The Communicative Informativeness and Efficiency of Connected Discourse by Adults With Aphasia Under Structured and Conversational Sampling Conditions

Measuring communicative informativeness under conversational discourse conditions is perhaps the most valid means of determining the interpersonal verbal communication abilities of aphasic adults. Nevertheless, the data derived from such analyses are expensive to collect and subject to unknown sources of variablity. In this study, samples of connected discourse were obtained from 20 aphasic subjects under narrative and conversational sampling conditions to determine the extent to which they were related on measures of communicative informativeness. Results revealed that subjects produced significantly greater percentages of informative words [i.e., correct information units (Nicholas & Brookshire, 1993b)] under conversational discourse conditions, but that the percentage of correct information units produced during narrative discourse tasks could be used to predict performance under conversational conditions with a high degree of accuracy

Dentine bond strength of a composite resin polymerized with conventional light and argon laser Resistência de união à dentina de resina composta polimerizada com luz halógena e laser de argônio

The use of argon laser (488 nm) has been suggested as a new alternative for polymerizing adhesive materials. This study aimed to evaluate the tensile bond strength of a microfilled composite (A110, 3M) inserted by incremental technique (3 increments of 1 mm) and by single increment (3 mm) polymerized by argon laser for 10, 20 and 30 seconds and halogen light for 40 seconds. Eighty (8 groups of 10 teeth) freshly extracted bovine teeth were stored in a freezer in distilled water for one week. The crowns were cross-sectioned from the roots. Pulpectomy was performed and the pulp chambers were sealed with wax. The buccal surfaces of the teeth were ground with wet sandpaper (grains: 120, 400, and 600) to expose the surface dentin, and the teeth were then included in acrylic resin. A metal device was used to fix each sample and a black propylene matrix25 (3 mm high with an internal millimetric delimitation) was used to insert the material according to the groups studied. The polymerization intervals were of 10, 20 and 30 seconds for the laser polymerization and 40 seconds for the conventional polymerization. Tensile tests were performed by a Universal Testing Machine 4442 (Instron) at a speed of 0.5 mm/min and 500 N load. According to the methodology used, the incremental technique increased bond strength values. There was no difference between the studied polymerization techniques when resin was filled in 3 increments.<br>O uso do laser de argônio (488 nm) tem sido sugerido como uma nova alternativa para polimerização de materiais adesivos. Este estudo tem o objetivo de avaliar a resistência adesiva de uma resina composta microparticulada (A110, 3M) inserida pela técnica incremental (3 incrementos de 1 mm) e de incremento único (3 mm) polimerizada com laser de argônio por 10, 20 e 30 segundos e com luz halógena por 40 segundos. Oitenta (8 grupos com 10 dentes) dentes bovinos recém-extraídos foram armazenados em geladeira, em água destilada, por uma semana. As coroas foram separadas das raízes. Foi realizada a pulpectomia, e as coroas foram seladas com cera. As faces vestibulares foram desgastadas com seqüência de lixas (120, 400 e 600) para expor a dentina superficial, e os dentes foram incluídos em resina acrílica. Foi utilizada uma mesa metálica para fixar cada espécime com a matriz de polipropileno preta (3 mm de altura com delimitação interna milimetrada) e inserir a resina de acordo com os grupos estudados. Os tempos de polimerização foram de 10, 20 e 30 segundos para a polimerização com laser e de 40 segundos para a polimerização convencional. Os testes de resistência adesiva foram realizados com a máquina universal de ensaios 4442 (Instron) com velocidade de 0,5 mm/min e carga de 500 N. De acordo com a metodologia usada, a técnica incremental aumentou os valores de resistência adesiva. Não houve diferença entre as técnicas de polimerização usadas quando a resina foi inserida em 3 incrementos

Comparison of microleakage of photo-cured composites using three different light sources: halogen lamp, LED and argon laser: an in vitro study

In this study, we compared the microleakage of composite fillings cured with halogen bulb, LED and argon ion laser (488 nm). Twenty-four extracted human molars were divided randomly in three groups. Six cavities were prepared on the coronal part of each tooth. Standard cavities (1.7 x 2 mm) were prepared. Cavities were acid etched, sealed with Scotch Bond 1 and filled by a hybrid composite. Cavities were exposed to one light source, thermocycled and immersed in a 2% methylene blue dye solution. Dye penetration in the leakage of cavities was recorded using a digital optical microscope. Mean values of percentage of dye penetrations in microleakages of cavities were 49.303 +/- 5.178% for cavities cured with LED, 44.486 +/- 6.075% with halogen bulb and 36.647 +/- 5.936% for those cured by argon laser. Statistically significant difference exists between cavities cured by halogen vs LED (P < 0.01), halogen vs laser (P < 0.001) and LED vs laser (P < 0.001). The lowest microleakage was observed in the cavities and composites cured with argon ion laser