Examining the age at which people begin drinking alcohol has resulted in some interesting relationships: younger onset has been associated with a greater likelihood to report drunk driving and alcohol related crash involvement, as well as other unintentional injuries after drinking. Now an analysis of the same dataset reveals that drinkers who started young are more likely to engage in physical fights, especially after drinking, and this association carries over into adulthood. (Hingson R, Heeren T, Zakocs R. Age of drinking onset and involvement in physical fights after drinking.

and Hingson R, Heeren T, Levenson S, et al. Age of drinking onset, driving after drinking, and involvement in alcohol related motor-vehicle crashes.

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Many people report feeling depressed during the dark days of winter. But suicide rates increase in spring—one reason why National Suicide Prevention Week is held in May in the US and Canada, and in August in Australia. A brief international study finds a positive correlation between the presence of sunshine and risk of suicide. The authors suggest further research, particularly in sunshine regulated hormones such as melatonin. (Petridou E, Papadopoulos FC, Frangakis CD, et al. A role of sunshine in the triggering of suicide. …