The randomized shortened dental arch study (RaSDA): design and protocol

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Various treatment options for the prosthetic treatment of jaws where all molars are lost are under discussion. Besides the placement of implants, two main treatment types can be distinguished: replacement of the missing molars with removable dental prostheses and non-replacement of the molars, i.e. preservation of the shortened dental arch. Evidence is lacking regarding the long-term outcome and the clinical performance of these approaches. High treatment costs and the long time required for the treatment impede respective clinical trials.</p> <p>Methods/design</p> <p>This 14-center randomized controlled investigator-initiated trial is ongoing. Last patient out will be in 2010. Patients over 35 years of age with all molars missing in one jaw and with at least both canines and one premolar left on each side were eligible. One group received a treatment with removable dental prostheses for molar replacement (treatment A). The other group received a treatment limited to the replacement of all missing anterior and premolar teeth using fixed bridges (treatment B). A pilot trial with 32 patients was carried out. Two hundred and fifteen patients were enrolled in the main trial where 109 patients were randomized for treatment A and 106 for treatment B. The primary outcome measure is further tooth loss during the 5-year follow-up. The secondary outcome measures encompassed clinical, technical and subjective variables. The study is funded by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (German Research Foundation, DFG WA 831/2-1, 2-2, 2-3, 2-4, 2-5).</p> <p>Discussion</p> <p>The particular value of this trial is the adaptation of common design components to the very specific features of complex dental prosthetic treatments. The pilot trial proved to be indispensable because it led to a number of adjustments in the study protocol that considerably improved the practicability. The expected results are of high clinical relevance and will show the efficacy of two common treatment approaches in terms of oral health. An array of secondary outcome measures will deliver valuable supplementary information. If the results can be implemented in the clinical practice, the daily dental care should strongly profit thereof.</p> <p>Trial registration</p> <p>The trial is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov under ISRCTN68590603 (pilot trial) and ISRCTN97265367 (main trial).</p

Penerapan Analisis Jalur Untuk Mengetahui Variabel Yang Mempengaruhi Intensi Berdonasi Melalui Media Sosial Twitter.

Analisis jalur merupakan salah satu teknik analisis multivariat yang mempelajari sebab akibat antar variabel eksogen dan endogen untuk mengetahui pengaruh langsung maupun tidak langsung. Besarnya jumlah pengguna Twitter di Indonesia menjadi salah satu wadah bagi masyarakat yang ingin mengumpulkan dukungan terhadap sesama yang kesulitan, salah satunya adalah dengan kegiatan donasi. Antusiasme para pengguna Twitter untuk berpartisipasi dalam kegiatan donasi tersebut yang tentunya didasari dengan keinginan atau intensi berdonasi. Oleh karena itu, penelitian ini bertujuan untuk: (1) Menerapkan analisis jalur untuk mengetahui pengaruh langsung dan tidak langsung dari variabel-variabel eksogen terhadap intensi berdonasi. (2) Menentukan variabel apa yang paling mempengaruhi intensi berdonasi secara signifikan. (3) Menentukan besarnya pengaruh variabel mediasi dalam hubungan antara variabel-variabel eksogen terhadap intensi berdonasi. Data yang digunakan pada penelitian ini adalah data primer yang dikumpulkan melalui kuesioner kepada 95 pengguna Twitter yang pernah berdonasi melalui media sosial Twitter dengan teknik purposive sampling. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa (1) intensi berdonasi dipengaruhi langsung secara signifikan oleh subjective norm dan empati. Selain itu, intensi berdonasi juga dipengaruhi secara tidak langsung oleh subjective norm, kepercayaan, dan efikasi diri melalui empati. (2) Variabel yang paling mempengaruhi intensi berdonasi secara langsung dan signifikan adalah variabel subjective norm dengan koefisien jalur sebesar 0,375. (3) Variabel empati mampu menjadi variabel mediasi dalam hubungan antara variabel subjective norm, kemudahan, kepercayaan, dan efikasi diri terhadap intensi berdonasi dengan masing-masing koefisien jalur sebesar 0,0672; 0,0565; 0,1182; dan 0,0772. Hal tersebut dibuktikan dengan uji Sobel yang menunjukkan nilai p dari seluruh hubungan tersebut lebih kecil dari 0,0

Photosynthetic efficiency of Clusia arrudae leaf tissue with and without Cecidomyiidae galls

Leaf galls induced by a still undescribed new species of Cecidomyiidae (Diptera) are frequent on leaves of Clusia arrudae Planchon & Tirana (Clusiaceae) in the rupestrian fields at 1400 m a.s.l. in Serra do Cipó, Minas Gerais, Brazil. Galls were 7.1 ± 0.7 mm in diameter, one chambered with only one larva inside. Gall tissue is green and soft. Assessments of photosynthetic capacity using chlorophyll-a fluorescence measurements revealed that photosynthetic performance of gall tissue and healthy leaf tissue were rather similar. Hence, the morphological changes due to gall development were not associated with significant changes in the photosynthetic capacity of the tissue