Reliability of Two Ankle-Brachial Index Methods to Predict Silent Lacunar Infarcts: A Population-Based Study in Stroke-Free Older Adults (the Atahualpa Project).

Individuals with an abnormal ankle-brachial index (ABI) are four times more likely to have a silent lacunar infarct (SLI), but reliability of ABI in predicting the presence of these lesions has not been estimated yet. We compared two methods of calculating ABI to assess their reliability in predicting SLIs. Stroke-free Atahualpa residents aged ≥ 60 years underwent MRI of the brain and ABI determinations.

The Effect of Age in the Association between Frailty and Poor Sleep Quality: A Population-Based Study in Community-Dwellers (The Atahualpa Project).

Purpose: To assess the effect of age in the association between poor sleep quality and frailty status.

Design And Setting: Population-based, cross-sectional study conducted in Atahualpa, a rural village located in coastal Ecuador.

Methods: Out of 351 Atahualpa residents aged ≥ 60 years, 311 (89%) were interviewed with the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and the Edmonton Frail Scale (EFS).

Neuroimaging signatures of frailty: A population-based study in community-dwelling older adults (the Atahualpa Project).

Aims: Frailty is a geriatric state of physical vulnerability that might be associated with cognitive decline in the absence of a concurrent neurodegenerative disorder. This assumes that neuroimaging studies are normal, but such examinations have rarely been considered for a frailty work-up. The present study identifies neuroimaging signatures in older adults interviewed with the Edmonton Frail Scale (EFS).

Rapid evolution of in vivo-selected sequences and structures replacing 20% of a subviral RNA.

The 356 nt noncoding satellite RNA C (satC) of Turnip crinkle virus (TCV) is composed of 5' sequences from a second TCV satRNA (satD) and 3' sequences derived from TCV. SHAPE structure mapping revealed that 76 nt in the poorly-characterized satD-derived region form an extended hairpin (H2). Pools of satC in which H2 was replaced with 76, 38, or 19 random nt were co-inoculated with TCV helper virus onto plants and satC fitness assessed using in vivo functional selection (SELEX).