Correlation between the atmospheric conditions and the asthmatic symptom

A point process model is suitable for analysis of a sequence of binary variables, each of which may be dependent on the preceeding one. This model was used for analysis of the correlation between the state of the atmosphere and the presence or absence of asthmatic symptom known from diaries in which a day was divided into four parts. The diaries were kept during summer and autumn of a year by 19 adult and 12 child patients in Sapporo (43°03 N, 141°20 E), 39 adult and 20 child patients in Tokyo (35°41 N, 139°46 E), and 26 adult and 18 child patients in Naha (26°14 N, 127°41 E).Low temperature and decrease in temperature significantly related to the asthmatic symptom during the seasons. No reversions on correlations as to temperature were observed among places, between the adult and the child, and before and after taking in effects of the preceding symptom and/or the circadian rhythm. Some correlations relating to humidity or to barometric pressure, on the other hand, reversed from place to place, from the adult to the child, and from before to after taking in the effects.Availability of this model for further study on the correlation between the air with contents and the asthmatic symptom is shortly discussed.     

Further study on a BF silent allele

Summary A family was found which indicated the existence of a silent allele (BF ^* QO) at the locus for complement factor B. Three generations with eight members were studied. Four individuals were considered to be heterozygous for B deficiency because of unusual segregation patters of the BF electrophoretic variants and low levels of B. Haplotype study on the other HLA-linked markers supported the presumption. No unusual products were detected by immunoblotting after sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE).