Prevalence of airflow limitation in Japan is higher than previously reported, suggesting a high degree of under-recognition of COPD. The high prevalence of smoking coupled with an aging population threatens to further increase the burden of COPD, highlighting the need for enhanced screening efforts and interventions of prevention and treatment.

Women cardiologists report overall lower satisfaction with work and advancement, particularly within academic practice. They report more discrimination, more concerns about radiation and more limitations due to family responsibilities, which may ultimately explain the low percentage of women in cardiology. Attention to these issues may result in programs to improve professional satisfaction and attract the best candidates into cardiology in the future.

COPD imposes a high economic burden on the Japanese healthcare system. Health policy makers should direct urgent attention to increasing prevention, early diagnosis, and appropriate treatment of COPD.

Programmed electrical stimulation was performed in eight normal dogs using a stimulator and endocardial electrode catheters identical to those used in human studies. The right and left ventricular apex were paced at a drive cycle length of 400 ms and, in some cases, 500 ms, with a pacing sequence of single (S1S2), double (S1S2S3) and triple (S1S2S3S4) premature impulses introduced after eight paced complexes. Pacing sequences were performed using combinations of pulse width (1, 2 and 4 ms) and current strengths of 2, 5 and 10 times diastolic threshold, and in three dogs, 15 times diastolic threshold. Twenty-two episodes of ventricular fibrillation were initiated in five dogs in 170 pacing sequences using current strengths up to 10 times diastolic threshold, and six episodes of ventricular fibrillation in the two of three remaining dogs tested at 15 times diastolic threshold. Ventricular fibrillation was reproducible on seven of nine occasions. Ventricular fibrillation was never induced by S1S2 at up to 15 times diastolic threshold; it was induced by S1S2S3 in 3 (1.8%) of 170 sequences, but only at 10 times diastolic threshold. It was induced by S1S2S3S4 in 19 (11.4%) of 167 sequences using 2 to 10 times diastolic threshold, although 20 of 28 episodes only occurred with S1S2S3S4 at 10 or more times diastolic threshold.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)