BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to identify predictive factors for preventive behaviors of falls in elderly inpatients. METHODS: Data on 200 elderly inpatients at one university hospital were collected. Descriptive analysis, independent t-test, analysis of variance, and stepwise multiple regression analysis were done to analyze the data. RESULTS: The high risk group, scoring higher than 5.0 in the degree of self-awareness of fall risk, scored low in knowledge about falls while subjects with activity limitations and not using hearing aids scored significantly high in the same area. Subjects with no training regarding falls and the high risk group scored low in fall efficacy while subjects with activity limitations and using hearing aids scored significantly high in the same area. The degree of self-awareness of fall risk, knowledge about falls, and fall efficacy were significant factors affecting fall prevention activities. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that self-awareness of the risk of falls, knowledge about falls, and fall efficacy are significant factors in preventing falls. These factors should be considered when developing nursing assessment tools and intervention programs for elderly inpatients.
Accidental Falls ; Aged ; Hearing Aids ; Humans ; Inpatients ; Nursing Assessment

We herein described a female newborn baby who, on the day of birth, exhibited widespread discrete reddish purple colored, round and slightly hyperkeratotic papules measuring about 4 mm in size, the biopsy specimen of which showed the histologic findings of histiocytosis X. The skin lesions resolved spontaneously within a week. The following diseases were discussed as possible diagnoses; histiocytosis X, generalized eruptive histiocytoma, juvenile xanthogranuloma, congenital self-healing reticulohistiocytosis and xanthoma disseminaturn. Since the current case didn't fit well any of them, we proposed a new descriptive term for this : Histiocytoma Papulosa Benigna Congenita.
Biopsy ; Diagnosis ; Female ; Histiocytoma* ; Histiocytosis, Langerhans-Cell ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn ; Parturition ; Skin ; Xanthogranuloma, Juvenile ; Xanthomatosis

It is well known that leprosy bacilli have a special affinity for peripheral nerves, especially Schwann cells but also including perineurial cells and endothelial cells of endoneurial blood vessels. The Schwann cells, after invasion by and saturation with multiplied M. leprae, are destroyed and segmental demyelination and Wallerian degeneration follow. This condition, then is known to be the main neural pathogenosis in early leprosy. It is rarely observed that the progressive paralysis occurs in arrested leprosy patients under adequate treatment. Therefore, the authors performed a histopathologic study of 80 peripheral nerves obtained from the autopsies of 10 old lepromatous leprosy patients including two active cases whose disease durations ranged from 6 to 49 years. The authors arbitrarily divided all the histopathologic findings into 5 grades on the basis of 1) difference in pathological findings in relation to disease duration and bacterial index, and 2) the coexistence of various lesions within the same nerve trunk. As the disease progresses the destroyed nerve fibers are replaced by fibrous and granulation tissue while the perineurial reaction increases. The cellular reaction is minimal in the low grades. There is a slightly early increased vasculature probably due to M. leprae and later a more pronounced increase with large vessels indicating the presence of the granulation process. There is minimum to moderate interfascicular reaction throughout every grade, ie. increased cellularity, vessel wall thickening and increased numbers of vessels with fibrosis. Acid-fast bacilli were demonstrated only in the active cases. The coexistence of different fascicular lesions within the same nerve trunk of peripheral nerve and of femoral nerves mear the spinal cord indicates the presence of some perineurial inhibitory effect which, while promoting the centripetal spread of, prevents the transfascicular spread of M. leprae for some time.
Autopsy ; Blood Vessels ; Demyelinating Diseases ; Endothelial Cells ; Femoral Nerve ; Fibrosis ; Granulation Tissue ; Humans ; Leprosy* ; Leprosy, Lepromatous ; Nerve Fibers ; Paralysis ; Peripheral Nerves* ; Schwann Cells ; Spinal Cord ; Wallerian Degeneration

A genetic and clinical study was done on 20 index cases and their families who had lived in Chonnam province, visited Chonnam University Hospital from 1968 through 1983, and were diagnosed as peudoxanthoma elasticum based on clinical and histopathological findings. In Chonnam province, pseudoxanthoma elsticum occurred in a incidence of more thar, one per 125,000. The male to female ratio was 1: 1.25 (8: 10) with only the cases of familial occurrence although the sex ratio was 1: l. 85 (7: 13) among 20 index cases. Among 8 index cases showing familial occurrence, 6 showed autosomal recessive inheritance with 5 Type 1 and 1 Type 2 whereas 2 showed the autosomal dominant inheritance with both of thern Type 2 (Pope), pointing out the genetic heterogeneity in pseudoxanthorna elsticum. The age of patients ranged from 12 to 42 years old at the time of their first visit to our hospital, but the age that the patients first recognized the disease onset ranged from 9 to 22 years old. The duration of t he disease was also variable ranging from 11/2 to 30 years. The angioid streaks were observed in 38g of the cases whose disease duration ranged from 11/2 to 20 years. The sites of skin lesions were the neck, axillae and groin in the order of frequency.
Adult ; Angioid Streaks ; Axilla ; Classification ; Female ; Genetic Heterogeneity ; Groin ; Humans ; Incidence ; Jeollanam-do ; Male ; Neck ; Pseudoxanthoma Elasticum* ; Sex Ratio ; Skin ; Wills ; Young Adult

We herein describe two cases of sudoriparous angioma consisting of increased number of eccrine sweat glands associated with angiomatous vascular channels. Case 1 is a 16 year-old girl developing two, painful and tender cavernous hemangiomas which sweated whenever compressed. These were located on her left gluteal area since early childhood. The biopsy specimen revealed an increased number of cystically dilated eccrine glands in the mid-dermis in addition to vascular components in the lower dermis. Case 2 is a five year-old girl manifesting non-tender, slightly hyperhidrotic nevus flammeus-like eruption on her left suprapopliteal area since birth, the biapsy apecimen of which revealed an increased number of eccrine glands admixed with capillary hemangioma in the mid-dermis.
Adolescent ; Biopsy ; Dermis ; Eccrine Glands ; Female ; Hemangioma* ; Hemangioma, Capillary ; Hemangioma, Cavernous ; Humans ; Nevus ; Parturition ; Sweat ; Sweat Glands

Genetic and clinical observations were recorded on 16 patients with xeroderma pigmentosum, 14 of them having visited the Department of Dermatology, Chonnam National University Hospital, Kwangju, Korea from 1968 through 1982, and 3 of them having visited the Department of Dermatology, Chosun University Hospital located in the same city during same period(one patient was duplicated). Xeroderma pigmentosum was found to occur with a frequency higher than one in 183,000 births in Chonnam province, Korea. It waa recognized that xeroderma pigmentosum is a disease of autosomal recessive inheritance. The sex ratio of xeroderma pigmentosum was male to female l. 7 to 1. The age of onset was between 5 months and 10 years, and the age when the patients visited the hospital for the first time was 6 months and 25 years. The skin malignancies were observed in 9 patients, among which squamous cell carcinomas occurred in 6, basal cell carcinomas in 2, and actinic keratosis in l. The associated ocular abnormalities were photophobia in 4 patients, chalazion in 1, blepharoconjunctivitis in 1, pterygium in 1 and squamous cell carcinomas in 1. Only cerebral galsy as a neurological abnormality was observed in 1 patient.
Age of Onset ; Carcinoma, Basal Cell ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell ; Chalazion ; Dermatology ; Female ; Gwangju ; Humans ; Ichthyosis* ; Jeollanam-do ; Keratosis, Actinic ; Korea ; Male ; Parturition ; Photophobia ; Pterygium ; Sex Ratio ; Skin ; Wills ; Xeroderma Pigmentosum*

We herein described a 27 year-old male who has been suffering from pruritic erythematous wheal and flare on sun-exposed areas, especially the midback for the past, ten months. The action spectrum of this patient was between 320 and 400 nm, .Passive and reverse passive transfer tests were negative. According to the classification by Harber et al, the current case seemed to belong to type II.
Adult ; Classification ; Humans ; Intradermal Tests ; Male ; Urticaria*

Primary cutaneous monomorphous lymphoma is rare compared to the more usual involvement of skin secondary to internal monomorphous lymphoma. The histopathological diagnosis of the primary cutaneous monomorphous lymbhoma (PCML) requires differentiation from cutaneous lymphoid hyperplasia. The authors observed 3 cases of PCML. Case 1 was 21 year-old woman, who had an initial lesion on her left arm. Histopathologically it was diagnosed as poorly differentiated. lymphocytic lymphoma and was treated by surgical excision. Six months after onset she developed new lesions on her skin elsewhere, histopathologically diagnosed as well differentiated lymphocytic lymphoma. She died of infiltration of the bone marrow 19 months after the initial onset, even though combination of radiotherapy and chemotherapy resulted in clinical improvernent. Case 2 was a 70 year-old woman having an unusual cutaneous manifestation of an adult palm sized ulcerative, indurated tumor on her right forearm, histopathologically diagnosed as histiocytic lymphoma. There was no evidence of extracutaneous in volvement except right axillary lymphadenopathy. Case 3 was 72 year-old man, who had a clinical manifestation to that of case 2, histopathologically diagnosed as histiocytic lymphoma and received radiotherapy with good improvement. The patient did not show any evidence of extracutaneous involvement five months after the onset.
Adult ; Aged ; Arm ; Bone Marrow ; Diagnosis ; Drug Therapy ; Female ; Forearm ; Humans ; Hyperplasia ; Leukemia, Lymphocytic, Chronic, B-Cell ; Lymphatic Diseases ; Lymphoma* ; Lymphoma, Large B-Cell, Diffuse ; Radiotherapy ; Skin ; Ulcer ; Young Adult

Malignant atrophic papulosis (Degosdisease) was first described in detail by Degos and his co-worker in I942, In this rare disease of unknown etiology, porcehun-white skin lesians develop, and death usually occurs from perforation of the intestine weeks to years after onset, and also but rarely from infarction of central nervous system. Our case of Degos disease in an 18 years old man with typical skin lesions and abdominal symptoms such as pain, nausea and distension due to gastrointestinal involvement is described. He died of peritonitis 9 months after onset. The biopsy specimen of an atrophic papule showed thrombotic occlusion of an arteriole. The authors experienced a case of Degos disease diagnosed by clinical and histopathologieal findings for the first time in Korea.
Adolescent ; Arterioles ; Biopsy ; Central Nervous System ; Humans ; Infarction ; Intestines ; Korea ; Malignant Atrophic Papulosis* ; Nausea ; Peritonitis ; Rare Diseases ; Skin

No abstract available.