A China-Japan joint project was carried out to study the incidence of fluorosis caused by coal burning in China from 1995 to 1997.
The health survey covered a control area and two flourosis areas. In those research areas, drinking water was not polluted with fluorides. The survey was designed to analyze the health status of people exposed to fluorides and evaluate the relationships between the dose and incidence of fluorosis. The concentration of airborne pollutants in both indoor and outdoor air was measured. The concentration of fluoride in the urine was analyzed and definite diagnoses for dental fluorosis and skeletal fluorosis were determined.
As a result, the incidence of coal burning fluorosis was confirmed in studied areas. Moreover, the fluorosis was caused not only by the direct inhalation of the airbone fluorides in indoor air but also by the intake of cereals polluted with fluorides. Fluoride was contained in both coal and soil. Therefore the mixture of coal and soil used for the adjustment of fire energy contributed to the air pollution to a great extent. The typical polluted crops were red pepper, corn and potato. An extremely high concentration of fluoride in the urine of residents in the polluted areas was detected.

A 73-year-old man visited our hospital with complaints of fever, epigastric painand jaundice. Laboratory examinations showed elevation of GOT, GPT, ALP, LAP and amylase. Abdominal ultrasonography revealed gall bladder stones. Endoscopic findings showed parapapillary diverticulum, but the common bile duct stone was not revealed by endoscopic retrograde cholangiography. He was conservatively treated and then discharged. Two months after, the patient was readmitted for cholecystitis and underwent cholecystectomy. After further 2 months, he was again admitted for the same symptoms as those on first admission. We diagnosed this case as Lemmel's syndrome and performed emergency endoscopy. Endoscopic findings revealed the meal rest inside the parapapillary diverticulum. After we removed the meal rest obstructing the orifice of the papilla of Vater using grasping forceps, we performed EST. Purulent bile gushed out from the orifice. Two years have elapsed since them. Cholangitis has not recurred during this period. Therefore, we concluded that EST is effective in treating Lemmel's syndrome.

Between 1988 and 1991, 231 patients underwent surgical repair for abdominal aortic aneurysm. Among them 132 patients underwent isolated Y graft replacement electively. They were divided into two groups, according to the operative procedure; transperitoneal approach (n=51) and retroperitoneal approach (n=81), and the surgical results were compared retrospectively. There was no significant difference in operative time, amount of operative bleeding, operative transfusion, total transfusion, autotransfusion, duration of intubation, total use of analgesia or length of postoperative stay in the two groups. The amount of fluid drained from the nasogastric tube was significantly greater in the transperitoneal group. The initiation of drinking and eating were both significantly prolonged in the transperitoneal group. The transperitoneal approach is indicated for cases with thoracic or thoracoabdominal aneurysm which may be operated on in the future, cases of bilateral common iliac aneurysms and cases with heart disease. Otherwise it is preferable to select the retroperitoneal approach as the first choice for elective surgical treatment of abdominal aortic aneurysm, because the retroperitoneal approach is superior in terms of the recovery of gastro-intestinal movement.

Recently, it has been recognized that the extent of the Antarctic ozone hole becomes clear. The depletion of stratospheric ozone may lead to increase ultraviolet B (UV-B) radiation.
UV-B radiation has many damaging effects on human health, such as snow blindness, catalact and skin cancer. UV-B radiation also suppresses the immune defenses against certain infections. Non-melanoma skin cancer, such as basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma, has convincing and clear-cut relationship to UV-B radiation. Cutaneous malignant melanoma is laso at least partially caused by exposure to UV-B radiation.
In U. S. A., it has been recognized that the incidence of skin cancer including melanoma increases from high to low latitudes possibly due to the increase of UV-B rediation. while it is difficult to estimate numerical effect on the basis of epidemiologic data in the U. S. A., UNEP and WHO estimates that for every 1% decrease in stratospheric ozone. there will be between a 0.3 to 0.6% increase in catalact. Based on the same epidemiologic data, it is also estimated that for every 1% depletion of ozone, the incidence of basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma and malignant melanoma will increase 2.7, 4.6 and 0.6% respectively.
Therefore, it is necessary to confirm the incidence rate of skin cancer in various countries in relation to UV-B dose. There is concern that increased UV-B radiation, by suppression of the immune system, might lead to an increase of the incidence of infectious diseases.

Paraquat is one the most popular herbicides in agriculture in Japan. To study the chronic toxicological effects of paraquat on animals, rats were fed a paraquat-containing diet for 1 year and 2 months (1, 5, 25mg/kg of body weight/day). Paraquat administration induced serious histochemical changes in various organs, such as the lung, heart, kidney and liver in rast. Pulmonary fibrosis occurred in the group of rats given 1mg paraquat/kg of body weight/day in diet.
The alkaline phosphatase activity and creatinine content in the blood serum significantly increased. The concentrations of cholesterol, triglyceride and phospholipid in the serum decreased significantly.
A significant increase of lipid peroxidation was observed in the brain, kidney and liver.

Global warming may lead to changes in morbidity and mortality. It directly affects the ecosystem and alters the human hazards such as parasites, pathogens, pesticides and chemical pollutants. The climatic change also affects human health as it brings about changes in air quality and water quality.
The major causes of mortality, such as cardiovascular disease, cerebrovascular disease and respiratory disease are influenced by the environmental factors such as climate and urbanization. In the economically developed countries, these diseases constitute the major cause of death. In temperate regions, the seasonal trends of the mortality of cardiovascular, cerebrovascular, and respiratory diseases indicate a winter maximum and summer minimum. Global warming changes the environmental factors and affect the seasonal trends of these diseases in many countries.
The risk evaluation of heat wave stress, pesticides pollution, air pollution, water pollution, and vectorborne diseases by global warming is necessary.

Effects on morbidity and mortality following both global warming and ultraviolet (UV-B) radiation increase are summarized.
(1) The abnormally high atmospheric temperature (“heat wave”) may be associated with increase in morbidity and mortality of high risk groups, such as the elderly.
(2) Increased photochemical oxidants in urban areas with warming trend will have effects on human health and could cause inflammatory disease of eyes and many types of respiratory diseases.
(3) The concentration of agrochemicals and pesticides in the environment would increase thereby resulting in human exposure.
(4) Since the climate change would affect the seasonal and geographical abundance of major vector species like mosquito, the incidence of vector-borne diseases could be affected.
(5) Since depletion of stratospheric ozone layer effect would increase UV-B radiation, a number of diseases of the skin and eyes may increase.

High concentration of airborne particles was detected in greenhouse air after suspended particulate pesticide spraying. The reduction of aerial concentration of resprirable particulate pesticide was relatively slow.
To study the potential health effects of inhaled pesticide, the animals were exposed to the pesticide, methidathion particles in the inhalation exposure chamber. The exposed pesticide particles were approximately 2.16 μm mass median diameter.
The animals exposed to suspended particulate pesticide had a considerable amount of particles within alveolar macropharges and alveolar epithelia. The serious lesion of alveolar epithelia and capillary endothelia of the animals occured after inhalation of methidathion particles.
The vacuolar degeneration of hepatic cell was also cytosol decreased significantly after inhalation of methidathione particles.
The exposure to suspended particulate methidathion induced production of thiobarbituric acid reacting substances (TBARS) in hepatic cells of the exposed animals. The induction of TBARS formation in hepatic cells was remarkable at early period of exposure.
The change of serum transaminase (GOT) activities after exposure to methidathion particle was remarkable. GOT activities also markedly increased at early period of exposure.

To study the potential health effects of suspended particulate pesticide-Supracide FD, the animals were exposed to the pesticide particle in the inhalation exposure chamber. The suspended particulate pesticide was approximately 2.16μm mass median diameter.
The animals exposed to suspended particulate pesticide had a considerable amount of particles throughout the alveolar region.The particles deposited mainly within alveolar macropharge and alveolar epithelium. The epithelial lesion of the pulmonary tissue and the vacuolar degeneration of hepatic cell of the animals occured after inhalation of pesticide particle.
The exposure to Supracide FD induced production of more thiobarbituric acid reacting substances (TBARS) in comparison to the controls. The change of serum GOT and LDH activities after exposure to pesticide particle was also remarkable. The exposure to the pesticide particle caused no significant effect on the serum cholinesterase activity.

A statistical study on effects of laser-puncture was carried out. In addition, an attempt was made to compare between the effect of acupuncture and this method. The treatments were under-taken for various chronic and acute cases with pain. In the laser-puncture treatment, two types of laser (i, e. low energy 10mW laser and 70mW sharp laser) were used. Laser-beam was given to 20-30 points which were located in painful areas, innervating nerve areas and remote areas for 40 sec for each.
In the open study, 10mW laser-puncture was effective (including ‘rather effective’) in 64% of the cases, and 70mW laser-puncture 73%. In the blind test, ‘the day’ evaluation showed that the laser-punctures were more effective than placebo treatment: 10mW laser-puncture was effective in 80% of the cases, and placebo in 67%. 70mW laser-puncture was effective in 87% of them, and placebo in 80%. In situ acupuncture was effective in 97%, and no effect was seen in 7%.
Only ‘the day’ evaluation in the open study showed that 70mW laser-puncture was more effective than 10mW one. In the blind best, 10mW and 70mW laser-puncture were more effective than placebo, and in situ acupuncture was more effective than the laser-punctures, but there were no significant differences among the three treatmets.