Announcements
9 August 2023
Interview with Prof. Dr. Ali Nokhodchi—Editorial Board Member of Biomedicines
We had the pleasure of speaking with Prof. Dr. Ali Nokhodchi, Editorial Board Member of Biomedicines (ISSN: 2227-9059), to discuss his experience with Biomedicines and the recent research trends in the field.
Prof. Dr. Ali Nokhodchi is a pharmacist by training (since 1989) and he obtained his Ph.D. in pharmaceutical technology at John Moores University, Liverpool, UK in 1996. He is an Emeritus Professor at the University of Sussex, UK and a Fellow at Lupin Research Center, Florida, USA. His main research interest is formulation science spanning particle engineering of excipients and actives for pulmonary and oral delivery, dissolution enhancement, 3D printing in drug delivery, nanomedicine, controlled release formulation and transdermal delivery. Prof. Dr. Nokhodchi has published over 350 research articles including 10 book chapters and a book on pulmonary drug delivery. His h-index is 65 with 13783 citations (dated 7 March 2023). Prof. Dr. Nokhodchi is listed among the top 1% of scientists worldwide by the ESI-WoS. He is on the editorial board of over 10 international pharmacy journals published by Elsevier, Springer Nature and Taylor & Francis.
We hope you enjoy the interview.
1. How would you recommend picking the right journal to submit your research to?
For me, two factors are important; quick review and the impact factor of the journal.
2. What is the priority for a good scientific article: great research with high scientific value or a well-thought-out composition and good writing?
I think both of the mentioned parameters are equally important. If great research with a scientific value fails to be translated into good writing, it will lose its value.
3. What excites you the most about the fields of drug delivery and nanotechnology?
When you see how drug delivery systems can help patients to treat various diseases and reduce pain and stress, it is really rewarding and makes researchers happy. It is really exciting to see how changing the size of drug particles (nanomedicines) can change the behavior of medicines. The application of drug delivery in health care is very exciting.
4. Could you describe the difficulties and breakthrough innovations encountered in this research?
In my opinion, one of the big challenges is the safety of nanoparticles to normal cells in the long term. It seems it is extremely challenging to make all nanoparticles without any toxicity in their long-term use. There is no doubt more research in the field could address the challenges facing nanoparticle delivery and toxicity. Innovations in drug delivery are needed to meet the challenges that are imposed by regulatory bodies. For innovations, the collaboration of different disciplines such as pharmaceutics, biology, biochemistry, physiology, chemistry and engineering are needed. Designing new drug delivery systems, exploring new applications of nanoparticles and implementing 3D printing in drug delivery are innovations in the field. A close collaboration between academics and industry is also needed for scale-up purposes.
5. What are some current challenges in this field?
Although extensive progress has been made by researchers on the drug delivery side of pharmaceutics, there are still many challenges. The first challenge is the delivery of poorly water-soluble drugs to the target site. Medicinal chemists discover many potential drugs but most of them cannot find their way to the market due to poor solubility, hence poor bioavailability. The second biggest challenge is the biocompatibility and acceptability of the new synthetic materials for drug delivery purposes, as most of them interact with human body cells which can cause serious side effects. Designing a cost-effective drug delivery system is another challenge.
We are thankful for Prof. Dr. Nokhodchi’s time and his support for Biomedicines.
Prof. Dr. Ali Nokhodchi’s contact information:
E-mail: A.Nokhodchi@sussex.ac.uk
2 August 2023
Biomedicines | Hot Papers in the “Cell Biology and Pathology” Section
27 July 2023
MDPI Insights: The CEO's Letter #2 - Open Peer-Review and IJERPH
Welcome to the MDPI Insights: The CEO's Letter.
In these monthly letters, I will showcase two key aspects of our work at MDPI: our commitment to empowering researchers and our determination to facilitating open scientific exchange.
Opening Thoughts
Open Peer Review Reports
Continuing the topic of openness from my inaugural monthly CEO letter, in these Opening Thoughts, I highlight the growth and importance of open peer-review reports at MDPI. Open peer reports align with the principles of open science, making the publishing process more transparent and facilitating rigorous peer review.
MDPI journals operate an open peer-review option by default, allowing authors to publish review reports and author responses (often referred to as open reports) together with the published paper. Publishing the reviewer reports and author responses together with the article provides greater transparency and trust for readers, as this allows them to track the editorial decision-making process. Open peer-review also encourages reviewers and editors to provide high-quality comments, as these will be made public if the article is accepted for publication.
Start and Growth of Open Peer Review at MDPI
The MDPI journal Life was a pioneer in offering this opportunity to its authors in 2014. The first MDPI article with peer-review reports openly published was a review by the Nobel Laureate Werner Arber, in which the review reports were published as supplementary material. By 2018, open peer-review was available across all MDPI journals. As such, MDPI authors have embraced the open peer-review model, providing a steady increase in the number of MDPI articles. As of 2023, approximately one-third (34.0%) of MDPI articles were published with open review reports.
As at July 2023, the percentage of MDPI articles published with open peer review has increased to 36.2% of the total papers published in 2023 so far, indicating ongoing growth in adoption.
Open peer review continues to play a critical role in the assessment of the peer-review process in Life. For further insights, please see the recent editorial by Dr. Pabulo Henrique Rampelotto, the former Editor-in-Chief of Life, who spearheaded the implementation of the open peer-review process.
Benefits of Open Peer Review
The benefits of open peer review include increased transparency, trust and constructive feedback. To promote open communication further and increase the robustness of the peer-review process, we encourage reviewers to sign their reports so that their name appears on the review report (this process is referred to as open identity). The default option is for reviewers to remain anonymous; however, by signing the reports, reviewers receive direct credit for their contribution to the peer-review process and show their commitment towards open science.
As the leading open access publisher, MDPI remains committed to promoting open peer-review and encourages authors to choose this approach. Our goal is to provide a rigorous and transparent peer-review process that benefits the scientific community, and we believe that open peer-review is a vital step in fostering openness and collaboration in scientific communication.
Impactful Research
MDPI Papers Cited in the News – IJERPH edition
Every month, our corporate marketing team compiles data from Altmetrics to create a list of MDPI papers that have been cited in the news. This list continues to grow as renowned news outlets regularly reference research published by MDPI in their articles.
During 2022, a total of 111,965 MDPI research papers were mentioned in prominent news outlets such as National Geographic, The Washington Post, Forbes, The Guardian, the BBC, CNN, Time, and Harvard Business Review.
Highly Cited Journal Publications
IJERPH, known for publishing impactful research, received the most news mentions among all MDPI journals in 2022, based on Altmetrics data:
- International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health: 3509 mentions
- Nutrients: 2698 mentions
- International Journal of Molecular Sciences: 1701 mentions
- Journal of Clinical Medicine: 1131 mentions
- Viruses: 1111 mentions
These numbers show the recognition and impact of the articles published in IJERPH. For a more detailed view of the journal’s most cited and viewed papers, you can visit here. In total, IJERPH has garnered over 28,000 mentions in prominent news outlets, and as at July 2023, an impressive count of over 17,000 papers cited 10 times or more. These figures highlight the impactful contribution of IJERPH publications to the scientific community.
Example of Recent Mentions
During May and June 2023, a noteworthy selection of articles from IJERPH was cited in news articles, including:
The Washington Post: “Bringing nature inside can improve your health. Here’s how to do it.”
IJERPH paper: “Physiological Benefits of Viewing Nature: A Systematic Review of Indoor Experiments”
Harvard Business Review: “How to Take Better Breaks at Work, According to Research”
IJERPH paper: “Canine-Assisted Therapy Improves Well-Being in Nurses”
National Geographic: “Lyme disease is spreading fast—but a vaccine may be on the way”
IJERPH paper: “Range Expansion of Tick Disease Vectors in North America: Implications for Spread of Tick-Borne Disease”
Inside MDPI
MDPI Develops an Artificial Intelligence Tool to Enhance the Peer-Review Process
At MDPI, we believe that rigorous peer-review is the corner-stone of high-quality academic publishing. We are grateful to the scholars who generously dedicate their time to peer-review articles submitted to MDPI journals. Their contributions are invaluable to the advancement of science.
Peer-review is a critical part of the publication process, ensuring that MDPI upholds the highest quality standards for the papers we publish. Every manuscript submitted to our journals undergoes a comprehensive peer-review process conducted by subject-matter experts.
To further enhance our peer-review process, our Data Analytics team has developed an Artificial Intelligence (AI) tool designed to support the selection of reviewers. This proprietary tool utilizes Natural Language Processing (NLP), a specially designed AI language model, to extract information from the title and abstract of submitted papers. It then searches our database for similar manuscripts and suggests potential reviewers based on this analysis. Integrated with MDPI's submission system (SuSy), the AI tool cross-references the suggested candidates with our reviewer database to verify their invitation status and availability.
The goal of this tool is to provide better targeted peer-review invitations, reducing the number of emails sent for each paper and increasing the efficiency of our editorial staff.
In the near future, our Data Analytics team plans to deploy similar AI projects to improve other critical aspects of our services, offering an enhanced experience to our authors and readers.
Click here to learn about MDPI’s review process, including procedures, responsibilities, and benefits.
Read more:
Coming Together for Science
The Future of IJERPH
On 5 July 2023, Prof. Dr. Paul B. Tchounwou, the founding Editor-in-Chief of IJERPH, along with five Section Editors in Chief (Prof. Dr. Germán Vicente-Rodríguez, Prof. Dr. Karl Goodkin, Prof. Dr. William A. Toscano, Prof. Dr. Jimmy T. Efird, and Prof. Dr. William Douglas Evans), gathered in Basel to discuss the future of the journal. The meeting provided an opportunity to address the recent decision by The Web of Science to delist IJERPH due to the journal failing the Content Relevance criterion, and propose best strategies that will ensure high scientific rigor as well as a clear scope and aim of IJERPH, going forward.
While the delisting is disappointing for IJERPH, as well as for our authors, academic editors, and the entire scientific community supporting our journal, we see it as an opportunity to reflect and prepare for the future direction of the journal.
Since its launch in 2004, IJERPH’s vision and mission have evolved to be more complete and comprehensive in engaging scientific communities. In light of this, we will refresh the journal’s aims and scope, ensuring they align with the organic expansion of IJERPH. Additionally, we will restructure the journal sections into broader categories, encouraging collaborative research and transdisciplinary approaches for authors. This is designed to foster collaboration and knowledge exchange among diverse fields, contributing to a holistic understanding of health promotion and disease prevention. We are confident that these next steps will enhance the scientific strength and societal impact of our journal.
Journal Achievements
In addition to the productive discussions, we took the time to celebrate some of the remarkable achievements of IJERPH, which I highlight below:
- Founded by Prof. Dr. Paul B. Tchounwou in 2004
- Indexed in PubMed in 2008
- Received its first Impact Factor in 2012
- Published its 5000th paper in 2017
- Over 60,000 papers published as at June 30, 2023
- 131,628,173 paper views in 2018–2022
- Over 28,000 mentions in prominent news outlets
- 17,000 papers cited 10 times or more as at June 30, 2023
- No.1 journal in the 2022 Google Scholar Metrics in the category of Public Health
- Awarded several editions of Young Investigator Awards, Travel Awards, and Outstanding Reviewer Awards since 2018.
These achievements showcase the journal’s significant contributions to the field and its impact on global health. We are proud of the exceptional work accomplished by the IJERPH team and look forward to building upon this success in the years to come.
Closing Thoughts
MDPI’s Impact in Spain
During the past month, I had the opportunity to visit our new office building in Barcelona, where I met with our local colleagues to discuss the ways we serve the scholarly community, particularly in Spain. The multi-functional office plays a vital role in supporting various business needs, including editorial, design, conference management, data analytics, journal relationship management, publishing partnerships, and collaborations with societies.
Spain holds a significant position in MDPI’s global market, ranking as the fourth-largest contributor to the total number of papers published by MDPI as at July 2023, ranking next to Italy, the USA, and China, with Germany completing the top five.
The Numbers
Out of the 1,680,000 total MDPI articles published as at 25 July, almost 80,000 articles are contributed by Spanish authors, representing nearly 40,000 unique authors affiliated with Spanish institutions. Remarkably, over 6,300 of these authors hold editorial board member (EBM) positions within MDPI journals, with 30 of them serving as Editors-in-Chief (EiCs).
Our commitment to working with institutions is very evident in Spain, where we have successfully established over 40 Institutional Open Access Programs (IOAP) with esteemed institutions such as the University of Barcelona, the Autonomous University of Barcelona, Pompeu Fabra University, the University of Navarre, and Complutense University of Madrid.
Over the past five years, we have successfully organized eight in-person conferences in Barcelona, attracting over 1,150 registrations, with two forthcoming events scheduled for 2024. Barcelona's excellent connectivity to international airports makes it easily accessible to participants from around the world. Its welcoming atmosphere provides us with the perfect environment for knowledge-sharing, networking, and contributing to the local economy.
Our growth and presence in Spain are a true testament to the incredible service we provide to the scholarly community and the relationships we foster through responsive and collaborative communication. We look forward to continuing to support Spanish scholars, providing them a valuable and trusted experience with MDPI, the leader in open access publishing.
Testimonials
I close this letter as I did in the first edition, by sharing testimonials from our stakeholders. Here are a few IJERPH testimonials from a Spanish guest editor and an author:
Guest Editor
“I want to thank the kindness, attention and professionalism of the MDPI team throughout the editorial process of the Special Issue. I believe that it is a very professional and quality editorial process.”
- Professor Víctor Arufe-Giráldez, University of A Coruña
Special Issue in International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health: Physical Activity in Childhood and Adolescence
Special Issue in International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health: Physical Education: Present and Future
__
Author
“I want to thank the rigor of the revisions made to the manuscripts to improve their quality, the support to the authors for the editor assignment system they have and the follow-up they carry out, for the speed in answering and in carrying out the entire process of the revision, and for doing all this at an affordable price.”
- Dr. María Paz García-Caro, University of Granada
Article in International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health: Factors Associated with Suicide Attempts and Suicides in the General Population of Andalusia (Spain)
Chief Executive Officer
MDPI AG
26 July 2023
Meet Us at the 45th Congress of the Spanish Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (SEBBM 2023), 5–8 September 2023, Zaragoza, Spain
25 July 2023
Biomedicines | Invitation to Read 2021–2022 Highly Cited Papers in Web of Science
19 July 2023
Biomedicines | Hot Papers in the “Molecular and Translational Medicine” Section
14 July 2023
Meet Us at 2023 BMES Annual Meeting, 11–14 October 2023, Seattle, USA
13 July 2023
Biomedicines Webinar | Pathogenesis, Diagnosis, and Therapeutics of Infectious Diseases, 19 July 2023
Dear Colleagues,
As a Guest Editor for a Special Issue of Biomedicines (ISSN: 2227-9059), I am inviting you to participate on 19 June 2023, starting with a webinar at 9 a.m. CET with the purpose of:
- Facilitating networking between scientists involved in the mentioned topics;
- Informing professionals regarding new research that has been conducted or is ongoing in the specific topics;
- Presenting the articles already published in the relevant Special Issue;
- Discovering the scientific publishing possibilities for scientists working in the specified topics;
- Sharing experience.
We kindly invite all researchers interested in the relevant discussions.
Dr. Adriana Pistol
Associate Professor
Date: 19 July 2023 at 9:00 a.m. CEST | 3:00 a.m. EDT | 3:00 p.m. CST Asia
Webinar ID: 878 0458 8326
Register now for free!
Program:
|
Speaker/Presentation |
Time in CEST |
Time in EDT |
|
Prof. Dr. Adriana Pistol |
9:00–9:10 a.m. |
3:00–3:10 a.m. |
|
Prof. Dr. Camelia Sultana |
9:10–9:30 a.m. |
3:10–3:30 a.m. |
|
Prof. Dr. Florentina Ligia Furtunescu |
9:30–9:50 a.m. |
3:30–3:50 a.m. |
|
Q&A Session |
9:50–10:10 a.m. |
3:50–4:10 a.m. |
|
Prof. Dr. Adriana Pistol |
10:10–10:15 a.m. |
4:10–4:15 a.m. |
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information on how to join the webinar. Registrations with academic institutional email addresses will be prioritized.
Unable to attend? Register anyway and we’ll let you know when the recording is available to watch.
Webinar Chair and Keynote Speakers:
- Prof. Dr. Adriana Pistol, Public Health Department, University of Medicine and Pharmacy Carol Davila, Bucharest, Romania;
- Prof. Dr. Camelia Sultana, Virology Discipline, University of Medicine and Pharmacy Carol Davila, Bucharest, Romania;
- Prof. Dr. Florentina Ligia Furtunescu, Department of Public Health, University of Medicine and Pharmacy Carol Davila, Bucharest, Romania.
Relevant Special Issue:
“Pathogenesis, Diagnosis, and Therapeutics of Infectious Diseases”
Edited by: Dr. Adriana Pistol
Deadline: 30 September 2023
11 July 2023
MDPI’s Newly Launched Journals in June 2023
With the first issue released in June 2023, five new MDPI journals disseminating multi-disciplinary science are due to launch, which will cover the subjects of medicine & pharmacology, biology and physical sciences.
The newly launched journals will be overseen by professional Editorial Board Members and Editors to ensure an accurate and rapid publication, rigorous peer review and broad visibility.
Please feel free to browse and discover more about the new journals below.
| Journal | Founding Editor-in-Chief | Journal topics (selected) |
 |
Prof. Dr. Jun Ma, Peking University, China| Editorial | view inaugural issue | growth and development; diet and nutrients; school health promotion policies and practices; child health and care; adolescent health and wellbeing | view journal scope | submit an article |
 |
Prof. Dr. Bernd Rehm, Griffith University, Australia | Editorial | view inaugural issue | DNA and gene synthesis; synthetic transcription factors; protein engineering; viral engineering; metabolic engineering | view journal scope | submit an article |
 |
Prof. Dr. Varsha Gandhi, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, USA | Editorial | view inaugural issue | lymphatics; cancers associated with lymphocytes and lymphoblasts; lymphatic tissues; lymphoma; lymphoid leukemia | view journal scope | submit an article |
 |
Dr. Bradley Turner, University of Melbourne, Australia | Editorial | view inaugural issue | multiple sclerosis; amyotrophic lateral sclerosis; primary lateral sclerosis; atherosclerosis; systemic sclerosis | view journal scope | submit an article |
 |
Prof. Dr. Clemens Burda, Case Western Reserve University, USA | Editorial | view inaugural issue | Gamma ray, X-ray, and UV–Vis spectroscopies; NIR/mid-infrared/Raman spectroscopy; microwave and THz spectroscopy; high-resolution gas-phase atomic, molecular, and cluster spectroscopy; MS, NMR, and EPR spectroscopy | view journal scope | submit an article |
We wish to thank everyone who has supported the development of open access publishing. You are welcome to submit an application to the New Journal Committee (newjournal-committee@mdpi.com) if you would like to create more new journals.
4 July 2023
Meet Us at the CRS 2023 Annual Meeting, 24–28 July 2023, Las Vegas, USA
