The impact of age on comparative diagnostic accuracy of temporal artery thermometers and non-contact infrared thermometers for fever detection: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Non-invasive temporal artery thermometers (TATs) and non-contact infrared thermometers (NCITs) are increasingly used in community settings to measure body temperature. Existing research predominantly focuses on pediatric populations, yet the accuracy and precision of TATs and NCITs for fever screening across age groups remain unclear. This study aims to assess age-related differences in the diagnostic accuracy of TATs and NCITs for fever detection.

Uncommon Cardiac Perforation and Lead Displacement After Pacemaker Implantation: A Case Study and Diagnostic Insights.

BACKGROUND Pacemaker implantation serves as a prevalent therapeutic approach for bradycardia or atrioventricular blocks associated with syncope. While generally regarded as safe, this procedure is not devoid of rare yet severe complications. Examples include lead-induced cardiac perforation resulting in pneumothorax or pericardial effusion, which pose life-threatening risks.

Psychological factors associated with exercise self-efficacy in the recipients of an implantable cardioverter defibrillator.

Background: Insufficient exercise affects the health of patients who have implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICD). The purpose of this study was to investigate the correlations between exercise self-efficacy (ESE) and its associated psychological factors in ICD recipients.

Methods: This cross-sectional study included individuals who had undergone ICD implantation at the cardiology department of a medical centre in Taiwan.

Association between colchicine use and the risk of dementia among patients with gout: A nationwide retrospective cohort study.

Background: Recent findings suggest a link between gout and the development of dementia. Early treatment with colchicine is recommended as a first-line therapy for gout flares. Animal studies demonstrate that colchicine could induce cognitive impairment.

Prediction of risk of ischemic heart disease in first-diagnosed systemic lupus erythematosus patients in taiwan: is air pollution exposure a risk factor?

Background: Air pollution is a key public health factor with the capacity to induce diseases. The risk of ischemia heart disease (IHD) in those suffering from systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) from air pollution exposure is ambiguous. This study aimed to: (1) determine the hazard ratio (HR) of IHD after the first-diagnosed SLE and (2) examine the effects of air pollution exposure on IHD in SLE for 12 years.

Sex Differences and Positive Dose-Response Relationships between Serum Osteocalcin Levels and Low Muscle Strength.

Introduction: Impaired handgrip strength is an indication for sarcopenia and frailty screening, and is associated with increased osteoporotic risks and all-cause mortality. Osteocalcin, secreted by osteoblasts, is a versatile factor that participates in bone turnover and muscle adaptation. The role of osteocalcin in muscle strength has mainly been discussed in animal models and requires more human data.

Reduced risk of pneumonia and influenza infection after bariatric surgery: a retrospective cohort study among patients with nondiabetic obesity in Taiwan.

Background: Bariatric surgery is associated with significant improvements in immunity in individuals with obesity, but the exact efficacy in reducing pneumonia and influenza infections is unclear.

Objective: To investigate the association between bariatric surgery and the risk of pneumonia and influenza infection.

Setting: Nondiabetic patients who underwent bariatric surgery and matched controls were identified from the National Health Insurance Research Database of Taiwan.

Association between Statin Use and Diabetes Risk in Patients with Transient Ischemic Attack.

Statin therapy can effectively reduce recurrent transient ischemic attack (TIA) risk. However, studies have reported that statin use is associated with incidence of diabetes mellitus (DM). Whether statin therapy remains associated with higher DM risk in patients with TIA remains unknown.

Prediction Accuracy Between Terminally Ill Patients' Survival Length and the Estimations Made From Different Medical Staff, a Prospective Cohort Study.

Previous reports suggested the clinical predictions of survival (CPS) and prognostic scores had similar accuracy in patients with days to weeks of life. We aimed to evaluate and compare the accuracy of CPS by attending physicians, residents, and nurses in an acute palliative care unit at a medical center. Methods: This was a 1-year prospective cohort study.

Upregulation of cluster of differentiation 36 mRNA expression in peripheral blood mononuclear cells correlates with frailty severity in older adults.

Background: Aging-associated frailty has been connected to low-grade chronic inflammation and also to progressive monocytic activation. CD36 (cluster of differentiation 36, platelet glycoprotein 4 or fatty acid translocase) has been shown to induce the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines and to activate macrophage connected inflammation. This study aims to examine whether the expression of CD36 is up-regulated among frail older adults.

Scabies Infestation and Risk of Acute Myocardial Infarction: A Population-Based Cohort Study.

Background: Scabies is an infectious inflammatory skin disease. Cytokine-mediated inflammatory responses may be one of the pathological mechanisms underlying myocardial infarction.

Objective: We explore the association between scabies and subsequent acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and all-cause mortality; Methods: We conducted a nationwide population-based study using data from the National Health Insurance Research Database (NHIRD) in Taiwan.

The Chinese Inventory of Psychosocial Balance Short-Form Questionnaire for the Older Adults: Validity and Reliability Study.

Background: Drawing from Erikson's theory, Domino and Affonso constructed the Inventory of Psychosocial Balance (IPB), a scale with satisfactory reliability and validity. However, the lack of a credible Chinese version of the scale may hinder research on ego development in Taiwan. The aim of the present study was to construct a short form Chinese IPB.

Impact of Coronavirus Infectious Disease (COVID-19) pandemic on willingness of immunization-A community-based questionnaire study.

Background: Coronavirus infectious disease 2019 (COVID-19) has had a great impact on global health, but with relatively few confirmed cases in Taiwan. People in Taiwan showed excellent cooperation with the government for disease prevention and faced social and behavioral changes during this period. This study aimed to investigate people's knowledge of COVID-19, attitudes and practices regarding vaccinations for influenza, pneumococcus and COVID-19.

Diindeno[2,1-:2',1'-]biphenylenes: Syntheses, Structural Analyses, and Properties.

A series of diindeno[2,1-:2',1'-]biphenylenes with open-shell singlet ground states and interesting properties were prepared. The studied compounds consist of -quinodimethane moieties, which suffer from geometric perturbation with bond angles of around 90°. The substituent effects on structural parameters, local aromaticity, and properties were systematically explored.

Predicting Ego Integrity Using Prior Ego Development Stages for Older Adults in the Community.

Background: Erikson's ego development theory is the most accepted theory that involves eight stages of psychosocial development over an individual`s all lifespan. The result of development in prior stages will influence the later stages. The elderly were mainly characterized by the central developmental tasks: achieving ego integrity vs.

Decreased swallowing function in the sarcopenic elderly without clinical dysphagia: a cross-sectional study.

Background: Sarcopenia and dysphagia are prevalent health issues as the elderly population continues to grow. However, whether sarcopenia, defined by either reduced handgrip strength or gait speed, would lead to pathological effects on swallowing function is still a matter of debate. Studies focusing on subclinical changes in the swallowing function in the sarcopenic elderly are lacking.

Unstable blood sugar levels as triggers for the syndrome of acute bilateral basal ganglia lesions in diabetic uremia: Two Taiwanese patients with unusual neuroimaging findings.

The syndrome of acute bilateral basal ganglia lesions in diabetic uremia is uncommon and usually affects Asian patients. The underlying pathogenesis of this syndrome is not clear. We searched PUBMED using the keywords "bilateral basal ganglia", "diabetic", and "uremia", and found a total of 34 cases from 1998 to 2016.

A novel XK gene mutation in a Taiwanese family with McLeod syndrome.

McLeod syndrome is one subtype of rare neuroacanthocytosis syndromes characterized by misshapen red blood cells and progressive degeneration of the basal ganglia. It is an X-linked recessive disorder with mutation in the XK gene of the Kell blood group system with multisystem involvements. Concerning the movement disorders, its dyskinesias are various and difficult to differentiate from those in Huntington's disease or other hyperkinetic movement disorders.

Sample size estimation for repeated measures analysis in randomized clinical trials with missing data.

In designing longitudinal studies, researchers must determine the number of subjects to randomize based on the power to detect a clinically meaningful treatment difference and a proposed analysis plan. In this paper, we present formulas for sample size estimation and an assessment of statistical power for a two-treatment repeated measures design allowing for subject attrition. These formulas can be used for comparing two treatment groups across time in terms of linear contrasts.

Evaluation of the comparative efficacy and tolerability of rofecoxib and naproxen in children and adolescents with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis: a 12-week randomized controlled clinical trial with a 52-week open-label extension.

Objective: To compare the safety and efficacy of rofecoxib* to naproxen for the treatment of juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA).

Methods: This was a 12-week, multicenter, randomized, double-blind, double-dummy, active comparator-controlled, non-inferiority study with a prespecified 52-week open-label active comparator-controlled extension. Children (ages 2-11 yrs) and adolescents (ages 12-17 yrs) received lower-dose (LD)-rofecoxib [0.

Protein S deficiency associated with progressive loss of vision and intracranial venous sinus thrombosis.

We report a 27-year-old male who presented with headache and rapid visual impairment. He had been diagnosed with venous sinus thrombosis 3 months earlier, when he had diffuse headache, nausea and vomiting, which subsided after incomplete thrombolytic therapy. Warfarin was then prescribed without screening for coagulopathy.