The role of depression in unnatural death: A case-based retrospective study.

Background: Depression affects the life of millions around the globe and perhaps also the manner of death. This study examined the role of depression in specific causes of unnatural death and whether alcohol and substance use affect this relationship, in one locality in Scotland.

Methods: The research used a retrospective case-based study approach to analyse 168 cases, quantifying data reported in mortuary files to allow for quantitative statistical analysis of associations and differences amongst the variables.

Intra-individual and inter-individual variation in breath alcohol pharmacokinetics: Variation over three visits.

Eleven male and 7 female student subjects underwent serial Breath Alcohol Concentration (BrAC) measurements after being given alcohol as 13% white wine (5.7 ml/kg for males and 4.7 ml/kg for females) in a fasting state on three separate occasions.

Intra-individual and inter-individual variation in breath alcohol pharmacokinetics: the effect of short-term variation.

Ten male and 8 female students underwent serial breath alcohol concentration (BrAC) measurements on a CAMIC Datamaster on two consecutive occasions, early evening and again the following morning. Subjects were fasted for 6 h before receiving alcohol as white wine (12.5% by volume) at doses of 38-45 g for males and 26-37 g for females, consumed over 10 min.

Intra-individual and inter-individual variation in breath alcohol pharmacokinetics: The effect of food on absorption.

Eight male and 8 female subjects underwent serial breath alcohol concentration (BrAC) measurements in the fasting state, following a snack of crisps and following a light meal. BrAC versus time curves were constructed for each subject and the values of peak BrAC (C(max)), theoretical (extrapolated) BrAC at zero time (C(0)), time taken to reach peak (T(max)) and rate of elimination (ß) were recorded directly from the curves. In all subjects values of C(0) extrapolated from the post-meal BrAC-time curves were significantly lower than in the fasting and snack fed states.