Published August 25, 2014 Researchers at Hofstra Northshore-LIJ School of Medicine have found the origins of the cell believed to cause multiple sclerosis (MS). In a study published in Science Translational Medicine, researchers investigated B cells, a type of immune cell believed to be responsible for attacking brain tissue. In patients with MS, the immune system attacks the protective myelin covering the nerves. This damage disrupts communication between the brain and the rest of the body ultimately leading to irreversible nerve deterioration. B cells mutate as they migrate through the bodys tissues, which allowed researchers to determine the starting point. Our objective was to determine the origin and map the course of these cell abnormalities in the hope of targeting them for further investigations in MS treatment, study author Joel N.H. Stern, an assistant professor of science education at the School of Medicine said in a press release. Currently available MS treatments manage symptoms by using drugs that diffuse in the brain. Targeted treatments can be difficult and ineffective because of the brains protective barrier. The study of B cells may improve treatment efficacy. Since B cells travel in and out of the brain of MS patients repeatedly, our results … 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 →

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 →