally recognizes the value of a high-level training of young orthopedics, or soon to be, and this is why he has committed himself to the education of medical students, trainees and fellows.


 

  1. Osteoarthritis, a common degenerative osteochondral disease, has a close relationship between its mechanism of occurrence and oxidative stress. However, there are relatively few relevant studies in this field,...

    Authors: Jin-Yu Gu, Fei Han, Si-Yu Chen and Qing Zhang
    Citation: BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders 2023 24:411
    Content type: Research Published on:

  2. To compare antibiotic-impregnated bone cement coverage (bone cement surface technique; BCS-T) versus vacuum sealing drainage (VSD) for tibial fracture with infected bone and soft tissue defect.

    Authors: Yanlong Zhang, Shuwei Tian, Meiyu Liu, Wenfang Zhai, Yujie Zhou and Aqin Peng
    Citation: BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders 2023 24:401
    Content type: Research Published on:

  3. This study aimed to compare the clinical outcomes of silicon ring tourniquets and conventional pneumatic tourniquets in total knee arthroplasty (TKA). The study compared the operation time, total bleeding amou...

    Authors: Tae sung Lee, Kwan Kyu Park, Byung Woo Cho, Woo-Suk Lee and Hyuck Min Kwon
    Citation: BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders 2023 24:363
    Content type: Research Published on:

  4. Volumetric muscle loss overwhelms skeletal muscle’s ordinarily capable regenerative machinery, resulting in severe functional deficits that have defied clinical repair strategies. In this manuscript we pair th...

    Authors: Kevin Roberts, John Taehwan Kim, Tai Huynh, Jacob Schluns, Grady Dunlap, Jamie Hestekin and Jeffrey C Wolchok
    Citation: BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders 2023 24:321
    Content type: Research Published on:

  6. Previous studies have shown that patients with hypercholesterolemia experience elevated levels of oxidized LDL (oxLDL), a molecule which triggers inflammation and collagenase activity. In this study we discove...

    Authors: Rouhollah Mousavizadeh, Charlie M. Waugh, Erin DeBruin, Robert G. McCormack, Vincent Duronio and Alex Scott
    Citation: BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders 2023 24:197
    Content type: Research Published on:

  7. The purpose of this study was to explore the effects of nanoparticles on gouty arthritis, and to provide evidence for the preclinical application of nanoparticles in gouty arthritis and ideas for nanomedicine ...

    Authors: Ruiting Zhu, Yirou Niu, Wei Zhou, Saikun Wang, Jing Mao, Yingze Guo, Yangyang Lei, Xuance Xiong, Yingzhi Li and Lirong Guo
    Citation: BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders 2023 24:124
    Content type: Research Published on:

  8. In the literature, factors associated with postoperative venous thromboembolisms (VTEs) after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR) are limited. This study aimed to investigate the incidence of veno...

    Authors: Yusuke Hashimoto, Eriko Komiya, Kazuya Nishino, Yohei Nishida, Atsushi Masuda and Hiroaki Nakamura
    Citation: BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders 2023 24:95
    Content type: Research Published on:

  9. The digital artery-based V–Y advancement flap is a widely used flap for soft tissue coverage in the treatment of flexion contracture of the proximal interphalangeal (PIP) joint. A standard method for the flap ...

    Authors: Po-Han Su, Cheng-En Hsu, Tsung-Yu Ho, Bor-Han Wei, Wei-Chih Wang and Yung-Cheng Chiu
    Citation: BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders 2023 24:33
    Content type: Research Published on:

  10. To determine the volume and applicability of local autogenous morselized bone (LAMB) harvested and used during posterior-transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (P-TLIF) in the lower lumbar spine.

    Authors: Jin Yang, Yong Yang, Gaoju Wang, Shuang Xu, Guangzhou Li, Shuai Zhang, Chaohua Yang, Song Wang and Qing Wang
    Citation: BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders 2023 24:12
    Content type: Research Published on:

  11. To investigate the relationships between monosodium urate (MSU) crystals -induced neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) and bone erosion in gout.

    Authors: Ertao Jia, Zhiling Li, Hongling Geng, Haiqiong Zhu, Yadong Wang, Feng Lin, Yubao Jiang and Jianyong Zhang
    Citation: BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders 2022 23:1128
    Content type: Research Published on:

  12. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether the addition of computed tomography (CT) to magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) improves the accuracy of classifying osteoporotic vertebral body fractures (OVBF).

    Authors: Ulrich J. Spiegl, Lars Behr, Georg Osterhoff, Gunnar Rupprecht, Max J. Scheyerer and Sebastian Katscher
    Citation: BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders 2022 23:1086
    Content type: Research Published on:

  13. To compare proprioception recovery after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR) with a hamstring tendon autograft versus the artificial Ligament Advanced Reinforcement System (LARS).

    Authors: Changli Xu, Tianze Liu, Miao Wang, Chang Liu, Bo Li, Qiujian Lian, Tongjiang Chen, Fengmei Chen, Suchi Qiao and Zhiwei Wang
    Citation: BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders 2022 23:1056
    Content type: Research Published on:

  14. Internal fixation of complex proximal humeral fractures (PHF) with osteoporosis is associated with a high incidence of complications. This study introduces the technique and clinical results of a novel intrame...

    Authors: Xuedong Bai, Zhengguo Zhu, Zuhao Chang, Lijun Sun, Peifu Tang and Hua Chen
    Citation: BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders 2022 23:1033
    Content type: Research Published on:

  15. People with hip osteoarthritis are typically offered a combination of education and exercise to address muscle atrophy and weakness. Limited evidence exists to assess the efficacy of exercise programs on muscl...

    Authors: Zachary P. J. Rostron, Anita Zacharias, Adam I. Semciw, Michael Kingsley, Tania Pizzari, Stephanie J. Woodley and Rodney Green
    Citation: BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders 2022 23:944
    Content type: Research Published on:

  16. Metabolic factors have been shown to be associated to severe radiographic knee osteoarthritis (RKOA). However, more knowledge is needed in early clinical knee osteoarthritis (KOA). The aim was to study associa...

    Authors: Maria Andersson, E Haglund, K Aili, A Bremander and S Bergman
    Citation: BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders 2022 23:938
    Content type: Research Published on:

  17. Antibiotic-loaded bone cement beads and spacers have been widely used for orthopaedic infection. Poor antibiotic elution is not capable of eradicating microbial pathogens and could lead to treatment failure. T...

    Authors: Tzu-Hao Tseng, Chih-Hao Chang, Chien-Lin Chen, Hongsen Chiang, Hao-Ying Hsieh, Jyh-Horng Wang and Tai-Horng Young
    Citation: BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders 2022 23:916
    Content type: Research Published on:

  18. Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) rupture in humans is a common condition associated with knee pain, joint instability, and secondary osteoarthritis (OA). Surgical treatment with an intraarticular graft provide...

    Authors: Emily E. Binversie, Brian E. Walczak, Stephanie G. Cone, Lauren A. Baker, Tamara A. Scerpella and Peter Muir
    Citation: BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders 2022 23:116
    Content type: Review Published on:

  19. Knowledge regarding the biomechanics of the meniscus has grown exponentially throughout the last four decades. Numerous studies have helped develop this knowledge, but these studies have varied widely in their...

    Authors: Amin Mohamadi, Kaveh Momenzadeh, Aidin Masoudi, Kempland C. Walley, Kenny Ierardi, Arun Ramappa, Joseph P. DeAngelis and Ara Nazarian
    Citation: BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders 2021 22:625
    Content type: Research Published on: