Sting_RDB: a relational database of structural parameters for protein analysis with support for data warehousing and data mining

An effective strategy for managing protein databases is to provide mechanisms to transform raw data into consistent, accurate and reliable information. Such mechanisms will greatly reduce operational inefficiencies and improve one’s ability to better handle scientific objectives and interpret the research results. To achieve this challenging goal for the STING project, we introduce Sting_RDB, a relational database of structural parameters for protein analysis with support for data warehousing and data mining. In this article, we highlight the main features of Sting_RDB and show how a user can explore it for efficient and biologically relevant queries. Considering its importance for molecular biologists, effort has been made to advance Sting_RDB toward data quality assessment. To the best of our knowledge, Sting_RDB is one of the most comprehensive data repositories for protein analysis, now also capable of providing its users with a data quality indicator. This paper differs from our previous study in many aspects. First, we introduce Sting_RDB, a relational database with mechanisms for efficient and relevant queries using SQL. Sting_rdb evolved from the earlier, text (flat file)-based database, in which data consistency and integrity was not guaranteed. Second, we provide support for data warehousing and mining. Third, the data quality indicator was introduced. Finally and probably most importantly, complex queries that could not be posed on a text-based database, are now easily implemented. Further details are accessible at the Sting_RDB demo web page: http://www.cbi.cnptia.embrapa.br/StingRDB.

The Star STING server: a multiplatform environment for protein structure analysis

Star STING is the latest version of the STING suite of programs and corresponding database. We report on five important aspects of this package that have acquired some new characteristics, designed to add key advantages to the whole suite: 1) availability for most popular platforms and browsers, 2) introduction of the STING_DB quality assessment, 3) improvement in algorithms for calculation of three STING parameters, 4) introduction of five new STING modules, and 5) expansion of the existing modules. Star STING is freely accessible at: http://sms.cbi.cnptia.embrapa.br/SMS/, http://trantor.bioc.columbia.edu/SMS, http://www.es.embnet.org/SMS/, http://gibk26.bse.kyutech.ac.jp/SMS/ and http://www.ar.embnet.org/SMS.

Reliability of echographic examination for the study of optic nerve cupping

Objetivo: Este estudo tem como objetivo de avaliar a confiabilidade do exame ecográfico na avaliaçäo de escavaçöes do nervo óptico menores ou iguais a 0.3 e maiores ou iguais a 0.9. Material e métodos: Foram analisados 53 olhos, de 30 pacientes, com meios ópticos transparentes, submetidos à ecografia ocular modo B para avaliaçäo da escavaçäo do disco óptico. A biomicroscopia, 26 possuíam escavaçäo pequena (grupo 1) e 27 escavaçäo grande (grupo 2). Resultados: Os exames impressos foram avaliados por dois observadores, e a ecografia ocular se mostrou confiável com índice Kappa de 0.77(mais ou menos 0.14). A sensibilidade e a especificidade, com intervalo de confiança de 95 por cento, foram de 71.4 por cento (53.4 - 81.1)e de 96.2 por cento (59.6 - 90.1). Conclusäo: A ecografia é método confiável para avaliaçäo da escavaçäo do disco óptico permitindo a distinçäo entre grupo <= 0.3 e o grupo >= 0.9. No entanto, como método de ''screening'' seria mais importante nos resultados negativo.

Um caso esporadico de sindrome de Duane associado a sindrome de Rieger de ocorrencia familiar. / An sporadic case of Duane's syndrome associated with Ringer's syndrome of familial occurrence

Apresentam os autores um caso de um rapaz de 17 anos portador de sindrome de Duane unilateral, associada a sindrome de Rieger, sendo esta de ocorrencia familiar.Sugerem ser esta mais uma possibilidade de associacao entre a sindrome de Duane e outras malformacoes geneticas. A fim de que se possa chegar a qualquer conclusao sobre a possibilidade de que se trate de uma relacao genetica entre essas duas anomalias, e necessario que se observe os eventuais descendentes do paciente