PURPOSE: This study compared the temporal artery temperature (TAT) measured by infrared temporal artery thermometers to the axillary temperature (AT) measured by standard mercury-in-glass thermometers, and evaluated accuracy of the TAT measurement for clinical practice. METHODS: A total of 247 adult inpatients in general wards in a tertiary medical center located in Seoul participated in the study. The TAT was measured within one minute after the AT measurement. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, paired t-test, Pearson correlation coefficient, linear regression, and the Bland-Altman plot. RESULTS: There was a significant difference in mean temperature between AT and TAT, 36.89℃ (SD=0.70) versus 37.35℃ (SD=0.72). The Bland-Altman plots demonstrated the difference between the AT and TAT as −1.29 to +0.33. The specificity and sensitivity of the TAT in detecting fever were high. The positive predictive values were 57.5% and 71.0% when the AT were higher than 38.0℃ and the TAT fever cutoff levels were 38.0℃ and 38.3℃ respectively. CONCLUSION: TAT and AT were highly correlated and agreeable, indicating that TAT is as accurate as AT. The findings suggested that TAT measurement can be used in clinical practice. For accurate communication between medical personnel, medical institutions need to provide guidelines for temperature measurement, especially for the use of thermometer and measurement sites.
Adult ; Body Temperature ; Fever ; Humans ; Inpatients ; Linear Models ; Patients' Rooms ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Seoul ; Temporal Arteries ; Thermometers

Purpose: This study examines the correlation between fish consumption and the risk of mild cognitive impairment in the elderly living in rural areas. Methods: The Yangpyeong cohort data collected from Yangpyeong in July 2009 and August 2010 was used as the data set. Adults greater than or equal to 60 years who have completed the Korean version of the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE-KC) were selected for the study. After excluding participants with less than 500 kcal of energy intake (n = 2), a total of 806 adults were enrolled as the final subjects. Cognitive function was assessed using the MMSE-KC, and dietary intake was collected using the quantitative food frequency questionnaire comprising 106 foods or food groups. Results: The educational level, proportion of people who exercise, fruits and vegetable intake, and energy intake, tended to increase with fish intake among men, while increasing age resulted in decreased fish consumption. Among women, the educational level, proportion of subjects who exercise, proportion of subjects currently taking dietary supplements, fruits and vegetable intake, and energy intake, tended to increase with fish consumption, whereas increasing age showed decreasing fish consumption. Increased fish intake resulted in a higher MMSE-KC score after adjusting for the confounding variables in women (p for trend = 0.016), but no significant trend was observed between fish intake and MMSE-KC score in men. Fish intake was inversely related to the risk of mild cognitive impairment after adjusting for covariates in women (Q1 vs. Q4; odds ratio, 0.46 [0.23–0.90]; p for trend = 0.009). Conclusion This study determined that increased fish consumption is correlated with reduced risk of mild cognitive impairment in the female elderly. Further longitudinal studies with larger samples are required to determine a causal relationship between fish intake and cognitive function.

The Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine has shown excellent clinical effectiveness; however, adverse events of the vaccine remain a concern in Korea. We surveyed adverse events in 2498 healthcare workers vaccinated with the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine at a university hospital. The survey was conducted using a diary card for 7 days following each injection. The questionnaire response rate was 75.1% (1876/2498) for the first dose and 73.8% (1840/2493) for the second dose. Among local reactions, pain was the most commonly reported (84.9% after the first dose and 90.4% after the second dose). After the second dose, two people visited the emergency room due to severe local pain, but no hospitalization or skin necrosis occurred. Among systemic reactions, fatigue was most frequently reported (52.8% after the first dose and 77.0% after the second dose), followed by myalgia (49.0% and 76.1%), headache (28.7% and 59.2%), chills (16.7% and 54.0%), and arthralgia (11.4% and 39.2%). One or more critical adverse events occurred in 0.2% and 0.7% of the vaccinees. Except for urticaria, more adverse events were reported after the second dose than after the first dose. In the future, adverse events should be investigated in older adults, and a future study with a longer observation period should be conducted.