A custom-built step exergame training programme to prevent falls in people with multiple sclerosis: A multicentre randomised controlled trial.

Background: Cognitive-motor step training can improve stepping, balance and mobility in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), but effectiveness in preventing falls has not been demonstrated.

Objectives: This multisite randomised controlled trial aimed to determine whether 6 months of home-based step exergame training could reduce falls and improve associated risk factors compared with usual care in people with MS.

Methods: In total, 461 people with MS aged 22-81 years were randomly allocated to usual care (control) or unsupervised home-based step exergame training (120 minutes/week) for 6 months.

Anti-cancer activity of Marsdenialongise A, a new C21 steroidal glycoside isolated from Marsdenia longipes W.T. Wang (Apocynaceae).

C21 steroidal glycosides are a group of natural compounds with biological activities such as anti-cancer, anti-microbial, and anti-viral properties. In this study, we isolated and determined the structure of a new C21 steroidal glycoside, named Marsdenialongise A from Marsdenia longipes W.T.

Osseointegrability of 3D-printed porous titanium alloy implant on tibial shaft bone defect in rabbit model.

Previous studies have demonstrated the ability of osseointegration of porous titanium implants in cancellous bone. Our study was designed to (i) investigate the ability of bone ingrowth into 3D-printed porous titanium alloy implant on the cortical bone of rabbits using CT-scan and histology, and (ii) to identify the consistency of the radiology information between clinical Cone Beam Computed Tomography (CBCT) and Micro Computed Tomography (μCT) in the evaluation of bone ingrowth. The porous titanium alloy implants were 3D-printed employing the Electron Beam Melting (EBM) technology with an intended pore size of 600 μm and porosity of approximately 50 percent.

Training reactive balance using trips and slips in people with multiple sclerosis: A blinded randomised controlled trial.

Background: This study examined the feasibility and efficacy of reactive balance training for improving stepping performance and reducing laboratory-induced falls in people with multiple sclerosis (MS).

Methods: Thirty people diagnosed with MS (18-70 years) participated in a blinded randomized controlled trial (ACTRN12618001436268). The intervention group (n = 14) underwent two 50-minute sessions (total 100 min) that exposed them to a total of 24 trips and 24 slips in mixed order, over one week.

Quantifying upper-limb motor impairment in people with multiple sclerosis: A physiological profiling approach.

Background: . Upper-limb sensory and motor impairments are common in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), yet the current gold standard criteria for documenting functional impairment largely focuses on mobility, balance and postural stability.

Objective: .

Reactive balance responses to a trip and slip during gait in people with multiple sclerosis.

Background: To examine reactive balance responses to a trip and slip during gait in people with multiple sclerosis (MS).

Methods: This cross-sectional laboratory study involved 29 participants with MS (50.6 ± 13.

Exercise and Sports Science Australia (ESSA) position statement on exercise for people with mild to moderate multiple sclerosis.

Objectives: Multiple sclerosis (MS), the most common chronic and progressive neurological condition of the central nervous system, affects 26,000 Australian adults. Exercise training has beneficial effects on MS-related impairments including reduced muscular strength, poor aerobic capacity and impaired mobility, and in consequence can improve quality of life. This Position Statement provides evidence-based recommendations for exercise prescription and delivery of exercise training for people with MS with mild to moderate disability.

Brief report: Passive mechanical properties of gastrocnemius in multiple sclerosis and ankle contracture.

Background: Ankle contracture is common in people with multiple sclerosis (MS) but the mechanisms of contracture are not clear. This study aimed to identify the mechanisms of contracture in MS by comparing passive muscle length and stiffness at known tension, separated into contributions by muscle fascicles and tendons, between people with MS who had contracture and healthy people.

Methods: Passive length-tension curves of the gastrocnemius muscle-tendon unit were derived from passive ankle torque and angle using a published biomechanical method.

Safety, Feasibility, and Efficacy of an Eccentric Exercise Intervention in People with Multiple Sclerosis with Ankle Contractures.

Background: The primary aim of this study was to investigate the safety and feasibility of an eccentric exercise program for people with multiple sclerosis (MS) who have ankle contractures, ie, reduced ankle range of motion (ROM). Secondary aims were to explore the efficacy of this eccentric exercise on ankle joint ROM and functional mobility.

Methods: Five adults with MS with ankle contractures (three women and two men; mean ± SD age, 50.

Sensorimotor, Cognitive, and Affective Functions Contribute to the Prediction of Falls in Old Age and Neurologic Disorders: An Observational Study.

Objective: To determine whether impairments across cognitive and affective domains provide additional information to sensorimotor deficits for fall prediction among various populations.

Design: We pooled data from 5 studies for this observational analysis of prospective falls.

Setting: Community or low-level care facility.

The effect of abdominal functional electrical stimulation on bowel function in multiple sclerosis: a cohort study.

Background: Chronic constipation is prevalent in people with multiple sclerosis, with current treatments usually only partially effective.

Objectives: This study aims to evaluate the efficacy of abdominal functional electrical stimulation to reduce whole gut and colonic transit times and improve bowel and bladder-related quality of life.

Methods: A total of 23 people with multiple sclerosis who fulfilled the Rome III criteria for functional constipation applied abdominal functional electrical stimulation for 1 hour per day, 5 days per week, for 6 weeks.

Reactive Balance Adaptability and Retention in People With Multiple Sclerosis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

. To compare reactive balance in people with multiple sclerosis (MS) with healthy controls and to examine the ability of people with MS to adapt their reactive balance and retain training effects. .

The frequency of bowel and bladder problems in multiple sclerosis and its relation to fatigue: A single centre experience.

Background: Bowel and bladder problems affect more than 50% of people with Multiple Sclerosis (MS). These problems have a large impact on quality of life and place a significant burden on health systems.

Objectives: This study aimed to ascertain the frequency of bladder and bowel problems in a select Australian MS cohort and to investigate the relationships between level of disability, bladder and bowel problems, and fatigue.

Wearable technology reveals gait compensations, unstable walking patterns and fatigue in people with multiple sclerosis.

Objective: People with multiple sclerosis (PwMS) often experience a decline in gait performance, which can compromise their independence and increase falls. Ankle joint contractures in PwMS are common and often result in compensatory gait patterns to accommodate reduced ankle range of motion (ROM).

Approach: Using advances in wearable technology, the aim of this study was to quantify head and pelvis movement patterns that occur in PwMS with disability and determine how these secondary gait compensations impact on gait stability.

Relationship Between Physiological and Perceived Fall Risk in People With Multiple Sclerosis: Implications for Assessment and Management.

Objective: This study evaluated the relationship between physiological and perceived fall risk in people with multiple sclerosis (MS).

Design: Secondary analysis of data from prospective cohort studies undertaken in Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

Setting: Community.

Cold Water Ingestion Improves Exercise Tolerance of Heat-Sensitive People with MS.

Purpose: Heat intolerance commonly affects the exercise capacity of people with multiple sclerosis (MS) during bouts of hot weather. Cold water ingestion is a simple cooling strategy, but its efficacy for prolonging exercise capacity with MS remains undetermined. We sought to identify whether cold water ingestion blunts exercise-induced rises in body temperature and improves exercise tolerance in heat-sensitive individuals with MS.

Impaired heel to toe progression during gait is related to reduced ankle range of motion in people with Multiple Sclerosis.

Background: Gait impairment in people with Multiple Sclerosis results from neurological impairment, muscle weakness and reduced range of motion. Restrictions in passive ankle range of motion can result in abnormal heel-to-toe progression (weight transfer) and inefficient gait patterns in people with Multiple Sclerosis. The purpose of this study was to determine the associations between gait impairment, heel-to-toe progression and ankle range of motion in people with Multiple Sclerosis.

Afferent thermosensory function in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis following exercise-induced increases in body temperature.

What is the central question of this study? Between 60 and 80% of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients experience transient worsening of symptoms with increased body temperature (heat sensitivity). As sensory abnormalities are common in MS, we asked whether afferent thermosensory function is altered in MS following exercise-induced increases in body temperature. What is the main finding and its importance? Increases in body temperature of as little as ∼0.

Fatigue, Physical Activity, Quality of Life, and Fall Risk in People with Multiple Sclerosis.

Background: Fatigue, inactivity, and falls are major health issues for people with multiple sclerosis (MS). We examined the extent to which fatigue and low walking activity are associated with quality of life and increased fall risk in people with MS.

Methods: People with MS (N = 210, aged 21-74 years) were categorized as having either high or low reported fatigue and walking activity levels and were then followed up for falls using monthly fall diaries for 6 months.

Fall risk in people with MS: A Physiological Profile Assessment study.

Introduction: The Physiological Profile Assessment (PPA) is used in research and clinical practice for assessing fall risk. We compared PPA test performance between people with multiple sclerosis (MS) and healthy controls, determined the fall-risk profile for people with MS and developed a reference database for people with MS.

Methods: For this study, 416 ambulant people with MS (51.

A simple test of choice stepping reaction time for assessing fall risk in people with multiple sclerosis.

Purpose To determine (a) the discriminant validity for established fall risk factors and (b) the predictive validity for falls of a simple test of choice stepping reaction time (CSRT) in people with multiple sclerosis (MS). Method People with MS (n = 210, 21-74y) performed the CSRT, sensorimotor, balance and neuropsychological tests in a single session. They were then followed up for falls using monthly fall diaries for 6 months.

Gyroscopic corrections improve wearable sensor data prior to measuring dynamic sway in the gait of people with Multiple Sclerosis.

Accelerometers are incorporated into many consumer devices providing new ways to monitor gait, mobility, and fall risk. However, many health benefits have not been realised because of issues with data quality that results from gravitational 'cross-talk' when the wearable device is tilted. Here we present an adaptive filter designed to improve the quality of accelerometer data prior to measuring dynamic pelvic sway patterns during a six minute walk test in people with and without Multiple Sclerosis (MS).

Medications Are Associated with Falls in People with Multiple Sclerosis: A Prospective Cohort Study.

Background: Medication use is associated with falls in many populations, but the relationship between medications and falls in people with multiple sclerosis (MS) is not well understood.

Methods: The number and types of medications used by 248 ambulatory adults with MS in the United States (n = 53) and Australia (n = 195) were assessed. Participants completed fall diaries for 6 months.

Multiple sclerosis severity and concern about falling: Physical, cognitive and psychological mediating factors.

Background: Concern about falling can have devastating physical and psychological consequences in people with multiple sclerosis (MS). However, little is known about physical and cognitive determinants for increased concern about falling inthis group.

Objective: To investigate direct and indirect relationships between MS severity and concern about falling using structural equation modelling (SEM).

Effects of a home-based step training programme on balance, stepping, cognition and functional performance in people with multiple sclerosis--a randomized controlled trial.

Background: Stepping impairments increase fall risk in people with MS. No studies have evaluated step training for reducing fall risk in this population.

Objectives: To determine if step training can improve physical and neuropsychological measures associated with falls in MS.