Graeme Jackson, Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health
Saying someone has epilepsy is a little like saying they’re ill. Its cause can vary from a brain tumour to an inherited genetic condition, the consequence of injury or a disorder affecting the brain.
Off-label use is when an approved medicine is prescribed for a different reason, at a different dose, or in different patient groups than originally intended.
Benny Lin/Flickr
The off-label use of medicines is not illegal and it doesn’t mean regulators have specifically “disapproved” its use. But there are a number of issues to consider before using a medicine off-label.
NASA artists’ interpretation of the neutron star Swift J1749.4-2807 (left) with it’s companion star (right).
NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center
They’re are the overachievers of the universe: incredibly dense but very small when compared to others stars. So how much do we know about the extreme behaviour of neutron stars?
See your doctor if you suffer from gastrointestinal symptoms, particularly if you’ve had them for weeks or months.
Holly Lay/Flickr
Far-right movements and parties in Australia will continue to create interest, given their policies and method of operation. Their future longevity, however, is by no means assured.
Insulin, which is used for controlling diabetes and has been in the market for 30 years, was the first biologic.
Yusmar Yahaya/Flickr
Biologics are widely accepted as the most effective way of treating certain diseases. They have become the fastest-growing class of therapeutic compounds, with about 300 now available for human use.
‘What makes directing worthwhile are the people who you do it with.’
Jane Dempster/AAP. Bell Shakespeare's production of Tartuffe, 2014.
‘Theatre directors come in two kinds: “star” and “of use”. I’m in the latter category, which means that, for any given play, there are at least three or four other directors who could do it equally well.’
The immune system protects us from the constant onslaught of viruses, bacteria and other types of pathogens we encounter throughout life. But it can sometimes misbehave.
Keeping an eye on who’s gone missing.
Empty classroom via wavebreakmedia/www.shutterstock.com
News that a Sydney man has contracted Creutzfeld-Jacob disease serves to highlight that we still don’t know how to prevent a disease that most often goes unreported, and unremarked on.
Brazil is being rocked by a graft scandal of titanic proportions. Could it bring down Dilma Rousseff?
The government’s bill introduces three means for revoking a dual national’s Australian citizenship under amendments to the Australian Citizenship Act.
AAP/Mick Tsikas
Should the bill be enacted in its current form, Australian citizenship will be able to be stripped from dual nationals by bureaucratic determination for conduct that is defined with reference to the criminal law.
Under certain conditions, war may be morally permissible, or even necessary.
EPA/Said Yusuf Warsame
Political leaders frequently invoke Just War Theory to ground their explanations of why they are waging war against another state and how they plan to do so. What are the key components of this moral position?
Debate over potential pollutants calls for better tools to measure air quality.
Singapore Spotter/flickr
Health effects from contamination on planes is controversial, not least because we don’t measure on-board air quality during ‘fume events’.
Immigration Minister Peter Dutton will have the sole power to strip dual nationals of their Australia citizenship if they are believed to be involved in terrorist activities.
AAP/Dave Hunt
Simply having judicial review for the contentious power to strip citizenship from dual nationals suspected of involvement with terrorism – without independent merits review – is far from reasonable.