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Biomolecules
Special Issues
Biomarkers in Musculoskeletal and Orthopedic Disorders
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Biomarkers in Musculoskeletal and Orthopedic Disorders

A special issue of Biomolecules (ISSN 2218-273X). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Biomarkers".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 July 2026 | Viewed by 897

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Elena De Vecchi

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Laboratory of Clinical Chemistry and Microbiology, IRCCS Galeazzi-Sant’Ambrogio Hospital, Milan, Italy
Interests: antibiotics; microbial biofilms; biofilm-related infections
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

It is my pleasure to invite you to contribute to this Special Issue, entitled “Biomarkers in Musculoskeletal and Orthopedic Disorders”.

Musculoskeletal and orthopedic disorders are among the most prevalent and disabling conditions in adults, with major economic impacts on health systems and society. These disorders may result in pain and loss of function and are among the most disabling conditions, with a significant impact on patients’ quality of life.

Musculoskeletal disorders comprise diverse conditions affecting the bones, joints, muscles, and connective tissues, such as sprains, back injuries, tendonitis, carpal tunnel syndrome, and arthritis. The most common orthopedic disorders, such as osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, osteoporosis, scoliosis, and back and spinal pain, often occur as a result of injury, trauma, disease, or age.

Biomarkers of the musculoskeletal system include a wide variety of molecules indicating normal biological processes, such as bone resorption or bone formation, disease, or response to treatment, and can comprise extracellular matrix metabolites, inflammation markers, muscle-specific markers, hormones, or proteins.

Since, in some cases, we still lack completely reliable biomarkers for diagnosis, the identification of risk factors, and the prediction of responses to treatment, there is increasing research on the identification and application of new markers. Going forward, our evolving knowledge base and the application of artificial intelligence to develop advanced methods will play a crucial role in this field.

Original research articles and reviews covering the issues described above are welcome.

Dr. Elena De Vecchi
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Biomolecules is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • musculo-skeletal pathologies
  • orthopaedic infections
  • synovial fluid analysis

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

17 pages, 515 KB  
Article
Serum CCL18 May Reflect Multiorgan Involvement with Poor Outcome in Systemic Sclerosis
by Kristóf Filipánits, Gabriella Nagy, Dávid Kurszán Jász, Tünde Minier, Diána Simon, Szabina Erdő-Bonyár, Tímea Berki and Gábor Kumánovics
Biomolecules 2026, 16(1), 136; https://doi.org/10.3390/biom16010136 - 13 Jan 2026
Viewed by 641
Abstract
Background: Serum C–C motif chemokine ligand 18 (seCCL18) in systemic sclerosis (SSc) has been primarily associated with progressive interstitial lung disease (SSc-ILD) and mortality. However, its relationship with non-pulmonary organ involvement, disease activity, and long-term outcome has not been comprehensively evaluated. We therefore [...] Read more.
Background: Serum C–C motif chemokine ligand 18 (seCCL18) in systemic sclerosis (SSc) has been primarily associated with progressive interstitial lung disease (SSc-ILD) and mortality. However, its relationship with non-pulmonary organ involvement, disease activity, and long-term outcome has not been comprehensively evaluated. We therefore examined the clinical relevance of seCCL18 in a single-center SSc cohort. Methods: A total of 151 patients with SSc (83 diffuse cutaneous (dcSSc), 68 limited cutaneous SSc (lcSSc); median (IQR) disease duration: 9 (4;16) years) and 47 age- and sex-matched healthy controls (HCs) were enrolled. Serum CCL18 concentrations were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Elevated seCCL18 was defined as >130 ng/mL (mean + 2 SD of the healthy control group). Organ involvement and disease activity (EUSTAR Activity Index, EUSTAR-AI) were assessed at baseline, while survival was analysed longitudinally. Results: Patients with SSc had significantly higher seCCL18 levels than HCs (mean ± SD: 99.9 ± 43.2 vs. 75.0 ± 27.5 ng/mL, p < 0.01). Elevated seCCL18 was associated with SSc-ILD (81.1% vs. 60.5%, p = 0.022), reduced forced vital capacity (FVC < 70%: 16.2% vs. 3.5%, p = 0.006), and reduced diffusing capacity for carbon monoxide (DLCO < 70%: 80.6% vs. 54.4%, p = 0.005). Higher seCCL18 levels were observed in patients with myocardial disease (104.8 ± 41.8 vs. 83.8 ± 44.2 ng/mL, p = 0.008), left ventricular diastolic dysfunction (107.1 ± 40.5 vs. 84.5 ± 45.0 ng/mL, p < 0.001), and oesophageal involvement (110.7 ± 38.3 vs. 93.3 ± 43.1 ng/mL, p = 0.009). SeCCL18 levels above the cut-off were more frequently associated with tendon friction rubs (51.4% vs. 27.4%, p = 0.007), active disease (EUSTAR-AI ≥ 2.5: 73% vs. 44%, p = 0.002), and elevated inflammatory markers (CRP > 5 mg/L: 51.4% vs. 19.3%, p < 0.001; ESR > 28 mm/h: 37.8% vs. 18.4%, p = 0.015). During a median follow-up of 87 months, 22 patients (15%) died. Elevated baseline seCCL18 predicted poorer survival in univariate analysis (log-rank p = 0.013) and remained an independent predictor of mortality in multivariable Cox regression (HR 1.789; 95% CI 1.133–2.824; p = 0.013), together with declining DLCO and reduced six-minute walk test performance. Conclusions: Elevated seCCL18 may identify patients with systemic sclerosis who exhibit a more severe multisystem phenotype, including cardiopulmonary, gastrointestinal, and musculoskeletal involvement, increased inflammatory activity, and reduced long-term survival. These findings suggest that seCCL18 may have some clinical utility as a prognostic biomarker reflecting widespread disease involvement beyond the lungs, even in patients with long-standing disease; however, the lack of an established cut-off value requires further validation in prospective, multicentre studies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biomarkers in Musculoskeletal and Orthopedic Disorders)
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