02406nas a2200325   4500000000100000008004100001260001200042653000800054653003900062653001700101653002500118653001200143653002400155653001300179100001300192700001300205700001700218700001300235700001300248700001600261700001500277700001200292700001400304245014800318856008600466300000900552490000700561520149800568022001402066       2025                            d  c09/202510aHIV10aAcquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome10aCo-infection10aImmunohistochemistry10aleprosy10aNerve Growth Factor10aNeuritis1 aXavier M1 aFontes L1 aNascimento M1 aPassos S1 aXavier D1 aAlcantara L1 ade Brito E1 aGomes C1 aCorbett C00aTissue Expression of NGF in Skin Lesions of HIV-Coinfected and Non-Coinfected Leprosy Patients and Its Relationship with Leprosy Neural Damage.  uhttps://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12566393/pdf/microorganisms-13-02271.pdf  a1-150 v133 a<p>Leprosy remains a significant public health issue, particularly due to its neuropathic consequences, which affect sensory, motor, and autonomic functions, leading to severe disabilities. HIV/AIDS, another major public health concern, overlaps geographically with leprosy and is also associated with peripheral neuropathies, complicating the management of co-infected patients. Understanding how Nerve Growth Factor (NGF) is regulated in leprosy and HIV-leprosy co-infection may contribute to immunomodulatory treatments and neuroimmune response control. A cross-sectional study evaluated NGF tissue expression using immunohistochemistry in 47 HIV/leprosy co-infected patients and 61 leprosy-only patients. The co-infected group had a higher incidence of neuritis (40.4%) and a prevalence of exclusively reversal reactions. However, the occurrence of neuritis was not associated with higher expression of NGF in the tissue. Leprosy reactions were more prevalent in non-co-infected patients with multibacillary forms (50%). Multibacillary forms in both groups of patients showed higher cellular expression of NGF, with a greater tendency for higher NGF expression in non-co-infected multibacillary patients ( = 0.0021), suggesting impairment in the immune response involved in the tissue expression of neurotrophins in the co-infected group. Overall, co-infection with HIV did not influence the increase in NGF in the lesions of leprosy patients compared with patients with leprosy alone.</p>  a2076-2607