Social Determinants of Health and Risk of SARS-CoV-2 Infection in Community-Dwelling Older Adults Living in a Rural Latin American Setting.

High social risk, as measured by the social determinants of health (SDH), may increase the risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection. However, this association has not been studied in rural communities. Using the Atahualpa Project cohort, we aimed to assess the association between SDH and SARS-CoV-2 seropositivity in community-dwelling older adults living in rural Ecuador.

Frailty and Risk of Falls in Community-Dwelling Older Adults Living in a Rural Setting. The Atahualpa Project.

Background: Data supporting a link between frailty and risk of falls is mostly confined to individuals living in urban centers, where risk factors and lifestyles are different from that of rural settings.

Objective: To assess the association between frailty and risk of falls in older adults living in rural Ecuador.

Design: Population-based cross-sectional study.

Mediation of age in the association between frailty and large artery atherosclerosis burden - A population study in community-dwelling older adults.

Background: A systematic evaluation of the relationship between frailty and large artery atherosclerosis (LAA) burden has not been carried out. Here, we aimed to assess the association between these variables in community-dwelling older adults living in Atahualpa (rural Ecuador).

Methods: Participants underwent frailty assessment and determinations of LAA in several vascular beds.

Cardiovascular Health Status Among Community-Dwelling Ecuadorian Natives Living in Neighboring Rural Communities: The Three Villages Study.

Knowledge of cardiovascular health (CVH) status in rural communities is essential to implement cost-effective strategies aimed to address the growing burden of cardiovascular diseases in these settings. Here, we report on the CVH status and health metrics of 1508 community-dwellers aged ≥ 40 years in three neighboring rural villages of Coastal Ecuador (Atahualpa, El Tambo, and Prosperidad). According to the American Heart Association, a poor CVH status is designated when at least one cardiovascular health metric is in the poor range.

The Role of Brachial Pulse Pressure as an Indicator of Intracranial Atherosclerosis: The Atahualpa Project.

Introduction: Carotid siphon calcifications (CSC) are an important imaging marker of systemic atherosclerosis. Routine assessment of asymptomatic CSC may allow the implementation of intervention strategies before catastrophic cerebrovascular events occur.

Aim: To assess whether brachial PP determinations might independently predicts the presence and severity of CSC in community-dwelling adults.

Update on Cysticercosis Epileptogenesis: the Role of the Hippocampus.

Neurocysticercosis (NCC) is the most common helminthic infection of the nervous system and a frequent cause of reactive seizures and epilepsy worldwide. In many cases, multiple episodes of focal seizures related to an identifiable parenchymal brain cyst (and likely attributable to local damage) continue for years after the cyst resolves. However, cases where seizure semiology, interictal EEG abnormalities, and parasites location do not correlate raise concerns about the causal relationship between NCC and either reactive seizures or epilepsy, as well as the epileptogenic potential of parasites.

Oily fish consumption is inversely correlated with cerebral microbleeds in community-dwelling older adults: results from the Atahualpa Project.

Background: Oily fish is a major dietary source of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (ω-3 PUFAs). These nutrients improve endothelial dysfunction, reduce β-amyloid induced damage of neurovascular units, and might prevent the occurrence of cerebral microbleeds. However, this relationship has not been investigated so far.

Oily Fish Intake and Cognitive Performance in Community-Dwelling Older Adults: The Atahualpa Project.

Due to their high content of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, oily fish consumption is likely associated with a better cognitive performance. However, information on this association is controversial, with some studies showing a positive effect while others showing no association. We aimed to assess the effects of oily fish consumption on cognitive performance in a population of frequent fish consumers living in rural coastal Ecuador.

Metabolic syndrome correlates poorly with cognitive performance in stroke-free community-dwelling older adults: a population-based, cross-sectional study in rural Ecuador.

Background: Studies investigating a possible correlation between metabolic syndrome and cognitive decline have been inconsistent.

Aims: To determine whether metabolic syndrome or each of its components correlate with cognitive performance in community-dwelling older adults in rural Ecuador.

Methods: Stroke-free Atahualpa residents aged ≥60 years were identified during a door-to-door survey.

Cognitive performance in community-dwelling older adults with stroke and the contribution of age and diffuse subcortical damage: a population-based study in rural Ecuador (The Atahualpa Project).

Background: Cognitive impairment is common among stroke survivors. However, there is controversy on the role of the stroke itself or the associated subcortical damage in post-stroke cognitive decline.

Aim: To assess the independent contribution and the interaction of age, the stroke itself and diffuse subcortical damage in the poor cognitive performance observed in patients with stroke.

Prevalence, correlates, and prognosis of peripheral artery disease in rural ecuador-rationale, protocol, and phase I results of a population-based survey: an atahualpa project-ancillary study.

Background. Little is known on the prevalence of peripheral artery disease (PAD) in developing countries. Study design.

Neurocysticercosis.

Purpose Of Review: Neurocysticercosis occurs when humans become intermediate hosts in the life cycle of Taenia solium by ingesting its eggs directly from a taenia carrier or, less often, by contaminated food. Within the nervous system, cysticerci may lodge in the brain parenchyma, subarachnoid space, ventricular system, or spinal cord, causing a number of pathologic changes that are responsible for the pleomorphism of neurocysticercosis. This article discusses the clinical manifestations, diagnosis, and treatment of neurocysticercosis.