A comparison of patient satisfaction between treatment with conventional complete dentures and overdentures in the elderly: a literature review

Background:It has been stated that mandibular overdentures are more satisfactory than conventional dentures, but problems relating to the use of retrospective ratings, lack of control group and sequential provision of treatment may compromise the findings.Objective:To establish a comparison between treatment with conventional complete dentures and implant-retained overdentures in elderly patients by conducting a literature review.Materials and methods:A search of English language peer-review literature was completed using Medline up to 2008 focusing on evidence-based research. Randomised clinical trials (RCTs) and longitudinal prospective studies were favoured in the review, using a general hierarchical classification. Articles that did not focus exclusively on the comparison of patient satisfaction between complete dentures and overdentures were excluded from further evaluation. The last search was conducted in February 2008. Key terms included quality of life, patient satisfaction, edentulism, complete denture and overdenture.Results:Among the 90 articles found in the initial search, 27 met the inclusion criteria. This included 18 RCTs and eight prospective and one cohort study. Most of the articles stated superiority of the mandibular implant-retained overdenture therapy over the conventional complete denture regarding patient satisfaction and quality of life.Conclusion:Even with implant treatment presenting higher patient satisfaction and improvement of quality of life, it was not possible to establish a direct comparison between the studies due to differences in adopted methodologies.

General soliton matrices in the Riemann-Hilbert problem for integrable nonlinear equations

We derive the soliton matrices corresponding to an arbitrary number of higher-order normal zeros for the matrix Riemann-Hilbert problem of arbitrary matrix dimension, thus giving the complete solution to the problem of higher-order solitons. Our soliton matrices explicitly give all higher-order multisoliton solutions to the nonlinear partial differential equations integrable through the matrix Riemann-Hilbert problem. We have applied these general results to the three-wave interaction system, and derived new classes of higher-order soliton and two-soliton solutions, in complement to those from our previous publication [Stud. Appl. Math. 110, 297 (2003)], where only the elementary higher-order zeros were considered. The higher-order solitons corresponding to nonelementary zeros generically describe the simultaneous breakup of a pumping wave (u(3)) into the other two components (u(1) and u(2)) and merger of u(1) and u(2) waves into the pumping u(3) wave. The two-soliton solutions corresponding to two simple zeros generically describe the breakup of the pumping u(3) wave into the u(1) and u(2) components, and the reverse process. In the nongeneric cases, these two-soliton solutions could describe the elastic interaction of the u(1) and u(2) waves, thus reproducing previous results obtained by Zakharov and Manakov [Zh. Eksp. Teor. Fiz. 69, 1654 (1975)] and Kaup [Stud. Appl. Math. 55, 9 (1976)]. (C) 2003 American Institute of Physics.

Fishery of the Uçá Crab Ucides Cordatus (Linnaeus, 1763) in a Mangrove Area in Cananéia, State of São Paulo, Brazil: Fishery Performance, Exploitation Patterns and Factors Affecting the Catches

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Signatures of doubly charged Higgs in the SU(3)(L) circle times U(1)(N) model at the CERN LHC

The scalar sector of the simplest version of the 3-3-1 electroweak model is constructed with three Higgs triplets only. We show that a relation involving two of the constants of the model, two vacuum expectation values of the neutral scalars, and the mass of the doubly charged Higgs boson leads to important information concerning the signals of this scalar particle.

Neutral Higgs bosons in the SU(3)(L)circle times U(1)(N) model

The SU(3)(L)circle times U(1)(N) electroweak model predicts new Higgs bosons beyond the one of the standard model. In this work we investigate the signature and production of neutral SU(3)(L)circle times U(1)(N) Higgs bosons in the e(-)e(+) Next Linear Collider and in the CERN Linear Collider . We compute the branching ratios of two of the SU(3)(L)circle times U(1)(N) neutral Higgs bosons and study the possibility to detect them and the Z' extra neutral boson of the model.

Accumulation of six metals in the mangrove crab Ucides cordatus (Crustacea: Ucididae) and its food source, the red mangrove Rhizophora mangle (Angiosperma: Rhizophoraceae)

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Frequency of human leukocyte antigen (hla) in patients with malaria and in the general population of Humaitá county, Amazonas state, Brazil

Em agosto de 1983 foram observados 85 habitantes do Município de Humaitá, Estado do Amazonas, Brasil, com a finalidade de estudar a prevalência dos antígenos de HLA -A, -B, -C e DR, dentre os quais 38 eram doentes com malária causada pelo Plasmodium falciparum Todos eles foram examinados para avaliação de esplenomegalia, exame parasitológico de sangue e pesquisa de anticorpos de malária. Foram constituídos três grupos: (I) 25 indivíduos nascidos na região Amazônica que nunca tiveram malária; (II) 38 indivíduos naturais da Amazônia que tinham sido tratados de malária no passado, ou que estavam tendo malária atual, e (III) 22 doentes com malária que contraíram na Amazônia e eram procedentes de outras regiões do Brasil. Foram colhidas amostras de sangue de cada um deles, separados os linfôcitos e os antígenos de HLA foram tipados pelo teste de microlinfocitotoxidade. Houve elevada freqüência de antígenos não identificados, nos grupos estudados, o que sugere ou a existência de homozigoze, oufenôtipo não identificado nessa população. Houve alta freqüência fenotípica de antígeno deAg(W24) (44,7%) no Grupo II, quando comparado ao Grupo 1(32%) ou Grupo III (9%). Os indivíduos do Grupo II mostraram também elevada freqüência do antígeno DR4 (80%) quando comparado ao Grupo 1(36,3%) ou Grupo III(16,6%). Essas observações sugerem a possibilidade de suscetibilidadegenética ã malária entre os nativos da Amazônia e indicam a necessidade da realização de inquéritos mais extensos sobre a freqüência de antígenos de HLA em habitantes de zona endêmica de malária.

Knowledge of general dentists in the current guidelines for emergency treatment of avulsed teeth and dental trauma prevention

A high prevalence of dental trauma exists and its effects on function and esthetics deserve the attention of general dentists. The aim of this study was to assess the level of general dental practitioners' (GDPs) knowledge about guidelines for dental avulsion and its prevention using a questionnaire. The 21-item questionnaire was distributed among 264 GDPs and the survey was realized between August-November 2006. The data obtained were statistically analyzed using descriptive analysis and Pearson's Chi-square test to determine associations between knowledge regarding emergency treatment and dentists from public or private dental schools and years of experience. The results showed that the participants exhibited appropriate knowledge concerning procedures in cases of tooth avulsion and its prevention. The number of correct answers was low in relation to recommended treatment at the site of injury. Storage medium, preparation of the alveolus and splint time for receiving the avulsed tooth received a high number of correct answers. One statistically significant association between years of experience and recommended treatment at the site of the injury in the case an avulsed tooth (KH2 = 9.384, P = 0.009). In conclusion, this survey showed appropriate knowledge of dental avulsion management and its prevention among the surveyed dentists. The findings also showed that communication between dentists and the population is deficient, especially concerning practitioners of high risk and contact sports.

On the Baker-Akhiezer function in the AKNS scheme

Expressions for the Baker-Akhiezer function and their logarithmic space and time derivatives are derived in terms of the matrix elements of U - V matrices and 'squared basis functions'. These expressions generalize the well known formulas for the KdV equation case and establish links between different forms of the Whitham averaging procedure.

Nitrification processes in groundwaters evidenced by modification on the U contents and U-234/U-238 activity ratios

Groundwaters from the Botucatu-Piramboia aquifer system located at the Parana sedimentary basin in Brazil and sampled at Ribeirao Preto city, São Paulo State, were chemically and isotopically analysed, with the aim of evaluating how uranium isotopes U-234 and U-238 can be utilized to monitor the progress of nitrate, the main indicator of agrichemical pollution into an aquifer. Based on the isotope dilution analysis, the U-234/U-238 activity ratio and U content data in the groundwaters were utilized to deduce their proportions in a mixture, suggesting that the water not affected significantly by nitrification still dominates the exploitation system involving the studied wells.

A laboratory study of the transfer of U-234 and U-238 during water-rock interactions in the Carnmenellis granite (Cornwall, England) and implications for the interpretation of field data

Laboratory time-scale experiments were conducted on gravels from the Carnmenellis granite, Cornwall, England, with the purpose of evaluating the release of natural uranium isotopes to the water phase. The implications of these results for the production of enhanced U-234/U-238 activity ratios in Cornish groundwaters are discussed. It is suggested that the U-234/U-238 lab data can be used to interpret activity ratios from Cornwall, even when the observed inverse relationship between dissolved U and U-234/U-238 in leachates/etchates is taken into account. (C) 2001 Elsevier B.V. Ltd. All rights reserved.

Bioecology of the uçá-crab, Ucides cordatus (Linnaeus, 1763), in Vitória Bay, Espírito Santo State, Brazil

A biologia de Ucides cordatus na Baía de Vitória (ES) foi avaliada como subsídio ao manejo populacional. As amostragens ocorreram mensalmente durante um ano (outubro/1998 a setembro/1999), com análise biométrica (LC = largura da carapaça; PE = peso total úmido) e de fatores abióticos em quatro transectos, com quatro faixas cada (margem à região supratidal). A densidade foi de 3,7±1,5 caranguejos.m-2, com incremento em direção à região supratidal, sendo a profundidade das galerias de 1,1±0,3 m. A salinidade da água intersticial diferiu entre as faixas, sendo mais elevada na região supratidal. Houve correlação significativa entre a abundância de exemplares e alguns fatores ambientais, o mesmo ocorrendo quanto as tocas abertas e fechadas. A razão sexual evidenciou um predomínio de fêmeas (1,0M:1,6F), particularmente entre 50 e 75 mm LC. A maior incidência de tocas fechadas ocorreu em agosto e setembro, enquanto as fêmeas ovígeras foram registradas de janeiro a abril. A relação PE/LC mostrou isometria para os machos (PE=0,425.10-3 LC3,0014; R²=0,99) e fêmeas (P=0,439.10-3 LC2,97; R²=0,99). Para o total da população a média de tamanho (LC) e peso (PE) foi de 54,6±11,8 mm e de 77,5±42,4 g, respectivamente. Os dados evidenciam que a população encontra-se sobrexplotada, requerendo manejo adequado para a viabilidade da atividade extrativa na área estudada.

The U-isotopes modeling in aquifers from Pocos de Caldas plateau, Brazil

U-modeled groundwater residence times were estimated by changes in U-234/U-238 activity ratio (AR) and U content of groundwaters from Pocos de Caldas city situated at the Pocos de Caldas alkaline massif, Brazil. The estimated ages are more realistic than others generated by the use of hydraulic conductivity data and available information about the weathering rate of rocks in the plateau. The U-234/U-238 AR and reciprocal of the dissolved U-content data also defined a ternary plot that allowed the calculation of the relative volume of three source waters for the mixed water. Such U-isotopes modeling for mixing calculations indicated that the dominant phase (68%) in the mixture is thermal.

The megalopa and early juvenile stages of Calappa tortugae Rathbun, 1933 (Crustacea, Brachyura) reared in the laboratory from South Carolina neuston samples

Neuston samples collected from the Charleston Bump region off the coast of South Carolina, U.S.A., during the summers of 2002 and 2003 consistently included a decapod species of undetermined identity with a large brachyuran megalopa. Despite their resemblance to some calappids, it was impossible to make a definitive identification based solely on general morphology. Therefore, additional neuston tows were taken on the continental shelf near Charleston, during the summer of 2004 to obtain these living megalopae. These were raised successfully through five juvenile stages at the Southeastern Regional Taxonomic Center (SERTC) laboratory. The morphology of the juveniles provided evidence that they are megalopae of Calappa tortugae Rathbun, 1933. Comparisons with megalopae of Hepatus epheliticus (Linnaeus, 1763), H. pudibundus (Herbst, 1785), Calappa flammea (Herbst, 1794) and Cryptosoma balguerii (Desbonne, 1867) are presented here. This is the first complete description of the megalopa morphology of a member of the genus Calappa Weber, 1795 from the Western Atlantic, and it is helpful for taxonomic, systematic and ecological purposes.

A general survey and some taxonomic implications of diterpenes in the Asteraceae

This paper provides a general survey of the occurrence of diterpenes in the Asteraceae. Data on 4351 botanical occurrences were obtained from the literature. These were grouped by skeleton for each genus. Then, the genera were grouped by subtribes, which, in turn, were gathered in tribes, followed by subfamilies. In spite of the low number of species containing diterpenes, it was possible to describe some structural features of these compounds, i.e. The skeletal types in various taxa and the positions in some skeletons that are always oxidized or never undergo oxidation in some genera. Thus, it was verified that: in the subfamily Cichorioideae, only a few of the studied species possess diterpenes, wherein kaurane is the most frequent diterpene skeleton. In the Asteroideae, the presence of diterpenes is much greater than that in the Cichorioideae and Carduoideae. At tribal taxonomic level, for example, the Astereae produce labdanes and clerodanes; Heliantheae and Eupatorieae produce kauranes and labdanes, respectively; and Calenduleae produce pimaranes. Some taxonomic implications are presented. (c) 2005 the Linnean Society of London.