Proposals for special issues are welcome from:

  • Clinicians/researchers who wish to be a Guest Editor and propose a special issue.
  • Organisers of conferences and seminars who may wish to make the substance of their event more widely available.

Special issues may include reviews, original research, or case reports/case series. We accept proposals for special issues on both open and closed topics.

Open topics: A potential Guest Editor contacts the Editorial Office about a possible special issue. If approved, the topic is listed on this page as an open invitation, i.e. unsolicited manuscripts are welcome. The Guest Editor may also send separate invites to potential authors to submit their manuscript.

Invited topics: A sponsor or potential Guest Editor contacts the Editorial Office about a topic or conference theme and provides a list of authors with titles of manuscripts (potential or confirmed). Subject to the approval of topic/authors/titles, we will send submission instructions to the authors.

Peer review: All articles for special issues undergo peer review, which may be managed in collaboration with the Guest Editor. Accepted papers are published as a Special Issue collection on this page and appear separately on the journal’s homepage. 

Indexing: All articles are indexed on PubMed and free to view on PubMed Central.

Costs: Standard APC would apply for all Special Issue articles unless a fee waiver/special charge has been negotiated.

Sponsorship: Sponsors may contact the Editorial Office directly to develop a Special Issue. All sponsorship would be declared on published papers, as is standard in the publication of any article.

Challenges and strategies in the management of invasive fungal infections

Guest Editor: Kayla R Stover Hielscher, University of Mississippi Medical Center, 2500 North State Street, Jackson, MS 39216, USA

Invasive fungal infections are associated with high morbidity and mortality, and often disproportionately affect immunocompromised patients. Because there are a limited number of currently FDA-approved antifungals, treatment choices can be difficult. This is especially true for special populations (like children) or in cases of antifungal resistance. This series will explore strategies for the management of […]

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Current clinical use of silymarin in the treatment of toxic liver diseases: a case series

Toxic liver diseases consist of different kinds of liver injuries of different aetiologies, caused by endogenous factors such as dysmetabolic conditions – diabetes, dyslipidaemia, hypertension or obesity – or exogenous triggers such as drugs, alcohol or chemicals. Over the long term, such induced liver damage can progress to chronic liver disease. Unfortunately, limited treatment options […]

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Antimicrobial stewardship: a focus on the need for moderation

Guest Editor: Melissa Badowski, PharmD, MPH, FCCP, FIDSA, BCIDP, BCPS, AAHIVP Clinical Associate Professor, Section of Infectious Diseases Pharmacotherapy, Department of Pharmacy Practice, University of Illinois at Chicago, College of Pharmacy, IL, USA

While antimicrobial therapy is lifesaving, just like everything else in life, it should be used in moderation. The breadth and scope of antimicrobial stewardship has emerged as an integral part of infectious diseases care. A majority of data is derived from inpatient settings, where stewardship programmes continue to focus on reducing the development of antimicrobial […]

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Emerging concepts in heart failure management and treatment

Guest Editor: Edgardo Kaplinsky, Cardiology Unit, Hospital Municipal de Badalona, Badalona Spain; Barcelona University, Barcelona, Spain

Heart failure is probably the area of cardiology that has grown the most in recent years with a likely turning point being, for example, the publication of results of the PARADIGM-HF study (Angiotensin-Neprilysin Inhibition versus Enalapril in Heart Failure) in 2014, which is the largest study conducted to date in heart failure (8842 patients). For […]

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Hospital pharmacy, rational use of medicines and patient safety in Latin America

Guest Editor: Fela Viso Gurovich, Private Consulting, Pachuca de Soto, Hidalgo, Mexico

Public and private hospitals around the world, and specifically in Latin America, have the necessity to diminish medicine costs, support their rational use and achieve patient safety. Nowadays, an important competent strategy to fulfil these goals is the implementation of different pharmaceutical services considering the characteristics and objectives of each hospital. All pharmaceutical services are […]

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Treatment of advanced non-small-cell lung cancer: one size does not fit all

Guest Editors: Andrea De Giglio, Department of Experimental, Diagnostic and Specialty Medicine, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy; Giulio Metro, Medical Oncology, Santa Maria della Misericordia Hospital, Azienda Ospedaliera di Perugia, Italy; Biagio Ricciuti, Lowe Center for Thoracic Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA

In recent years, advanced non-small-cell lung cancer has undergone tremendous progress in its management. On the one hand, the use of immune checkpoints inhibitors (anti-PD-(L)1 and anti-CTLA4) with or without chemotherapy has revolutionized the prognosis of a relevant number of patients; on the other hand, the discovery of several actionable genetic drivers in adenocarcinoma histology, […]

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Tackling clinical complexity in breast cancer

Guest Editor: Federico Sottotetti, Operative Unit of Medical Oncology, IRCCS-ICS Maugeri, Pavia, Italy

Breast cancer, one of the most common malignancies worldwide, is an example of complex disease. Clinical complexity is an increasingly recognized feature of internal medicine and oncology patients, who are often characterized by multifaceted needs determined by both biological (i.e. intrinsic to patient or disease biology) and non-biological (i.e. socioeconomic, cultural, environmental and behavioural) factors. […]

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Diabetes: how to manage…

Guest Editor: Sarah L Anderson, Scientific Director, Clinical Care Options, LLC, Reston, VA, USA

Medications for treating and technology for managing diabetes have advanced significantly in recent years. We now have multiple therapeutic agents that not only reduce glycaemia but also cardiovascular and renal disease. Advances in continuous glucose monitoring have been game-changers for patients and their caregivers, though management of hypoglycaemia remains a concern that necessitates focused education […]

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Dermatology in skin of colour

Guest Editor: Melinda Gooderham, Dermatologist, SKiN Centre for Dermatology, Faculty of Medicine, Queen’s University, Kingston, ON, Canada

Gaps in the education and knowledge of the diagnosis and management of dermatological conditions in patients with skin of colour (SOC) that can lead to worse health outcomes have been identified. Not only has SOC been underrepresented in medical education for trainees in dermatology but also patients with SOC have been underrepresented in clinical trials […]

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HIV: how to manage…

Guest Editor: Milena Murray, Department of Pharmacy Practice, Midwestern University College of Pharmacy, Downers Grove, IL, USA; Department of Pharmacy, Northwestern Memorial Hospital, Chicago, IL, USA

Over the course of 40 years, the management of HIV has drastically changed. A wide variety of medications and data shape the current treatment of HIV. However, pockets of people with HIV still remain with barriers to successful outcomes, such as those with low-level viraemia and the highly treatment experienced. Transitions of care become critical for […]

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Mitigating the opioid epidemic in the United States – strategies and challenges during COVID-19

Guest Editors: A Simon Pickard, Department of Pharmacy Systems, Outcomes, and Policy, College of Pharmacy, University of Illinois Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA; Todd A Lee, Department of Pharmacy Systems, Outcomes, and Policy, College of Pharmacy, University of Illinois Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA

Drugs in Context present a series of papers that describe and evaluate programs that seek to improve the care and management of patients with opioid-related substance use disorder.

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Paediatrics: how to manage…

Guest Editors: Alexander KC Leung, Department of Pediatrics, University of Calgary, and Alberta Children’s Hospital, Calgary, Alberta, Canada; Kam Lun Hon, Department of Paediatrics, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong, and Department of Paediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Hong Kong Children’s Hospital, Hong Kong

Drugs in Context presents a series of review articles summarising the latest evidence in the management of common childhood conditions.

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Current therapeutic strategies in connective tissue disease-related interstitial lung disease

Guest Editors: Arduino A Mangoni, Flinders University and Flinders Medical Centre, Adelaide, Australia; Gian Luca Erre, Università degli Studi di Sassari and Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Sassari, Sassari, Italy

This Special Issue focuses on the efficacy and safety of current treatment strategies for patients with connective tissue disease-related interstitial lung disease, including the use of immunosuppressants, such as cyclophosphamide, mycophenolate mofetil, rituximab and antifibrotic drugs.

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Treatment of vulvar and vaginal atrophy: clinical experience with ospemifene

Guest Editor: Santiago Palacios, Palacios’ Institute of Women’s Health, Madrid, Spain

This Special Issue contains case studies about the experiences of women with vulvar and vaginal atrophy during treatment with ospemifene. It covers the effects of ospemifene on bone markers, its use in breast cancer survivors, and in women with dyslipidemia, urinary incontinence or VVA-related sexual dysfunction, and its concomitant use with laser therapy.

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Rapid publication of articles on COVID-19

Guest Editor: Gordon Mallarkey

This Special Issue features articles covering all aspects of the coronavirus pandemic. We aim to provide efficient peer review and publication – on this website and on PubMed Central –  to ensure rapid dissemination of information. Please email the Managing Editor with details of your proposed manuscript.

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