World Duchenne Awareness Day—“Family: The Heart of Care”, 7 September 2025

Duchenne muscular dystrophy is a condition that, while currently incurable, is the focus of extensive research aimed at prevention and treatment to improve the health and quality of life for those affected. Each year, we observe World Duchenne Awareness Day to enhance public understanding of the profound health, social, and economic impacts of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) and to bolster our efforts in combating this condition.

The day marks the birthday of Guillaume Duchenne, the physician who first described the disorder in the 19th century, thus setting the stage for advancements in diagnosis and care. It is our hope that esteemed journals in the fields of Biology, Life Sciences, and Medicine & Pharmacology at MDPI will continue to act as forums for the dissemination of cutting-edge research and innovative concepts related to the prevention and treatment of Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

“CRISPR/Cas9-Targeted Myostatin Deletion Improves the Myogenic Differentiation Parameters for Muscle-Derived Stem Cells in Mice”
by Mohamed I. Elashry, Victoria C. Schneider, Manuela Heimann, Sabine Wenisch and Stefan Arnhold
J. Dev. Biol. 2025, 13(1), 5; https://doi.org/10.3390/jdb13010005

“Evaluation of Creatine Monohydrate Supplementation on the Gastrocnemius Muscle of Mice with Muscular Dystrophy: A Preliminary Study”
by Victor Augusto Ramos Fernandes, Gabriela Pereira dos Santos, Amilton Iatecola, Daniela Vieira Buchaim, Ionaly Judith Faria Garcia, Carlos Henrique Bertoni Reis, Lívia Maluf Menegazzo Bueno, Bruna Trazzi Pagani, Rogerio Leone Buchaim and Marcelo Rodrigues da Cunha
Pathophysiology 2025, 32(1), 2; https://doi.org/10.3390/pathophysiology32010002

“Appendicular Skeletal Muscle Index Is Positively Related to Mediterranean Diet Adherence in University Students”
by Paraskevi Detopoulou, Olga Magni, Ioanna Pylarinou, Despoina Levidi, Vassilios Dedes, Milia Tzoutzou, Konstantina Argyri, Evangelia Fappa, Aristea Gioxari and George Panoutsopoulos
Diseases 2025, 13(1), 3; https://doi.org/10.3390/diseases13010003

“MRI-Based Circumferential Strain in Boys with Early Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy Cardiomyopathy”
by Zhan-Qiu Liu, Nyasha G. Maforo, Patrick Magrath, Ashley Prosper, Pierangelo Renella, Nancy Halnon, Holden H. Wu and Daniel B. Ennis
Diagnostics 2024, 14(23), 2673; https://doi.org/10.3390/diagnostics14232673

“An Updated Analysis of Exon-Skipping Applicability for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy Using the UMD-DMD Database”
by Jamie Leckie, Abdullah Zia and Toshifumi Yokota
Genes 2024, 15(11), 1489; https://doi.org/10.3390/genes15111489

“A Comprehensive Workplace Exercise Intervention to Reduce Musculoskeletal Pain and Improve Functional Capacity in Office Workers: A Randomized Controlled Study”
by Konstantina Karatrantou and Vassilis Gerodimos
Healthcare 2024, 12(9), 915; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare12090915

“Evaluation of Neuromuscular Diseases and Complaints by Quantitative Muscle MRI”
by Lara Schlaffke, Robert Rehmann, Anne-Katrin Güttsches, Matthias Vorgerd, Christine H. Meyer-Frießem, Hubert R. Dinse, Elena Enax-Krumova, Martijn Froeling and Johannes Forsting
J. Clin. Med. 2024, 13(7), 1958; https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm13071958

“Nuclear Small Dystrophin Isoforms during Muscle Differentiation”
by Tina Donandt, Vanessa Todorow, Stefan Hintze, Alexandra Graupner, Benedikt Schoser, Maggie C. Walter and Peter Meinke
Life 2023, 13(6), 1367; https://doi.org/10.3390/life13061367

“Orphan Drugs in Neurology—A Narrative Review”
by Carmen Adella Sirbu, Raluca Ivan, Francois Jerome Authier, Florentina Ionita-Radu, Dragos Catalin Jianu, Octavian Vasiliu, Ciprian Constantin and Sorin Tuță
J. Pers. Med. 2023, 13(3), 420; https://doi.org/10.3390/jpm13030420

“Muscle Wasting, Aging, and Cancer: The Effects of Physical Exercise” Guest Editor: Prof. Dr. Paula Tavares Submission deadline: 28 November 2025	“Genetic Diagnosis and Treatment of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy” Guest Editor: Dr. Liubov V. Gushchina Submission deadline: 20 December 2025
“Muscular Dystrophy: From Molecular Basis to Therapies: 2nd Edition” Guest Editor: Dr. Francesca Sciandra and Dr. Kinga I. Gawlik Submission deadline: 15 January 2026	“Dysfunctions or Approaches of the Musculoskeletal System” Guest Editors: Prof. Dr. Paloma Moro and Prof. Dr. Jorge Rodriguez Submission deadline: 28 February 2026
“Neuromuscular Diseases and Musculoskeletal Disorders” Guest Editor: Dr. Anna Christakou Submission deadline: 28 February 2026	“Mitochondrial Function and Dysfunction in Developmental Biology Metabolism” Guest Editor: Prof. Dr. Simon J. Conway Submission deadline: 15 March 2026