Is lithium in a class of its own? A brief profile of its clinical use

Lithium is a unique and effective psychotropic agent with a long-standing history of clinical use yet it is increasingly overlooked in lieu of newer agents. The purpose of the present paper was to succinctly review the therapeutic profile of lithium particularly with respect to the treatment of mood disorders and consider its unique properties and clinical utility. A comprehensive literature review pertaining to lithium was undertaken using electronic database search engines to identify relevant clinical trials, meta-analyses and Cochrane reviews. In addition articles and book chapters known to the authors were carefully reviewed, and the authors appraised published guidelines. The evidence from these sources was rated using National Health and Medical Research Council evidence levels and synthesized according to phenotype and mood states. In addition, the authors have drawn upon published guidelines and their own clinical experience. Lithium has specificity for mood disorders with proven efficacy in the treatment of both unipolar depression and bipolar disorder. The recommendations are based predominantly on Level I evidence, but its clinical use has to be tempered against potential side-effects and the need for ongoing monitoring. In practice, lithium should be considered a first-line option in bipolar disorder, especially in prophylaxis and when onset of action is not an imperative. Lithium has been in use in modern medicine for 60 years and as such has been tried and tested across the full range of mood disorders. Arguably, lithium is the only true mood stabilizer and because of its unique properties is in a class of its own.

Friedrich Hayek and Michael Polanyi in correspondence

Friedrich Hayek and Michael Polanyi corresponded with each other for the best part ofthirty years. They had shared interests that included science, social science, economics,epistemology, history of ideas and political philosophy. Studying their  correspondenceand related writings, this article shows that Hayek and Polanyi were committedLiberals but with different understandings of liberty, the forces that endanger liberty,and the policies required to rescue it.

Interview with Michael Dom

Michael Dom is a Papua New Guinean who is studying at the University of Adelaide. He commenced his studies there in 2013, and is aiming to finish in 2016. He is studying on a John Allwright Fellowship and is working towards completing a PhD in Agriculture. The interview was conducted in English on 9 September 2014 by Dr. Jonathan Sinebare of Deakin University and Dr. Musawe Sinebare of the Pacific Adventist University. This set comprises: an interview recording, a photograph and a timed summary.

Disc herniations in astronauts: What causes them, and what does it tell us about herniation on earth?

PURPOSE: Recent work showed an increased risk of cervical and lumbar intervertebral disc (IVD) herniations in astronauts. The European Space Agency asked the authors to advise on the underlying pathophysiology of this increased risk, to identify predisposing factors and possible interventions and to suggest research priorities. METHODS: The authors performed a narrative literature review of the possible mechanisms, and conducted a survey within the team to prioritize research and prevention approaches. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: Based on literature review the most likely cause for lumbar IVD herniations was concluded to be swelling of the IVD in the unloaded condition during spaceflight. For the cervical IVDs, the knowledge base is too limited to postulate a likely mechanism or recommend approaches for prevention. Basic research on the impact of (un)loading on the cervical IVD and translational research is needed. The highest priority prevention approach for the lumbar spine was post-flight care avoiding activities involving spinal flexion, followed by passive spinal loading in spaceflight and exercises to reduce IVD hyper-hydration post-flight.

One minute's silence by David Metzenthen and Michael Camilleri

Deakin University Library hosted the awarding winning author and illustrator event. Author David Metzenthen and illustrator Michael Camilleri spoke about their award-winning picture book One Minute's Silence, published by Allen and Unwin.

David and Michael discussed their creative inspirations, and how this original and contemporary work came about.

Management and Michael Polanyi's thought

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to understand the role of management ideas as a resource for developing a new understanding of science and society.
Design/methodology/approach – Three important articles of Polanyi are studied in detail.
Findings – That writings of Graicunas, Foch and Liddell Hart definitely influenced the development of Polanyi’s thinking and writings of Gulick, Mooney among other management/organization theorists also likely contributed to Polanyi’s thought.
Research limitations/implications – The study opens a new seam for Polanyi intellectual – historical scholarship.
Practical implications – The article sheds light on facets of scientific life, including how scientists themselves participate in the overall management of science.
Social implications – This discussion of Polanyi deepens the appreciation of Liberal society’s functioning.
Originality/value – No other Polanyi scholar has dug deeply into the history of management, considering its intellectual value to Polanyi.

Continental-scale decreases in shorebird populations in Australia

Decreases in shorebird populations are increasingly evident worldwide, especially in the East Asian–Australasian Flyway (EAAF). To arrest these declines, it is important to understand the scale of both the problem and the solutions. We analysed an expansive Australian citizen-science dataset, spanning the period 1973 to 2014, to explore factors related to differences in trends among shorebird populations in wetlands throughout Australia. Of seven resident Australian shorebird species, the four inland species exhibited continental decreases, whereas the three coastal species did not. Decreases in inland resident shorebirds were related to changes in availability of water at non-tidal wetlands, suggesting that degradation of wetlands in Australia’s interior is playing a role in these declines. For migratory shorebirds, the analyses revealed continental decreases in abundance in 12 of 19 species, and decreases in 17 of 19 in the southern half of Australia over the past 15 years. Many trends were strongly associated with continental gradients in latitude or longitude, suggesting some large-scale patterns in the decreases, with steeper declines often evident in southern Australia. After accounting for this effect, local variables did not explain variation in migratory shorebird trends between sites. Our results are consistent with other studies indicating that decreases in migratory shorebird populations in the EAAF are most likely being driven primarily by factors outside Australia. This reinforces the need for urgent overseas conservation actions. However, substantially heterogeneous trends within Australia, combined with declines of inland resident shorebirds indicate effective management of Australian shorebird habitat remains important.