Vice Chairman, Department of Physiology & Biophysics
Professor of Physiology & Biophysics, SUNY/Buffalo
Professor of Pediatrics, SUNY/Buffalo
State University of New York at Buffalo
Children's Hospital of Buffalo

Phone: (716) 829-2425
Fax: (716) 829-2708
E-Mail: russellj@acsu.buffalo.edu

Special Interests:
Dr. Russell's interests are in the mechanisms that cause persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn (PPHN) and in developing treatments for this disease. An animal model of this disease has been developed by ligating the ductus arteriosus of fetal sheep 10 days prior to term. Lambs are then delivered at term and they exhibit all of the hallmarks of PPHN in human infants. Studies at the cellular, isolated tissue and whole animal levels are then performed. Most recent studies have focused on the cyclic GMP and cyclic AMP pathways for relaxation of the pulmonary vasculature in addition to the potential involvement of oxygen radicals. Dr. Russell's laboratory has been specifically involved with studies on isolated pulmonary arteries and veins. The recent use of inhaled nitric oxide in infants with PPHN has resulted from previous studies in our and other laboratories. This relatively new treatment for PPHN has decreased the number of infants that would have required more invasive treatments such as extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO).

Undergraduate:
BA in Physical Therapy
State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, New York

Graduate School:
MA in Physiology
State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, New York

Ph.D. in Physiology
State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, New York

Post-Doctoral Fellowship:
Departments of Thoracic Diseases and Physiology
Mayo Clinic, 9/73-9/75

Scholarships & Fellowships:
NIH Research Career Development Award, SUNY/Buffalo, 7/82-7/87
NIH Young Investigator Pulmonary Research Fellow, Mayo Clinic, 6/74-6/75
Mayo Research Fellowship in Physiology, Mayo Clinic, 9/73-6/74
NIH Pre-doctoral Traineeship, SUNY/Buffalo, 9/63-9/64
New York State Educational Scholarship, SUNY/Buffalo, 9/60-6/62
Parent-Teacher Association Scholarship, SUNY/Buffalo, 9/60-6/63

Professional Organizations:
American Physiological Society
American Thoracic Society

Recent Publications:

Calvo WJ, Hajduczok G, Russell JA, Steinhorn RH, Diamond SL. Inhibition of nitric oxide but not prostacyclin prevents poststenotic dilatation in rabbit femoral artery. Circ 99:1069-1076, 1999.

Dukarm RC, Russell JA, Morin FC III, Steinhorn RH. The cGMP-specific phosphodiesterase inhibitor E4021 selectively dilates the pulmonary circulation. Am J Resp Crit Care Med 160: 858-865, 1999.

Tzao C, Nickerson PA, Russell JA, Nobel BK, Steinhorn RH. Heterogeneous distribution of type I nitric oxide synthase in pulmonary vasculature of ovine fetus. Histochem Cell Bio. 114(5): 421-30, Nov 2000.

Tzao C, Nickerson PA, Russell JA, Gugino SF, Steinhorn RH. Pulmonary hypertension alters soluble guanylate cyclase activity and expression in pulmonary arteries isolated from fetal lambs. Pediatric Pulmonol. 31(2): 97-105, Feb 2001.

Steinhorn RH, Russell JA, Lakshminrusimha S, Gugino SF, Black SM, and JR Fineman. Altered endothelium-dependent relaxations in lambs with high pulmonary blood flow and pulmonary hypertension. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol. 280(1): H311-7, Jan 2001.

Lakshminrusimha S, D'Angelis CA, Russell JA, Nielsen LC, Gugino SF, Nickerson PA, Steinhorn RH. C-type natiuretic peptide system in fetal ovine pulmonary vasculature. Am J Physio Lung Cell Mol Physiol. 281(2): L361-8, Aug 2001.

Steinhorn, RH, Albert G, Swartz DD, Russell JA, Levine CR and J Davis. Recombinant human superoxide dismutase enhances the effect of inhaled nitric oxide in persistent pulmonary hypertension. Am J Respir crit Care Med 164(5): 834-839, Sep 2001.

Lakshminrusimha S, Russell JA, Fineman JR, Gugino SF, Steinhorn RH. Alteration in the pulmonary vascular natriuretic peptide system in fetal lambs with pulmonary hypertension. Am J Physiol, resubmitted with revisions.

Tzao C, Nickerson PA, Steinhorn RH, Noble BK, Swartz DD, Russell JA,. Type I nitric oxide synthase is decreased in the fetal pulmonary circulation of hypertensive lambs. Submitted: Pediatric Pulmonology. 33: 437-442, Aug. 2002.

Lakshminrusimha S, D'Angelis CA, Swartz DD, Gugino SF, Nickerson PA, Russell JA, Fineman JR Steinhorn RH. Pulmonary vascular natriuretic peptide system in lambs with congenital heart disease and increased pulmonary blood flow. Submitted.

Dukarm RC, Steinhorn RH, Russell JA, Lakshminrusimha S, Swartz DD, Cummings JJ. Selective type 5 phosphodiesterase inhibition affects pulmonary hemodynamics and lung liquid production in near term fetal lambs. Submitted.