The coinfection of respiratory viruses and bacteria is a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide, despite the development of vaccines and powerful antibiotics. As a macromolecule that is difficult to absorb in the gastrointestinal tract, a homogeneous polysaccharide from Houttuynia cordata (HCPM) has been reported to exhibit anti-complement properties and alleviate influenza A virus (H1N1)-induced lung injury; however, the effects of HCPM without in vitro antiviral and antibacterial activities on more complicated pulmonary diseases resulting from viral-bacterial coinfection remains unclear. This study established a representative coinfection murine pneumonia model infected with H1N1 (0.2 LD₅₀) and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA, 10⁷ CFU). HCPM significantly improved survival rate and weight loss, and ameliorated gut-lung damage and inflammatory cytokine production. Interestingly, the therapeutic effect of HCPM on intestinal damage preceded that in the lungs. Mechanistically, HCPM inhibited the overactivation of the intestinal complement (C3a and C5a) and suppressed the activation of the NLR family pyrin domain-containing 3 (NLRP3) pathway, which contributes to the regulation of the Treg/Th17 cell balance in the gut-lung axis. The results indicate the beneficial effects of an anti-complement polysaccharide against viral-bacterial coinfection pneumonia by modulating crosstalk between multiple immune regulatory networks.

Objective:To compare the effects of early orthodontic intervention and conventional sequential periodontal-orthodontic treatment to periodontal health in patients with stage Ⅳ periodontitis.Methods:A total of 30 patients with stage Ⅳ periodontitis, who underwent combined periodontal and orthodontic therapies at the Department of Periodontology, the Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine, from January 2018 to August 2024, were included. Patients who underwent early orthodontic intervention were initiated simultaneously or within one month after supragingival scaling and subgingival root planning ( n=15). While patients in control group accomplished supragingival scaling, subgingival root planning, and corresponding periodontal surgeries to achieve inflammation control before starting orthodontic treatment ( n=15). Periodontal parameters, including clinical attachment loss (CAL), probing depth (PD), and bleeding on probing (+) % [BOP (+) %], were measured at baseline, one year after orthodontic treatment, and at the end of combined periodontal-orthodontic therapy respectively. Improvements in periodontal parameters and differences in tooth loss between the two groups were compared. Results:After receiving combined periodontal-orthodontic treatment, the CAL of the early orthodontic intervention group significantly decreased from (4.39±0.90) mm before treatment to (2.41±0.35) mm at the end of treatment ( t=7.92, P<0.001). Similarly, the PD significantly reduced from (4.20±1.04) mm before treatment to (2.20±0.38) mm at the end of treatment ( t=7.01, P<0.001). The BOP(+)% also showed a significant improvement, decreasing from 89.29% (68.00%, 100.00%) before treatment to 13.04% (7.14%, 17.86%) at the end of treatment ( Z=-3.41, P<0.001). There were no statistically significant differences between the early orthodontic intervention group and control group in terms of baseline mean CAL, mean PD, and BOP(+)% ( t=1.30, P=0.205; t=1.28, P=0.212; Z=0.58, P=0.559). Furthermore, the improvements in CAL and PD between the two groups were not significantly different compared to baseline ( Z=-1.10, P=0.272; Z=-0.93, P=0.351). However, the number of missing teeth was significantly lower in the early orthodontic intervention group than in the control group (χ2=3.96, P=0.047). The duration of combined periodontal-orthodontic treatment in the early orthodontic intervention group was [33.13 (23.37, 36.20) months], which was significantly shorter than that in the control group [37.47 (32.33, 50.90) months] ( Z=2.07, P=0.037). Conclusions:Both early orthodontic intervention and conventional periodontal-orthodontic treatment significantly improved CAL, PD, and BOP(+)% in stage Ⅳ periodontitis patients. Early orthodontic intervention contributed to the preservation of natural teeth and shortened the treatment duration of stage Ⅳ periodontitis.

Objective:To compare the effects of early orthodontic intervention and conventional sequential periodontal-orthodontic treatment to periodontal health in patients with stage Ⅳ periodontitis.Methods:A total of 30 patients with stage Ⅳ periodontitis, who underwent combined periodontal and orthodontic therapies at the Department of Periodontology, the Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine, from January 2018 to August 2024, were included. Patients who underwent early orthodontic intervention were initiated simultaneously or within one month after supragingival scaling and subgingival root planning ( n=15). While patients in control group accomplished supragingival scaling, subgingival root planning, and corresponding periodontal surgeries to achieve inflammation control before starting orthodontic treatment ( n=15). Periodontal parameters, including clinical attachment loss (CAL), probing depth (PD), and bleeding on probing (+) % [BOP (+) %], were measured at baseline, one year after orthodontic treatment, and at the end of combined periodontal-orthodontic therapy respectively. Improvements in periodontal parameters and differences in tooth loss between the two groups were compared. Results:After receiving combined periodontal-orthodontic treatment, the CAL of the early orthodontic intervention group significantly decreased from (4.39±0.90) mm before treatment to (2.41±0.35) mm at the end of treatment ( t=7.92, P<0.001). Similarly, the PD significantly reduced from (4.20±1.04) mm before treatment to (2.20±0.38) mm at the end of treatment ( t=7.01, P<0.001). The BOP(+)% also showed a significant improvement, decreasing from 89.29% (68.00%, 100.00%) before treatment to 13.04% (7.14%, 17.86%) at the end of treatment ( Z=-3.41, P<0.001). There were no statistically significant differences between the early orthodontic intervention group and control group in terms of baseline mean CAL, mean PD, and BOP(+)% ( t=1.30, P=0.205; t=1.28, P=0.212; Z=0.58, P=0.559). Furthermore, the improvements in CAL and PD between the two groups were not significantly different compared to baseline ( Z=-1.10, P=0.272; Z=-0.93, P=0.351). However, the number of missing teeth was significantly lower in the early orthodontic intervention group than in the control group (χ2=3.96, P=0.047). The duration of combined periodontal-orthodontic treatment in the early orthodontic intervention group was [33.13 (23.37, 36.20) months], which was significantly shorter than that in the control group [37.47 (32.33, 50.90) months] ( Z=2.07, P=0.037). Conclusions:Both early orthodontic intervention and conventional periodontal-orthodontic treatment significantly improved CAL, PD, and BOP(+)% in stage Ⅳ periodontitis patients. Early orthodontic intervention contributed to the preservation of natural teeth and shortened the treatment duration of stage Ⅳ periodontitis.