EntroPhylo: An entropy-based tool to select phylogenetic informative regions and primer design.

We present a novel entropy-based computational tool that selects phylogenetic informative genomic regions associated with degenerate primer design. This tool identifies proper phylogenetic markers and proposes suitable degenerate primers to amplify and sequence them. The algorithm calculates the entropy value per site, and the selected region is used for primer design. In order to evaluate the tool, sequences of bovine papillomavirus L1 gene were obtained. Once the molecular region was selected, the primers were designed by the software and used in a PCR reaction for viral detection. Three positive samples were tested with four different concentrations, and it was possible to detect the virus in all samples. The results show the applicability of a tool that can select informative regions for phylogenetic analysis and design primers to amplify and sequence these regions, becoming relevant for several studies focusing on pathogen detection, as well as phylogenetic and genetics studies of populations.

Qualidade de Vida, Depressão e Adesão ao Tratamento de Pessoas com Diabetes Mellitus Tipo 2 / Quality of Life, Depression and Treatment Compliance Among Type 2 Diabetic Individuals

Introdução: O Diabetes Mellitus (DM) é uma doença crônica que apresenta elevada prevalência mundial e está relacionada a altas taxas de morbimortalidade. No contexto da qualidade de vida (QV) da pessoa com DM, a depressão e a adesão ao tratamento são variáveis que podem estar relacionadas. Objetivos: Avaliar a QV, a presença de sintomas depressivos e a adesão ao tratamento de pessoas com DM tipo 2. Material e Métodos: Estudo do tipo exploratório, descritivo, desenvolvido com uma amostra constituída por 38 sujeitos. Para avaliar a QV, presença de sintomas depressivos e a adesão ao tratamento foram utilizados os instrumentos Problem Areas in Diabetes - B-PAID, o Inventário de Depressão de Beck e a Medida de Adesão ao Tratamento Medicamentoso - MAT, respectivamente. Resultados: A média B-PAID total foi 59,3 e o domínio que obteve maior valor médio foi Problemas emocionais (37,40). Metade dos participantes apresentou sintomas depressivos, que variou de leve a depressão grave e a maioria aderiu ao tratamento (94,7%). Conclusão: Os participantes do estudo apresentaram QV comprometida e sintomas depressivos, sugerindo que o DM pode interferir no aspecto emocional, não tendo afetado na adesão ao tratamento. (AU)

Introduction: Diabetes Mellitus (DM) is a chronic disease with high prevalence worldwide and high morbidity and mortality rates. In the context of the quality of life (QoL) of individuals with DM, depression and treatment compliance are important variables to be considered. Objectives: To evaluate QoL, the presence of depressive symptoms and treatment compliance among individuals with type 2 DM. Materials and Methods: This was an exploratory, descriptive study including a sample of 38 subjects. The Problem Areas in Diabetes - B-PAID, the Beck Depression Inventory and the Adherence Measure to Treatment ­ AMT were used to evaluate the QoL, the presence of depressive symptoms and treatment compliance, respectively. Results: The B-PAID total was found to be 59.3, and the B-PAID domain that obtained the highest average was emotional problems (37.40). Half of the participants had depressive symptoms, ranging from mild to severe depression and most adhered to treatment (94.7%). Conclusion: The study participants had impaired QoL and depressive symptoms, suggesting that DM may interfere with the emotional aspect and did not affect treatment compliance. (AU)