More information, more choice: an Italian database for oncology patients.

BACKGROUND: In recent years there has been a proliferation of cancer information available for patients in the Italian language. However, quantity without validation and organization is by no means synonymous with providing good information and a good service. Furthermore, the lack of coordination and cooperation between the various information-providing initiatives results in uncontrolled waste. MATERIALS AND METHODS: To impose order on the vast ocean of cancer information in Italian, and to provide patients with a reliable and comprehensive tool, the Azalea Project was developed whereby a database of information for patients was created. Paper-based and electronic information is validated and stored so that patients can search and retrieve it. Validation is by means of a grid drawn up by the project team with reference to international standards. RESULTS: The nucleus of the database constructed by the Centro di Riferimento Oncologico (Oncology Referral Centre), Aviano, was extended using the wide experience of the Italian Cancer Institutes within the Italian Alliance Against Cancer. The website is at http://www.azaleaweb.it CONCLUSIONS: Meetings and courses specially designed for the project enabled evaluation grids to be created and permitted a fruitful interchange of skills and experience from a variety of professional information providers united in the common aim of providing patients with a service that meets their needs and puts them in control at a difficult time in their lives.

E-oncology and health portals: instructions and standards for the evaluation, production organisation and use.

In 2002 the Italian Ministry of Health promoted the institution of a network and a web portal, E-oncology (2), for the seven NHS research institutions specialising in oncology (Istituti di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico-IRCCS). One of the aims was to gather and provide information on tumoral pathologies to operators and the public. For an optimum organisation of a health web site it is necessary to comply with the standards internationally used. The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) has developed guidelines for accessibility and usability of the sites, implemented in Italy through governmental issues. Many international organisations adopt rules and codes of conduct to validate biomedical information and have organised quality portals such as NLM, OMNI, MEDCIRCLE, HON etc. Some terminological standards, such as the MESH thesaurus and UMLS, have been produced by the libraries for a correct management and an effective information retrieval, and are currently used by the most important biomedical web sites. The Dublin Core, metadata standard for the integration of information deriving from heterogeneous archives, has also been developed by the libraries. The easy access to information dims the complex architecture necessary for the construction of a web site. The contribution of different professionals is necessary to guarantee the production of quality medical/health web sites, among them librarians have always been involved with the management of knowledge and their skills are extremely valuable. Furthermore, the libraries' network is essential in order to guarantee universal access to health information, mostly still against payment, and to contribute to overcoming the 'digital divide' and 'second-level digital divide'.

[Molecular characterization of variable tandem repeat sequence determined during RAPD analysis among Posidonia oceanica insular and coastline populations]. / Molekuliarnye kharakteristiki variabel'noi tandemno povtoriaiushcheisia posledovatel'nosti, vyiavlennoi v khode RAPD-analiza ostrovnoi i pribrezhnoi populiatsii.

The seagrass Posidonia oceanica plays a multifunctional role in the coastal area as an important and productive component of ecosystems in the Mediterranean Sea. We detected by RAPD analysis with two arbitrary primers genetic differences in P. oceanica collected from several sites in the Southern Mediterranean. By AMOVA analysis we observed a level of about 20% genetic difference among individuals within a population and 80% among populations. A common band of 200 bp was found in all the amplified samples. Cloning and sequencing analysis of this band revealed the presence of a simple tandem repeat sequence (minisatellite) that we called PoTR (Posidonia oceanica tandem repeat). Finally, the ability of PoTR to detect genetic variability in P. oceanica genome was demonstrated by the presence of amplification products of different lengths utilizing primers internal to this sequence.

Information oncologic tools produced by the U.S. National Cancer Institute: how much are they known and used? Results of an enquiry in Italy.

A survey was conducted among specialized users in order to establish the level of knowledge and diffusion of four informative tools: Cancerlit, PDQ, Clinprot, Cancergram. A questionnaire was distributed to 975 graduate researchers working in four national cancer research institutes in the north (2), center (1) and south (1) of Italy, as well as to the students of the Postgraduate School of Oncology (Oncology 2nd) of the "La Sapienza" University of Rome. Respondents were 486 (49.8%): only 167 (34.4%) declared to know Cancerlit, 56 (11.5%) PDQ, 10 (2%) Clinprot and 39 (8%) Cancergrams. Moreover, there is a time gap of nearly 6 years between the availability on-line of these tools and the information of its existence by the users. Most of the respondents were in favor of inserting courses on the use of information tools into the University curriculum and of training in the use of the tools.

[Scientific literature: bibliometric and bibliographic indicators as integrative criteria for an objective evaluation of research activity]. / La letteratura scientifica: indicatori bibliometrici e bibliografici quali criteri integrativi per la valutazione obiettiva di un'attività di ricerca.

An objective evaluation of a scientific activity is required to reduce partialities and mistakes, thus allowing a more reliable judgement. Therefore, the role of scientific literature, as the most direct expression of research activity, is increasing; for a better evaluation, bibliometric and bibliographic indicators have been developed. Bibliometric indicators are based upon citation, which is a meter of the use the international scientific community makes of research results, once published. Besides the number of publications, the most important bibliometric indicators are the number of citations, the impact factor, the immediacy index, the half-life index. Bibliographic indicators are the reference of the journal or the paper by a given author, in important bibliographies of international influence. Being the evaluation by means of these indicators extremely complex, there is a need for a homogeneous regulation of the activity, at an institutional level. The presence of experts in scientometrics is also advisable, since they can provide evaluation profiles on demand, with the support of modern documentation centres. In sum, after describing bibliometric and bibliographic indicators, emphasis is put on their utility and the role they play in support of experts' judgement for a more precise evaluation of a scientific activity.

Diffusible factors are responsible for differences in nuclease sensitivity among chromatins originating from different cell types.

We have examined the kinetics of nuclease digestion of chromatin from committed and uncommitted cells in experiments where the nuclei are mixed and co-digested. Cultures of the sea urchin, Arbacia punctulata, were grown to the 16-cell stage in either [3H]thymidine or [14C]thymidine and the macromere, mesomere, and micromere cell types separated. After isolation, sets of nuclei with two different blastomere types (each having different radionucleotide tagging) were mixed and co-digested with micrococcal nuclease or DNase. I. The extent of digestion was monitored by solubility in 5% perchloric acid (PCA). We find no significant differences in initial digestion rates or limit digests among the different cell types when co-digested with either nuclease. Differences in nuclease sensitivity observed when nuclei are digested separately are abolished when nuclei are probed in a mixing experiment. The results support the hypothesis that phenotypic differences in digestibility among different cell types in vitro reflect differences in chromatin-condensing factors which can diffuse between nuclei.

Proteases of nuclei of testicular cells assayed with fluorogenic peptides.

Nuclei of seminiferous epithelial cells (SEC) of rat testis exhibit protease activity when assayed with fluorogenic peptides or with [3H]histones. At pH 8 the nuclear protease rapidly hydrolyzes BOC-Val-Pro-Arg-7-Amino-4-Methyl Coumarin (BVPAC) and Glu-Gly-Arg-7-Amino-4-Methyl Coumarin (GGAC), but this enzyme does not hydrolyze CBZ-Arg-7-Amino-4-Methyl Coumarin (CAC) or Glu-Phe-7-Amino-4-Methyl Coumarin (GPC). The cytoplasm of these cells hydrolyzes each of these substrates. The protease activity versus BVPAC can be extracted from cytoplasm and nuclei with 0.1 M H2SO4. The extracted activity from cytoplasm is lost during storage for 5 days at either pH 3 or pH 8 at -25 degrees, but the activity extracted from nuclei is maintained under these conditions. The nuclear protease activity is found in SEC of young rats prior to the appearance of acrosin.

Structural differences in the chromatin from compartmentalized cells of the sea urchin embryo: differential nuclease accessibility of micromere chromatin.

The chromatin structure of three cell types isolated from the 16-cell stage sea urchin embryo has been probed with micrococcal nuclease. In micromeres, the four small cells at the vegetal pole, the chromatin is found to be considerably more resistant to degradation by micrococcal nuclease than chromatin in the larger mesomere and macromere cells which undergo more cellular divisions and are committed to different developmental fates. The micromeres show an order of magnitude decrease in the initial digestion rate and a limit digest value which is one third that of the larger blastomeres; both observations are suggestive of the formation of a more condensed chromatin structure during the process of commitment, or as the rate of cell division decreases. The decreased sensitivity to nuclease for micromeres is similar to results reported for sperm and larval stages of development.

Unusual properties of sea urchin unfertilized egg chromatin.

A typical nucleosomal pattern is not detected by electrophoretic analysis of sea urchin mature egg chromatin, following digestion with micrococcal nuclease. Moreover, at least 80% of the egg nuclear DNA is resistant to nuclease attack. These unusual features of unfertilized egg chromatin, not shared by oocytes or sperms, are discussed in view of the unique properties and fate of mature female germ cells.

Studies of protein synthesis during sea urchin oogenesis. II. Synthesis of tubulin.

Sea urchin oocytes were incubated in vitro with [14C]lysine. Tubulin synthesis was demonstrated by gel filtration and/or electrophoresis of the colchicine-tubulin complex precipitated by vinblastine. The incorporation of [14C]lysine into tubulin represented about 12% of the incorporation into the total proteins at vitellogenesis.

Studies on protein synthesis during sea urchin oogenesis. I. Synthesis of histone F2b.

Basic proteins were extracted from sea urchin oocytes previously incubated with 3H-lysine and then were analyzed by electrophoresis. A very radioactive band, which showed the same mobility as histone F2b, was analyzed for its amino acid composition. The results show an identity between this protein and histones F2b. In addition, an improved method of isolating large amounts of sea urchin oocytes is described.