title: [Twins in biomedical research and the creation of the "National Twin Registry"].
abstract: Twins are a valuable resource for the study of complex traits. The twin method is substantially based on the comparison between correlations and concordance in monozygotic (MZ) and dizygotic (DZ) twins and allows several applications in biomedical and molecular genetic research. It allows either the qualitative and quantitative evaluation of the influences that genetic and environmental factors exert on phenotypes or the estimation of trait variability. Moreover, classical genetic linkage analysis is more powerful if performed in DZ twins. However, the twin method has some pitfalls, such as the necessity that collected samples be representative of both twin and general population. For this reason, over the last few years, a number of Countries have established population-based twin registers, which guarantee the maximum level of representation and, consequently, are of extreme value for epidemiological studies. Italy is also implementing a national twin register. The following is the description of the procedure that led to the establishment of the Italian Twin Registry.
authors.affiliation: Centro nazionale di epidemiologia, sorveglianza e promozione della salute, Istituto superiore di sanità, viale Regina Elena 299, 00161 Roma.
authors.forename: Rodolfo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Cotichini
authors.forename: Corrado
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Fagnani
authors.forename: Valeria
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Patriarca
authors.forename: Lorenza
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Nisticò
authors.forename: Sonia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Brescianini
authors.forename: Rosalia
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Cirrincione
authors.forename: Cristina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: D'Ippolito
authors.forename: Simonetta
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pulciani
authors.forename: Lorenzo
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Figà-Talamanca
authors.forename: Stefania
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Cannoni
authors.forename: Giovanni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ristori
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Salvetti
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Tosi
authors.forename: Maria Antonietta
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Stazi
mesh_terms: D016208:Databases, Factual; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy; D008297:Male; D012042:Registries; D014427:Twins