Kunio Kagawa

VARIETAL DIFFERENCES IN CADMIUM LEVELS OF RICE GRAINS OF JAPONICA, INDICA, JAVANICA, AND HYBRID VARIETIES PRODUCED IN THE SAME PLOT OF A FIELD

Cadmium levels were determined in rice grains of Japonica, Indica, Javanica, and Indica-Japonica hybrid-bred varieties that were produced in the same plot of a non-polluted field in 1983 and 1985, using nameless atomic absorption spectrophotometry. Cadmium levels in the brown rice grains harvested in 1983 and 1985 ranged from 2.1 to 27 0 ppb Cd for 28 Japonica varieties, 4.1 to 55.5 for 23 Indica varieties, 4.4 to 16.5 for 5 Javanica varieties, and 24.5 to 73.6 for 4 hybrid varieties. The significant correlation of the cadmium levels between the 1983 and 1985 products may indicate the possible occurrence of varietal differences in the natural abundance of cadmium in rice grains. There was no correlation between the cadmium levels and the duration of ripening in each variety, suggesting that these differences could be partly attributed to some physiological characteristics of the rice varieties.

Risk factors for falls among blind elderly in a nursing home for the blind

The present study is a retrospective investigation of falls and the risk factor for falls among 84 blind elderly residents of a nursing home for the blind over a period of 2 years. During these 2 years, 20 residents (24%) experienced falls, and 6 (7%) of them sustained bone fractures. An investigation of risk factors for falls revealed a relation between falls and depressive symptoms, a deterioration in the sense of balance, and presbyacusis. Due to the heightened risk of falls among the visually handicapped, sufficient attention must be paid to signs of depression, decline of balance, and presbyacusis in the care of the blind elderly.