Category Archives: MS Treatment

Alana Goldsmith's mother, Judy, and sister Simone, at their home in Cammeray. Photo: Getty Images/Ben Rushton An eating disorder clinic made several mistakes in its treatment of a woman who escaped and killed herself - but the failures were not the ultimate cause of her death, a coroner has found. NSW Coroner Mark Douglass found Alana Goldsmith, 23, most likely killed herself as a result of her nine-year struggle with anorexia nervosa. "It is clear the mental illness/condition anorexia nervosa played a foundational role in Alana Goldsmith's decision and ultimately her tragic death," Mr Douglass said in findings handed down on Monday. Alana Goldsmith died after escaping from an eating disorders clinic in Ashfield. Photo: Supplied The former Barker College student died at Summer Hill train station in July 2011, five days after she had been admitted to Wesley Hospital's eating disorder unit at Ashfield. Advertisement Ms Goldsmith managed to slip out of the clinic undetected twice on the day of her death, through an unmonitored exit. The Coroner found the clinic failed to complete a suicide risk assessment and did not obtain discharge summaries from Ms Goldsmith's previous admissions to hospital. "Her care and treatment was not at its … Continue reading →

Alana Goldsmith's mother, Judy, and sister Simone, at their home in Cammeray. Photo: Getty Images/Ben Rushton An eating disorder clinic made several mistakes in its treatment of a woman who escaped and killed herself - but the failures were not the ultimate cause of her death, a coroner has found. NSW Coroner Mark Douglass found Alana Goldsmith, 23, most likely killed herself as a result of her nine-year struggle with anorexia nervosa. "It is clear the mental illness/condition anorexia nervosa played a foundational role in Alana Goldsmith's decision and ultimately her tragic death," Mr Douglass said in findings handed down on Monday. Alana Goldsmith died after escaping from an eating disorders clinic in Ashfield. Photo: Supplied The former Barker College student died at Summer Hill train station in July 2011, five days after she had been admitted to Wesley Hospital's eating disorder unit at Ashfield. Advertisement Ms Goldsmith managed to slip out of the clinic undetected twice on the day of her death, through an unmonitored exit. The Coroner found the clinic failed to complete a suicide risk assessment and did not obtain discharge summaries from Ms Goldsmith's previous admissions to hospital. "Her care and treatment was not at its … Continue reading →

People who are HIV positive are significantly less likely to develop multiple sclerosis, according a study that may lead to new treatment for one of medicine's most confounding diseases. Multiple sclerosis is an auto-immune disease that typically strikes women in their early 30s with neurological symptoms including blindness, paralysis and loss of feeling. There is no known cure. But a Sydney doctor's observation that there are very few instances of people with HIV and MS has prompted international studies, and his own research,and has now found that people living with HIV are 60 per cent less likely to develop MS. Julian Gold led a research team that tracked all 21,000 people with HIV who had been discharged from English hospitals between 1999 and 2011 and compared them to a control group of 5 million discharged patients without HIV. Advertisement Statistically, 18 of the 21,000 HIV positive people should have developed MS, but only seven had done so, making the protective effect of HIV the largest known influence of one disease over another. The research, published in the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry, leaves open the question as to whether it is HIV itself that is protecting against MS, or … Continue reading →

By Mike Pearson,News staff Amanda Piron went from playing competitive softball to using a walker within a span of six months. At 17, a progressive form of multiple sclerosis left the York University student unable to walk on her own, let alone run the bases. Today at 24, Piron is back on her feet. Shes also ditched the walker thanks to new treatment technologies and resources from the MS Society of Canada. Im feeling more and more my age every day, which is awesome, said Piron, an Aurora, Ont. native. Piron and officials from the MS Society of Canada and A&W Restaurants visited Stoney Creek on Aug. 20 to kick off the sixth annual Cruisin to End MS fundraiser which has raised more than $5 million to support research and assist Canadians living with the neurological disease. This years event is Aug. 21. Canada has the worlds highest rate of multiple sclerosis, which affects more than 100,000 people. MS is the most common neurological disease affecting Canadian young adults. It can affect vision, hearing, memory, balance and mobility. Its cause is not known. Piron, an ambassador for the MS Society, has endured many of the classic MS symptoms, from dizzyness … Continue reading →

Biogen Idec's ( BIIB ) shares were up slightly (0.62%) on the FDA approval of multiple sclerosis (MS) product, Plegridy (peginterferon beta-1a). The FDA approved Plegridy for the treatment of people with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (RMS). Plegridy Pen, a ready-to-use autoinjector, or a prefilled syringe can be used to administer Plegridy subcutaneously. Plegridy's less frequent dosing schedule (once every two weeks) could help it gain share from other beta interferon treatments that are currently available. Meanwhile, data on Plegridy showed that it significantly reduced annualized relapse rate at one year by 36% compared to placebo. The risk of 12-week confirmed disability progression was down by 38% in patients on Plegridy compared to placebo. Plegridy also significantly reduced the number of new gadolinium-enhancing lesions (by 86%) and reduced new or newly enlarging T2-hyperintense lesions (67%) compared to placebo With Plegridy's approval, Biogen has strengthened its MS portfolio further. Biogen's MS portfolio consists of drugs like Avonex, Tysabri and Tecfidera. Tecfidera's performance has been impressive since launch and it holds a leading position in the oral MS market and could very soon be the leading MS treatment in the U.S. We expect the drug to do well in the EU … Continue reading →

By JESSICA DAMICO Staff Writer Daniel Reeves of Fords, left to right, Alicia Cardello of Fords, Jessica Bills of South Amboy and Kristina White of Edison will ride 100 miles in the Bike MS Country Challenge. A lthough it has been a tough road for Jessica Bills who has watched both her parents struggle with multiple sclerosis (MS) in recent years the South Amboy resident has tackled it one bike ride at a time. Jessica, who has been participating in Bike MS rides for four years, was asked to serve as ambassador for the New Jersey Metro Chapters 2014 Bike MS Country Challenge, set for Sept. 20-21. Its an honor, she said, adding that she was thrilled about the opportunity to get her parents story out. Its probably one of the coolest things thats ever happened to me. Unfortunately, the honor stems from one of the worst things to happen. In 1999, when Jessica was a junior in high school, her father, Kelly, began having bad headaches and feeling fatigued, among other symptoms. About a year of endless tests revealed that Kelly had MS. As Kelly began treatment and his symptoms started to improve, Jessicas mother, Janet, started having strange … Continue reading →

St. Loius, MO (PRWEB) August 19, 2014 Castlewood Treatment Center for Eating Disorders is proud to support the 2014 National Conference on Addiction Disorders and Behavioral Healthcare Leadership Summit by being a treatment center tour sponsor. As part of the sponsorship, Castlewood Treatment Center is hosting a tour of its St. Louis facility and leading a continuing education workshop on Friday, Aug. 22 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. The workshop, Working the Shame and Vulnerability in Eating Disorder and Addiction, will be led by Castlewoods primary therapist Katie Thompson, MS, LPC, NCC. In addition to the sponsorship, Castlewood will have a presence at the conference on the exhibit floor and will have several of their staff members in attendance who specialize in chemical dependency and substance abuse. These staff members will have the opportunity to participate in sessions and receive continuing education credits. For those unable to attend the tour and workshop on Friday evening, Castlewood staff will be available to give tours throughout the conference, upon request. At Castlewood, we have a commitment to our clients to provide the highest quality of care, said Nancy Albus, CEO, Castlewood Treatment Center. Participating in conferences like the National Conference on … Continue reading →

Recent highlights include: We are pleased to close the first half of 2014 in a strong position to continue developing Tcelna for the treatment of patients with Secondary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis, saidNeil K. Warma, Opexas President and Chief Executive Officer. Completion of enrollment in the Phase IIb Abili-T trial during this past quarter represents an important milestone in the development of our personalized immunotherapy for the Secondary Progressive MS community. We remain committed to our goal in developing Tcelna for this patient population. As ofJune 30, 2014, Opexas cash and cash equivalents totaled approximately$16,214,690 and the Companys monthly burn rate for the six months endingJune 2014was approximately$1.2 million. Based on the current clinical activities for the Abili-T trial, Opexa believes it has sufficient liquidity to support its current clinical activities for the Abili-T trial and general operations to sustain itself into the fourth quarter of 2015. Second Quarter Financial Results Opexa reported revenue of$307,686for the three months endedJune 30, 2014, compared to$348,837for the three months endedJune 30, 2013. The revenue is related to the recognized portion of the$5 millionupfront payment received from Merck Serono in conjunction with the Option and License Agreement entered into between Opexa and Merck Serono duringFebruary … Continue reading →

Published: 12 Aug 2014 08:001 comment A ROYAL Mile marathon mission will help a Peeblesshire powerwalker raise vital cash. Helen Highley of Macbiehill, and three friends will battle Edinburgh Fringe Festival crowds as they attempt to walk the length of the street 26 times on August 16. The Multiple Sclerosis Society Scotland will benefit from the womens charity challenge during the biggest arts festival in the world. Helen and her friend Penny Thompson both have a personal connection to multiple sclerosis (MS). Their walking pals Michelle Sinclair and Mags Doyle signed up to support the cause too. Helen said: My daughter-in-law Karine was diagnosed with primary progressive MS last year. She tackles everything MS throws at her with a wicked sense of humour, and she has been an absolute inspiration to us. Karine could have fallen in a heap, but shes put her energy into regaining her mobility and getting on with life. Read the original here: Friends fighting MS at Fringe … Continue reading →

The atmosphere in Sierra Leone where the deadly ebola virus has so far claimed almost 300 lives is not so much one of panic as one of grave concern, according to Clare native and Concern worker, Fiona McLysaght. Ms McLysaght, who is Concern Worldwides head of operations in the stricken country, said while the news reports filtering out tended towards a doomsday scenario, the good news was there were survivors too. Since the first case was confirmed on May 26, we are now at 591 confirmed cases. Of that figure, 214 people have died [as of last Wednesday] but there are also patients who have recovered. In fact to date, 161 patients have recovered from a disease for which there is no vaccine, no treatment, and no cure, Ms McLysaght said. Those who recover are followed up for three months afterwards to make sure the virus is gone. Those with the best chance of recovery were patients who sought treatment early, she said. Sometimes they respond to symptomatic treatments, in other words they respond to treatment given to them for symptoms such as high temperature, fever, vomiting, diarrhoea, and if they have a healthy immune system. So people do survive, … Continue reading →