N-acetylcysteine (NAC) is an anti-oxidantdrug that has been used as a mucolytic agent and a paracetamol antidote for many years. This study was designed to determine the efficacy of the adjunctive use of NAC for periodontal treatment. Thirty subjects with moderate-to-severe chronic periodontitis were randomized to surgery with NAC (600 mg; S-NAC), surgery only (S-nonNAC), and healthy control groups. Gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) samples were obtained from all patients and sRANKL levels were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay at baseline, and 1, 3, and 7 months post-surgery. Plaque and gingival indices, probing depths, and clinical attachment levels were recorded at the same time. There was a significant reduction in probing depth at 3 months in the S-NAC group when compared to the S-nonNAC group (P < 0.05). However, no statistically significant differences in plaque and gingival indices, probing depths, clinical attachment levels, and sRANKL levels in GCF were noted between the surgical treatment groups at the end of 7 months. Hence, the use of adjunctive NAC resulted in a significant reduction in probing depths in the S-NAC group when compared to the S-nonNAC group at 3 months, but no statistically significant differences in GCF sRANKL levels were observed in the sites that underwent surgical treatment with or without NAC at different time intervals.

Cast thin films of polyvinyl alcohol/glycogen blends of different compositions have been prepared and subjected to the electrical measurements of both currenttime and current-voltage characteristics as well as d.c. conductivity as a function of temperature. The conduction mechanisms operative in the films at different temperature and voltage ranges are estimated from the behavior of log I versus V 1/2 plots. For individual polymers, the conduction mechanism appears to be essentially a Poole-Frenkel type. On blending, at lower temperature the charge conduction is through the Schottky emission while at higher temperature the charge conduction mechanism is Poole-Frenkel. In addition, the deviation of the plots at lower voltages indicates the existence of space charge contribution in conduction mechanism. The obtained results made it possible to determine several conduction parameters including activation energy, carrier mobility, and carrier concentration. POLYM. COMPOS.

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