A decade ago a survey on the population-base incidence rate of anthracite coal gas(mainly carbon monoxide) poisoning in Seoul area was investigated, resulting in the incidence rate of 306/10,000 risk population and 1 death/10,000. Another survey on the carbon monoxide poisoning was investigated during 1 year period from Apr. 1983 to Mar. 1984. Total subjects of risk population were 67,740 households covering 353,287 persons. The major findings of this survey are as follows: 1. Household-base incidence rate was 8.4%; spell-base 10.4%. 2. The incidence rate was the highest in houses having each of slate roof, cement wall, vinyl floor of bedroom and direct 'ondol' heating system. 3. Average 2.1 person was attacked from one incidence of the poisoning; severity-wise person-base incidence rates per 10,000 were 352 in mild poisoning, 54 in severe poisoning and 1.4 in death-overall incidence rate 407. Several facts were identified which supported that this figure was moderately underestimated. As the incidence of the poisoning is affected by socioeconomic and environmental factors, it is natural that one expects the incidence will decrease in proportion to general improvement of the above factors. Thus the results of these two surveys seemed preposterous. But further study suggested that the incidence rate (306/10,000) decade before had been significantly underestimated and corrected-rate should have been 478/10,000 level. 4. Age and sex distribution by the degree of the poisoning was uniform with little statistical difference; overall incidence rates by sex were 339/10,000 in male and 475/10,000 in female with significant statistical difference(p<.01). 5. 5.3% of the patients were treated at hospital or local clinic; 3.0% of the patients were hospitalized. Admission rate in comatose patient(severe poisoning) was 14.2%. In conclusion, carbon monoxide poisoning remains a major health problem by now.
Carbon Monoxide Poisoning* ; Carbon Monoxide* ; Carbon* ; Coal ; Coma ; Family Characteristics ; Female ; Heating ; Hot Temperature ; Humans ; Incidence* ; Male ; Poisoning ; Seoul ; Sex Distribution

OBJECTIVE: Intrahepatic stones provide a quite different spectrum of problems faced by surgeons in the Eastern hemisphere. Although unilateral left intrahepatic stones have been treated by left hepatic lobectomy, bilateral or right intrahepatic stones can be even more troublesome because they frequently cannot be completely removed by conventional surgical stone extraction procedure. Recently, the use of a flexible fiberoptic choledochoscope, electrohydraulic lithotriptor(EHL) and dilators make it possible to completely remove intrahepatic stones by nonsurgical procedures in the majority of cases. METHODS: During the last 5 years, we treated intrahepatic stones in 114 patients with a fiberoptic choledochoscope, EHL and dilators via percutaneous transhepatic route. For construction of percutaneous transhepatic routes, we punctured intrahepatic ducts by ultrasonographic guidance and then dilated the tracts by PTBD set(Nipro Co., Japan) under fluoroscopic guidance. Choledochoscopy were performed at 4-6 weeks later, and Dormina basket, EHL, balloon or bougie dilators were used for removal of stones. RESULTS: Success rates according to the locations of stones were 87.5%(14/16) in unilateral right intrahepatic stones, 92.9%(39/42) in unilateral left intrahepatic stones, and 89.3%(50/56) bilateral intrahepatic stones. Overall success rate was 90.4%(103/114). Causes of incomplete removal of the stones in our patients included the failure of construction or maintenance of percutaneous transhepatic routes in 4 cases, intrahepatic bile duct stricture proximal to impacted stones in 3, acute ductal angulation in 2, and stones located at the very distal branches of intrahepatic ducts in 2 cases. Complications associated with the procedure were transient fever in 8 cases, severe hemobila in 2 cases and biliary perforation in 3 cases. CONCLUSON: These results suggest that percutaneous transhepatic choledochoscopic approach is a relatively safe and effective method for treatment of intrahepatic stones.
Bile Ducts, Intrahepatic ; Constriction, Pathologic ; Fever ; Humans

Retinoids regulate not only various cell functions including proliferation and differentiation but also glucose and lipid metabolism. After we observed a marked up-regulation of cellular retinol-binding protein-I (CRBP-I) in the liver of hepatitis B virus x antigen (HBx)-transgenic (HBx Tg) mice which are prone to hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and fatty liver, we aimed to evaluate retinoid pathway, including genes for the retinoid physiology, CRBP-I protein expression, and retinoid levels, in the liver of HBx Tg mice. We also assessed the effect of chronic metformin treatment on HCC development in the mice. Many genes involved in hepatic retinoid physiology, including CRBP-I, were altered and the tissue levels of retinol and all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) were elevated in the liver of HBx Tg mice compared to those of wild type (WT) control mice. CRBP-I protein expression in liver, but not in white adipose tissue, of HBx Tg mice was significantly elevated compared to WT control mice while CRBP-I protein expressions in the liver and WAT of high-fat fed obese and db/db mice were comparable to WT control mice. Chronic treatment of HBx Tg mice with metformin did not affect the incidence of HCC, but slightly increased hepatic CRBP-I level. In conclusion, hepatic CRBP-I level was markedly up-regulated in HCC-prone HBx Tg mice and neither hepatic CRBP-I nor the development of HCC was suppressed by metformin treatment.
Adipose Tissue, White ; Animals ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular* ; Fatty Liver ; Hepatitis B virus ; Incidence ; Lipid Metabolism ; Liver* ; Metformin* ; Mice ; Mice, Transgenic* ; Retinoids ; Retinol-Binding Proteins, Cellular* ; Trans-Activators ; Tretinoin ; Up-Regulation ; Vitamin A