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Introduction: We conducted a cross-national comparison of the association between main lifetime occupational skills and later-life cognitive function across four economically and socially distinct countries., Methods: Data were from population-based studies of aging and their Harmonized Cognitive Assessment Protocols (HCAPs) in the US, South Africa, India, and Mexico (N = 10,037; Age range: 50 to 105 years; 2016 to 2020). Main lifetime occupational skill was classified according to the International Standard Classification of Occupations. Weighted, adjusted regression models estimated pooled and country-specific associations between main lifetime occupational skill and later-life general cognitive function in men and women., Results: We observed positive gradients between occupational skill and later-life cognitive function for men and women in the US and Mexico, a positive gradient for women but not men in India, and no association for men or women in South Africa., Discussion: Main lifetime occupations may be a source of later-life cognitive reserve, with cross-national heterogeneity in this association., Highlights: No studies have examined cross-national differences in the association of occupational skill with cognition. We used data from Harmonized Cognitive Assessment Protocols in the US, Mexico, India, and South Africa. The association of occupational skill with cognitive function varies by country and gender., (© 2023 The Authors. Alzheimer's & Dementia published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of Alzheimer's Association.)

Unmaintained vacant land in urban areas is associated with a number of negative outcomes for residents of urban areas, including mental and physical health, safety, and quality of life. Community programs which promote land parcel maintenance in urban neighborhoods have been found to reverse some of the effects that unmaintained land has on nearby residents. We explored how land parcel maintenance is associated with mental health outcomes using data collected in Flint, MI in 2017-2018. Trained observers assessed the maintenance of approximately 7200 land parcels and surveyed 691 residents (57% Female, 53% Black, M age = 51). We aggregated resident and parcel rating data to 463 street segments and compared three structural equation models (SEM) to estimate the mediating effects of fear of crime on the association of parcel qualities on mental distress for residents. We found that fear of crime mediated the association between parcel maintenance values and mental distress indicating that poor maintenance predicted more fear of crime which was associated with mental distress. Our findings add to our understanding about the mechanism by which vacant lot improvements may operate to enhance psychological well-being of residents who live on streets with vacant and unkept lots., (© Society for Community Research and Action 2021.)

Weakness of neck extension causing a dropped head may result from many neuromuscular disorders. One etiology is isolated neck extensor myopathy. A similar focal myopathy of the lower axial muscles may cause the bent spine syndrome, which manifests as flexion of the trunk and inability to stand upright. Combination of both dropped head and bent spine myopathies is uncommon. Inflammation is usually not pronounced in these conditions and response to immunosuppressive treatment is rare. We present an 81-year-old man who developed progressive weakness of neck and trunk extension over several months, with a prominent inflammatory process in the thoracic paraspinal muscles, which responded dramatically to treatment with intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg). This case, together with other rare reports, suggests that the presence of inflammation in the biopsy of an affected muscle may predict treatment response.

Pulmonary intra-alveolar siderophages (PS) have been suggested as a marker of previous attempts at imposed suffocation in infants dying suddenly and unexpectedly. The aims of this study were to (1) compare PS counts between cases of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) and a control group comprised of infants whose deaths were attributed to accidental or inflicted suffocation, (2) compare clinical variables in SIDS and control suffocation cases, and (3) review individual cases irrespective of the cause and manner of death with an average PS count greater than 200 per 20 high-power fields (hpf) per lung lobe. Retrospective assessment of siderophages in available iron-stained lung sections was undertaken in 91 SIDS cases and 29 cases of death due to suffocation (27 accidents and 2 homicides) from the San Diego SIDS and Sudden Unexplained Death in Childhood (SUDC) Research Project (SDSSRP) database. Neither the means of the log-transformed PS counts nor the medians of the raw PS counts were significantly different between the SIDS and control suffocation groups. The distributions of the PS data were different, however-the range was wider in the SIDS group. Only 6% of each group had a history of prior apparent life-threatening events. Approximately three fourths of the families from both groups had no prior referral to Child Protective Services. The number of PS varies widely in cases of sudden infant death caused by SIDS and accidental or inflicted suffocation and cannot be used as an independent variable to ascertain past attempts at suffocation.

We report an unusual case of cerebral aspergillosis in a young immunocompetent patient who also had dissemination to other end organs. The patient presented with a large mass in the left cerebral hemisphere. Elemental analysis of biopsy specimens revealed elevated levels of iron, magnesium, zinc, calcium, chromium, and nickel that correlated with a peripheral rim of hypointensity on T2-weighted images.

We report a case of sudden, unexpected death associated with meningioangiomatosis in a 13-year-old, previously healthy male without a history of seizures, neurologic deficits, or clinical stigmata of neurofibromatosis. There was no family history of neurofibromatosis. The postmortem examination showed a 5-cm mass involving the right posterior frontal and orbital frontal cortex that had microscopic features diagnostic of meningioangiomatosis. Because no other cause of death was found, we postulate that he likely died as a result of a seizure secondary to meningioangiomatosis.

We present a 58-year-old woman who presented with a 1.5-cm, hypodense lesion in the head of the pancreas. Endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration yielded bland, monotonous cells with wispy cytoplasm, slightly granular chromatin, and small nucleoli. A presumptive diagnosis of a neuroendocrine lesion was rendered. Whipple procedure yielded a well-circumscribed, encapsulated lesion with dense, hyalinized stroma and a peripheral rim of lymphocytes. Spindled and epithelioid cells formed short tubules, cords, and nests. The neoplasm stained for CK 5/6, calretinin, vimentin, CD 99, pancytokeratin, and EMA, consistent with mesothelial origin. This characteristic histology and immunohistochemistry is consistent with an adenomatoid tumor. We believe we are the first to report this benign neoplasm in such an unusual location. Herein we address the diagnosis of adenomatoid tumor by histology, immunohistochemistry, and aspiration cytology. Our case is particularly unique in that the histology and cytology are compared and correlated.