The European Cancer Information System: exploring linkages between indoor radon concentrations and data on cancer burden

Exposure to radon over time has significant detrimental effects on human health. Approximately 226,000 annual radon-related deaths have been reported from 66 countries (1). Many countries have a radon action plan, in order to reduce the harmful effects of radon exposure on the general public. Maps are routinely used to assist with mitigation strategies and delineate areas of priority regulation. Standard regulations in the European Union include the requirement for workplaces to test and the requirement to have reduction methods in newly built homes. Such laws are assigned systematically to areas that are understood to have high values of indoor radon. This article demonstrates that the boundaries of radon priority areas may vary, depending on the data set and methods used. We propose a table and a decision matrix to assist in choosing the most appropriate visual aid according to the purpose for which the map is to be used. We conclude that no single radon map is suitable to fit all objectives, and some maps are more suitable than others depending on the purpose

Dotting the “i” of Interoperability in FAIR Cancer-Registry Data Sets

To conform to FAIR principles, data should be findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable. Whereas tools exist for making data findable and accessible, interoperability is not straightforward and can limit data reusability. Most interoperability-based solutions address semantic description and metadata linkage, but these alone are not sufficient for the requirements of inter-comparison of population-based cancer data, where strict adherence to data-rules is of paramount importance. Ontologies, and more importantly their formalism in description logics, can play a key role in the automation of data-harmonization processes predominantly via the formalization of the data validation rules within the data-domain model. This in turn leads to a potential quality metric allowing users or agents to determine the limitations in the interpretation and comparability of the data. An approach is described for cancer-registry data with practical examples of how the validation rules can be modeled with description logic. Conformance of data to the rules can be quantified to provide metrics for several quality dimensions. Integrating these with metrics derived for other quality dimensions using tools such as data-shape languages and data-completion tests builds up a data-quality context to serve as an additional component in the FAIR digital object to support interoperability in the wider sense

ECVAM's Database Service on Alternative Methods (DB-ALM) Online

ECVAM's Database service on ALternative Methods (Db-ALM) was established to achieve one of the principal objectives of ECVAM as required by the European Commission and Parliament. The year 2005 will see the public access to the entirely revised Internet version of the Db-ALM providing access to new information sectors, such as method summary descriptions and details on validation studies. Db-ALM provides its information as evaluated data sheets. So far, information is available for 21 topics mainly in the area of toxicity testing of chemicals. The current Internet version can refer about 4000 registered users from 65 countries.JRC.I.2-Validation of biomedical testing method

An Ontology to Model the International Rules for Multiple Primary Malignant Tumours in Cancer Registration

Population-based cancer registry data provide a key epidemiological resource for monitoring cancer in defined populations. Validation of the data variables contributing to a common data set is necessary to remove statistical bias; the process is currently performed centrally. An ontology-based approach promises advantages in devolving the validation process to the registry level but the checks regarding multiple primary tumours have presented a hurdle. This work presents a solution by modelling the international rules for multiple primary cancers in description logic. Topography groupings described in the rules had to be further categorised in order to simplify the axioms. Description logic expressivity was constrained as far as possible for reasons of automatic reasoning performance. The axioms were consistently able to trap all the different types of scenarios signalling violation of the rules. Batch processing of many records were performed using the Web Ontology Language application programme interface. Performance issues were circumvented for large data sets using the software interface to perform the reasoning operations on the basis of the axioms encoded in the ontology. These results remove one remaining hurdle in developing a purely ontology-based solution for performing the European harmonised data-quality checks, with a number of inherent advantages including the formalisation and integration of the validation rules within the domain data model itself

Vaccine-induced immune thrombotic thrombocytopenia and spike protein

Background. Vaccine-induced immune thrombotic thrombocytopenia (VITT) is a rare syndrome of unclear aetiology occurring after DNA-based vaccinations against COVID-19. The aim of this study was to investigate the DNA vaccine-encoded Sars-cov-2 soluble spike protein (SP). as a potential trigger of platelet activation in VITT. Methods. We studied three VITT patients and seven healthy controls (HCs) within 3 weeks from the first dose of ChAdOx1 nCoV-19, and one non vaccinated HC. Serum levels of SP and soluble angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (sACE2), ACE2 expression in platelets and platelet response to VITT serum stimulation were studied. A thrombus retrieved during mechanical thrombectomy from one VITT patients, was analysed by immunohistochemistry for SP and ACE2. Neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) markers and coagulation parameters were also measured. Results. We detected serum SP (up to 35 days post-vaccination) and sACE2 in all VITT patients, and respectively in two and three out of 7 vaccinated HCs. Only platelets from one non-vaccinated HC expressed ACE2. VITT sera markedly activated platelets and this activation was inhibited by both anti-SP and anti-FcγRIIA blocking antibodies. The thrombus showed positive immunohistochemical labelling of platelets using an anti-SP antibody with reduced ACE2 expression, compared to a thrombus from a pre-pandemic stroke patient. Markers of endothelial dysfunction, NETs and hypercoagulability state were present in all VITT sera. Conclusions. The present data provides first evidence that DNA vaccine-encoded Sars-cov-2 SP is detectable in VITT sera (several weeks post-vaccination) and in a platelet-rich thrombus, and that may contribute to the initial platelet stimulation in VITT patients