A fatal ketamine poisoning.

An unusual case of death by ketamine overdose is reported. The drug's administration was a homicide for homosexual ends. Authors discuss a rapid and effective solid-phase extraction procedure using Bond-Elute* C18 for Ketamine and Nor-Ketamine detection in biological fluids and tissues with a 75% recovery. The drug analysis was carried out by the means of gas-chromatography (GLC) and gas-chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The yield of the procedure for Ketamine was: blood 27.4 micrograms/mL; urine 8.51 micrograms/mL; bile 15.2 micrograms/mL; brain 3.24 micrograms/mL; liver 6.6 micrograms/mL; kidney 3.38 micrograms/mL. Nor-Ketamine was detected in all samples, but not quantified.

Suicide in the State of Maryland, 1970-80.

A univariate and multivariate analysis of factors associated with suicide for residents of the State of Maryland was conducted. The investigation was statistically oriented in its approach, examining the relationships of age, race, sex, marital status, and month of death with suicide. Besides the usual death rates, percentages, and age-specific rates, a discriminant analysis was performed to test this approach. Data were obtained on all suicides of Maryland residents, regardless of where the deaths occurred. Univariate analysis showed that the relationships between suicide and age, race, sex, and marital status are consistent with those in the literature. No significant relationship appeared to exist between the month of death and suicide. During multivariate analysis, the discriminant function correctly predicted 80 percent of all the deaths, 74 percent of suicides, and 80 percent of all other causes, in their respective categories.

[Surgical treatment of peritonitis caused by diverticulitis of the sigmoid. Apropos of 12 cases]. / Sul trattamento chirurgico delle peritoniti da diverticolite del sigma. A proposito di 12 osservazioni.

Twelve cases of peritonitis due to sigmoid diverticulitis managed by minimal surgery are reported. Morbidity involved two cases of stenosing sigmoiditis on which sigmoid resection was successfully carried out. Although it is considered that radical surgery is the optimal solution, it is also recalled that the prime objective is to cure the peritonitis, so each case must be assessed carefully on its own merits since the condition is a complication of a benign disease and the risk of emergency sigmoid resections is by no means negligible.