Neglected tropical diseases encompass a group of chronic and debilitating infectious diseases that primarily affect marginalized populations. Among these diseases, leprosy and leishmaniasis are endemic in numerous countries and can result in severe and disfiguring manifestations. Although there have been reports indicating a higher incidence of leprosy and leishmaniasis in males, the underlying factors contributing to this observation remain unclear. Therefore, the objective of this study was to examine both clinical and experimental evidence regarding the role of testosterone in leprosy and leishmaniasis. A prospective clinical study was conducted to compare the clinical forms of leprosy and assess circulating testosterone levels. Additionally, the impact of testosterone on Leishmania amazonensis-infected macrophages was evaluated in vitro. The findings demonstrated that serum testosterone levels were higher in women with leprosy than in the control group, irrespective of the multi- or pauci-bacillary form of the disease. However, no differences in testosterone levels were observed in men when comparing leprosy patients and controls. Interestingly, increasing doses of testosterone in macrophages infected with L. amazonensis resulted in a higher proportion of infected cells, decreased CD40 expression on the cell surface, elevated expression of SOCS1, and decreased expression of IRF5. These findings provide biological evidence to support the influence of testosterone on intracellular infections, though the interpretation of clinical evidence remains limited.

: This report documents the first known cases of lepromatous leprosy in patients with chronic mucocutaneous candidiasis (CMC) linked to a gain-of-function mutation in the STAT1 gene. Two related patients, a mother and daughter, who both suffer from CMC and lepromatous leprosy, carry a heterozygous STAT1 mutation (c.821G>A; p.R274Q). Both individuals exhibited similarly high levels of total and phosphorylated STAT1 in CD4⁺ T cells and decreased interleukin 17A transcripts. This mutation underscores a complex relationship between genetic susceptibility to infections and the necessity to evaluate each case individually.

Objetivo: Avaliar prevalência de dor lombar e sua influência na qualidade de vida de professores do estado de Sergipe. Método: Trata-se de um estudo observacional transversal com a aplicação dos questionários 12-Item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-12) e índice de Incapacidade de Oswestry para professores dos municípios de Lagarto, Frei Paulo e Itabaiana, no estado de Sergipe. Resultados: 91 professores participaram do estudo, sendo a maioria do sexo feminino (75,82%), com mais de cinco anos de profissão (68,96%), e uma média de idade de 41,48 anos. Foi observado que 56,04% afirmaram possuir lombalgia e destes, 66,70% foram classificados com dor crônica. Os professores com lombalgia apresentaram índices elevados de automedicação (64,71%) e a maioria não fazia acompanhamento médico (78,50%). Foi observada lombalgia com incapacitação de moderada à intensa em 13,73% dos participantes. Os professores com lombalgia apresentaram escores físico e mental significativamente menores que os sem dor (67,83 e 70,52 versus 88,11 e 82,51 respectivamente). Conclusão: Os professores apresentaram elevada frequência de lombalgia crônica com incapacitação leve, porém com impacto significativo na qualidade de vida, evidenciando necessidade de intervenções nessa população. Paralelamente, às elevadas taxas de automedicação associadas à falta de acompanhamento médico podem gerar um maior grau de incapacitação futura desses profissionais.