ABSTRACT
We present an overview of the variety of databases and programs that offer substantial aid to medical and molecular geneticists. Databases and expert systems for genetic diseases and birth defects, programs for segregation and linkage analysis, certain DNA and protein sequence databases, and information resources in general for molecular biology are addressed. These systems cannot be used effectively without the newly developed techniques of information exchange based on international computer networks. A short introduction is given to the Internet and to European institutions and organizations that offer help with the acquisition and use of bioinformatic resources.
Subject(s)
Databases, Factual , Expert Systems , Genetics, Medical , Molecular Biology , Software , Computer Communication Networks , Genetic Linkage , HumansABSTRACT
Issues critical to ensuring semantic integrity in molecular biological data collections have been identified and include complexity, exceptions, missing data, changing models, holism and integration, delocalized data, interoperability and nomenclature. This combination is peculiar to biology and presents some interesting problems as a result. Little is known about semantic checking in object-oriented databases in general, but because such technology appears highly suitable for modeling biological data, it is appropriate to examine the ways in which object-oriented technology can support this functionality. It is concluded that object-oriented technology will support semantic checking even in a complex domain like biology. We propose 10 guidelines for future work including ways of treating exceptional cases and 'positioning' of constraints in a schema.
