Protein profile of leprosy patients with plantar ulcers from the Eastern Amazon region.

Background: Studies investigating the nutritional status of patients with leprosy and plantar ulcers are sparse. Therefore, the objective of this study was to describe the protein profile of leprosy patients with plantar ulcers from the Eastern Amazon region.

Methods: A case record form was created for 75 patients with leprosy (31 with plantar ulcers and 44 without plantar ulcers) with the following data: sociodemographic characteristics, clinical form of leprosy, presence or absence of plantar ulcers, and nutritional assessment using anthropometry consisting of the measurement of body mass index, arm circumference, arm muscle circumference, and triceps skinfold.

Langerhans cells (CD1a and CD207), dermal dendrocytes (FXIIIa) and plasmacytoid dendritic cells (CD123) in skin lesions of leprosy patients.

The clinical course of infection with Mycobacterium leprae varies widely and depends on the pattern of the host immune response. Dendritic cells play an important role in the activation of the innate and adaptive immune system and seem to be essential for the development of the disease. To analyze the presence of epidermal dendritic cells (CD1a and CD207), plasmacytoid dendritic cells (CD123) and dermal dendrocytes (factor XIIIa) in lesion fragments of leprosy patients, skin samples from 30 patients were studied.

Correlation between nerve growth factor and tissue expression of IL-17 in leprosy.

Leprosy is a serious public health problem in peripheral and developing countries. Leprosy is a chronic infectious-contagious disease caused by the intracellular, bacillus Mycobacterium leprae, which causes tissue damage and demyelination of peripheral nerves. Recent studies have demonstrated the participation of new subtype's cytokines profile in the inflammatory response of leprosy.

Apoptotic activity and Treg cells in tissue lesions of patients with leprosy.

In order to understand the apoptotic response and the participation of Treg cells in the spectral clinical evolution of leprosy, this study evaluated the immunohistochemical expression of caspase-3 and FoxP3 in skin lesions of leprosy patients with the polar forms of the disease. Forty-nine patients with a confirmed diagnosis of the disease were selected, including 27 with the TT form and 22 with the LL form. Quantitative analysis of caspase-3 immunostaining showed a higher expression of this mediator in the LL form (3.