INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION TO CREATE A WWW DATA BASE FOR SPINAL CORD
INJURIES: LET’S GO!!!
In the last weeks, on internet (e-mail and Usenet) we have been
spreading a letter expressing our intention to create a no-profit site
for scientific popularization of information concerning midollar
injuries – with a special attention to the scientific research carried
out at present. We have tried to emphasize the fact that we are asking
for a direct cooperation of the research centres’ chiefs in the creation
of this site: we would like them to keep a personal survey constantly
updated and to show every step they have taken - and are going to take
in the next future – in their studies.
Here at foot you will find the letter above mentioned.
Since this idea stirred up great interest, we would like to go into
details beginning with a remark a researcher submitted to our attention.
Since we would like to translate this site into many languages (Italian,
English, French, German, Russian, Spanish), he said we could have
problems when translating scientific texts and would need someone to
grant the correctness of the result. This is the reason why we would
like to make some considerations:
· The site is adressed to all those who suffered spinal cord injuries
and would like to be kept informed about the research developement in
neurobiology. Therefore this must be a POPULARIZING, not a TECHNICAL
site. Those who are writing their essays on this site should use a
simple language, brief but accurate, with as few technical words as
possible. This fact will entail an easier comprehension and translation
of the essays.
· The translators are girls who have been studying or using for their
job foreign languages, so they have a very good mastery of them.
· At the beginning of every survey we will indicate its mothertongue so
the original text will be available just by clicking on the mouse.
Now let us explain the structure we imagined for this site. Obviously,
we would be glad to receive any suggestion or even critic about our
ideas. Our effort will be aimed to satisfy some criteria we consider
necessary to this kind of site:
1. SIMPLE LANGUAGE: we must give the user the possibility to understand
at once if the information he is looking for is available on this site
(so as to avoid useless scansions of the underpages). Every information
must be easily reacheable.
2. PRECISION and CORRECTNESS of the INFORMATION and EASINESS of USE:
the language must be simple and concise but none-the-less strict in the
exposition. We must supply the user with a system which allows him to
recognize immediately:
- object of the research;
- aims;
- ambits;
- progresses and time-estimate of experimentation on human beings;
- author and centre he has been working at (with links to pages and
e-mails, when available);
- chronology and last update;
- mothertongue of the survey.
3. SPEED: pages must be light so, when possible, with no images, just
text. Anyway, we will give the user the possibility to choose between
downloading just textual pages or the same pages fitted out with images
(when present).
4. INFORMATION FILE FORMAT: we will supply the user with the possibilty
of downloading via FTP complete sections in file formats like PDF or DOC
so as to consult or print them off-line.
As far as the subjects are concerned, we would like to divide the site
in five sections:
1. ANTECEDENT FACT: spinal cord injuries explained by experts: what it
is, why it cannot be cured, what it implies, wich hormonal
contermeasures can help to reduce the injury if adopted immediately
after the trauma? Who to ask to about them if the casualty ward is not
informed?
2. CONDITION OF SCIENTIFIC NEUROBIOLOGICAL RESEARCH IN S.C.I.: research
projects and their actuall progresses directly explained by the chiefs
of the same centres.
3. IMPORTANCE OF PHYSIOTHERAPY.
4. TECHNICAL HELPS.
5. OTHER APPROACHES TO SOLVE PROBLEMS CONCERNING S.C.I.
We thank you for your patience and hope for a future mutual
cooperation,
Giancarlo Volpato and friends.
(gvolpato at shineline.it)
