Dorothy S. Russell

Bio: Dorothy S. Russell is an academic researcher from Stanford University. The author has contributed to research in topics: Hydrocephalus & Teratoma. The author has an hindex of 30, co-authored 46 publications receiving 6773 citations.

Pathology of Tumours of the Nervous System

Abstract: Incidence pathogenesis and other general aspects experimental tumours of the nervous system tumours of central neuroepithelial origin tumours of specialized tissues of central neuroepithelial origin the growth of dissemination of central neuroepithelial tumours tumours of the meninges and related tissues tumours of the cranial, spinal and peripheral nerve sheaths nervous system involvement by lymphomas, histiocytoses and leukaemias tumours of vascular origin tumours and tumour-like lesions of maldevelopmental origin dysgenetic syndromes (phacomatoses) associated with tumours and hamartomas of the nervous system secondary tumours of the nervous system deformations and other structural changes produced by intercranial tumours effects of radiation and other forms of therapy on intracranial and spinal tumours and their surrounding tissues tumours of peripheral neuroblasts and ganglion cells paragangliomas.

Focal cerebral and cerebellar atrophy in a human subject due to organic mercury compounds

Abstract: Before the second world war a group of four patients suffering from profound neurological disturbances as a result of industrial exposure to methyl mercury compounds was studied by one of us. At the same time the effects of these compounds upon experimental rats and one monkey were assessed. A full account of this clinical and experimental work has been published (Hunter, Bomford, and Russell, 1940). After an interval of 15 years one of these men (Case 4) has come to necropsy. Because it has afforded the first opportunity for a detailed histological study in this form of intoxication, and because the neuropathological changes proved both unexpected and intrinsically of considerable interest, we consider the case worthy of record.

Cryptic arteriovenous and venous hamartomas of the brain

Abstract: In any large series of cases of spontaneous cerebral haemorrhage there are some of obscure aetiology that have certain clinical features in common. They occur in the younger age-groups, and although the onset of symptoms may be sudden, loss of consciousness is often delayed or incomplete. The cause of the bleeding often remains obscure on clinical examination and full investigation. Before the catastrophe the patient's condition has given no hint of any latent cerebral lesion. Although ultimate anatomical examination may reveal a vascular anomaly, the responsible lesion may be difficult to locate both on account of its situation and small size. For these reasons we propose the name \" cryptic \" for the series to be described. The incidence of these cryptic hamartomas in a total necropsy series of 461 examples of spontaneous intracranial haemorrhage, with a brief morphological account, has been published by one of us (Russell, 1954).

Vascular endothelial growth factor is a potential tumour angiogenesis factor in human gliomas in vivo.

Abstract: Clinical and experimental studies suggest that angiogenesis is a prerequisite for solid tumour growth. Several growth factors with mitogenic or chemotactic activity for endothelial cells in vitro have been described, but it is not known whether these mediate tumour vascularization in vivo. Glioblastoma, the most common and most malignant brain tumour in humans, is distinguished from astrocytoma by the presence of necroses and vascular proliferations. Here we show that expression of an endothelial cell-specific mitogen, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), is induced in astrocytoma cells but is dramatically upregulated in two apparently different subsets of glioblastoma cells. The high-affinity tyrosine kinase receptor for VEGF, flt, although not expressed in normal brain endothelium, is upregulated in tumour endothelial cells in vivo. These observations strongly support the concept that tumour angiogenesis is regulated by paracrine mechanisms and identify VEGF as a potential tumour angiogenesis factor in vivo.

A glial progenitor cell that develops in vitro into an astrocyte or an oligodendrocyte depending on culture medium

Abstract: We have identified a cell type in 7-day-old rat optic nerve that differentiates into a fibrous astrocyte if cultured in the presence of fetal calf serum and into an oligodendrocyte if cultured in the absence of serum. In certain culture conditions some of these cells acquire a mixed phenotype, displaying properties of both astrocytes and oligodendrocytes. These observations suggest that fibrous astrocytes and oligodendrocytes develop from a common progenitor cell and provide a striking example of developmental plasticity and environmental influence in the differentiation of CNS glial cells.

The Toxicology of Mercury and Its Chemical Compounds

Abstract: This review covers the toxicology of mercury and its compounds. Special attention is paid to those forms of mercury of current public health concern. Human exposure to the vapor of metallic mercury dates back to antiquity but continues today in occupational settings and from dental amalgam. Health risks from methylmercury in edible tissues of fish have been the subject of several large epidemiological investigations and continue to be the subject of intense debate. Ethylmercury in the form of a preservative, thimerosal, added to certain vaccines, is the most recent form of mercury that has become a public health concern. The review leads to general discussion of evolutionary aspects of mercury, protective and toxic mechanisms, and ends on a note that mercury is still an "element of mystery."

Minamata disease: methylmercury poisoning in Japan caused by environmental pollution

Abstract: Minamata disease (M. d.) is methylmercury (MeHg) poisoning that occurred in humans who ingested fish and shellfish contaminated by MeHg discharged in waste water from a chemical plant (Chisso Co. L...