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Background: Identification of cognitive impairment is based traditionally on the neuropsychological tests and biomarkers that are not available widely. This study aimed to establish the association between motor function (gait speed and handgrip strength) and cognitive performance in the Mini-Mental State Examination, globally and by domains. A secondary goal was calculating a cut-off point for gait speed and handgrip strength to classify older adults as cognitively impaired. Methods: This is a secondary analysis of SABE Colombia (Salud, Bienestar & Envejecimiento), a survey that was conducted in 2015 on health, wellbeing, and aging in Colombia. This study used linear regression models to search for an association between motor function and cognitive performance. The accuracy of motor function measurements in identifying cognitive impairment was assessed with receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. This study also analyzed other clinical and sociodemographical variables. Results: Gait speed was associated with orientation (r 2 = 0.16), language (r 2 = 0.15), recall memory (r 2 = 0.14), and counting (r 2 = 0.08). Similarly, handgrip strength was associated with orientation (r 2 = 0.175), language (r 2 = 0.164), recall memory (r 2 = 0.137), and counting (r 2 = 0.08). To differentiate older adults with and without cognitive impairment, a gait speed cut-off point of 0.59 m/s had an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.629 (0.613–0.646), and a weak handgrip (strength below 17.5 kg) had an AUC of 0.653 (0.645-0.661). The cut-off points for handgrip strength and gait speed were significantly higher in male participants. Conclusions: Gait speed and handgrip strength are similarly associated with the cognitive performance, exhibiting the most extensive association with orientation and language domains of the Mini-Mental State Examination. Gait speed and handgrip strength can easily be measured by any clinician, and they prove to be useful screening tools to detect cognitive impairment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A compilation of previous biostratigraphic studies conducted in Upper Miocene to Pliocene deposits from the Caribbean region of Colombia reveals a predominant reliance on mollusks and benthic foraminifera for age determinations, with planktonic microfossils being less explored. To contribute to this biostratigraphic background, we have performed biostratigraphic analyses of calcareous nannoplankton, an oceanic planktonic micropaleontological group, on 71 mudrock samples from two stratigraphic sections located in the Sinú-San Jacinto Belt (SSJB). The Canalete stratigraphic section, outcropping in the southwestern portion of the belt, yielded the biostratigraphic markers Discoaster bergenii , Discoaster berggrenii , Discoaster surculus , and Reticulofenestra pseudoumbilicus. This assemblage, typical of the Zone NN11, indicates that the 50-m-thick section was accumulated during the Late Miocene, sometime between the late Tortonian and late Messinian. The ANH-Conuco-1 well, a cored stratigraphic section drilled in the northeastern area of the belt, also contained the above-mentioned biostratigraphic markers as well as Amaurolithus primus-delicatus , Ceratolithus acutus , Discoaster quinqueramus , Helicosphaera sellii , and Reticulofenestra rotaria. These taxa suggest that the stratigraphic interval between 754.1 m and 58.4 m in this cored section is enclosed within the zones NN11 and NN12, ranging in age from Late Miocene to Early Pliocene (late Tortonian to earliest Zanclean). Reworked nannofossils Cyclicargolithus floridanus , Discoaster deflandrei , Sphenolithus disbelemnos , and Sphenolithus heteromorphus were observed in both localities, implying the redeposition of Lower to Middle Miocene and, possibly, Paleogene marine sediments. This is supported by previous documentation of reworked planktonic foraminifera in Upper Miocene to Pliocene deposits from the Caribbean region of Colombia. The identified calcareous nannoplankton assemblages not only provide additional constraints on the existing biostratigraphic data of planktonic foraminifera in this region, but also aid in the correlation of both analyzed stratigraphic sections with other Upper Miocene deposits in northwestern South America. • Compilation of micropaleontological data from Tubará Cycle rocks is presented. • New calcareous nannoplankton analyses indicate Tortonian – Zanclean ages. • Calcareous nannoplankton results agree with updated planktonic foraminifera data. • Reworked calcareous microfossils suggest redeposition of older marine deposits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]