The Effects of Falling and Fear of Falling on Daily Activity Levels in the Elderly Residing in Korean Rural Community

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study is to assess the prevalence of falls and to correlate if the fear of falling results in avoidance of activities in a rural community elderly population. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was done in 299 rural residents in Korea aged >60 years, between June 19, 2007 and June 21, 2007. Questionnaires about basic demographics, falling events, fear of falling (K-ABC), and limitations of daily activities (K-IADL) were completed. RESULTS: Among the 299 participants, 26.1% had experienced a fall. 197 participants confirmed that they experienced fear of falling (66.9%). This was further broken down to participants who were 'a little concerned'(31.4%), 'much concerned' (20.7%), and 'very much concerned' (13.7%). 183 people (61.2%) had limited daily activities caused by a fear of falling. Fallers experienced higher levels of anxiety and fear of falling than non-fallers (p<0.001). Comparing fear of falling with limited daily activities shows that the greater the fear of falling, the larger the limitation in daily activities and the lower the K-IADL score. After adjusting for falling, multiple linear regression showed that fear of falling and limited daily activities were positively correlated (p<0.001). Among groups with fear of falling, non-fallers, exercise group (p=0.024), and good perceived health group (p=0.022) had no limitations in activities compared with the control groups. CONCLUSION: Modifying drinking habits, diet habits, and social activities associated with perceived health states may improve daily activity levels in the elderly residing in rural communities, even though they have the fear of falling.

Bilateral Elastofibroma: Report of a case

Elastofibroma is a rare benign tumor-like condition manifesting as firm and spherical mass with poorly circumscribed margins of fibroelastic tissue, occuring in the subscapular region or the chest wall of elderly persons. It is not a true neoplasm but rather a reactive or degenerative process causing abnormal elastogenesis. It is unilateral in the majority of cases and the right side is affected more commonly than the left. We report a case of bilateral elastofibromas removed from both subscapular regions of a 73-year-old female farmer. She was presented with tender masses on the bilateral subscapular areas for seven years. Microscopically, it consisted of a mixture of intertwining broad eosinophilic collagen bundles and elastic fibers associated with a few fibroblasts and mature fat cells. The elastic fibers had a degenerated beaded appearance or were fragmented into serrated globules in a linear arrangement.

Benign Cystic Mesothelioma

Benign cystic mesothelioma (BCM) is a rare mesothelial lesion that forms multicystic masses in the upper abdomen, pelvis and retroperitoneum. Although it is categorized as a benign lesion, it has a tendency to recur. It is uncertain whether the nature of this lesion is reactive or neoplastic, but many articles support the conclusion that it is reactive rather than neoplastic. The majority of cases were associated with a history of a previous abdominal or pelvic operation, or an evidence of endometriosis or a pelvic inflammatory disease, or a combination of these findings. In a 26-year-old woman we experienced a case of BCM which was incidentally discovered at cesarean delivery revealing multilocular thin and translucent walled cysts in the pelvic cavity. Microscopic examination revealed a thin cyst wall that was composed of fibrous connective tissue and lined by internal stratified and external nonstratified single cuboidal epithelia.

Cytology of Anaplastic Thyroid Carcinoma with Varied Histologic Patterns Arising in Preexisting Goiter: Report of A Cese / 대한세포병리학회지

Anaplastic carcinoma of the thyroid(ACT0 is a rare subtype of thyroid neoplasm. This tumor represents approximately 5-10% of all thyroid malignancies and has poor prognosis. ACT often arises in a long-standing thyroid nodule and has been documented to be associated with a variety of more with a variety of more well-differentiated thyroid carcinomas. We experienced a case of anaplastic thyroid carcinoma who had had about a year history of thyroid goiter. The patients had been injected with sclerosing agents in treatment of preexisting goiter. The ACT in this case had varied cytologic and histologic appearances pleomorphic, giant cells, spindle and squamoid. Immunohistochemically, strong cytoplasmic positivity for cytokeratin was seen in all kinds of tumor cells. Ultrastructurally. the evidences of epithelial differentiation were seen such as intercellular junctions and tonofibrils.