Biomedical subjects

D A Berkowicz

Publications and source records attributed to D A Berkowicz.

5 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2000

Dopaminergic modulation at the olfactory nerve synapse.

Dopamine can change the membrane potential, regulate cyclic nucleotides, and modulate transmitter release in central neurons. In the olfactory bulb (OB), the dopamine synthetic enzyme, tyrosine hydroxylase, is largely confined to neurons in the glomerular layer. After demonstrating dopamine D2 receptors in the glomerular and olfactory nerve (ON) layers, Nickell et al. [W.T. Nickell, A.B. Norman, L.M. Wyatt, M.T. Shipley, Olfactory bulb DA receptors may be located on terminals of the olfactory nerve, NeuroReport, 2 (1991) 9-12.] proposed that these receptors may reduce transmitter release due to their localization to ON presynaptic boutons. We have previously demonstrated that olfactory receptor neurons use glutamate to excite OB neurons through activation of glutamate receptors subtypes, NMDA and AMPA/kainate [D.A. Berkowicz, P.Q. Trombley, G.M. Shepherd, Evidence for glutamate as the olfactory receptor cell neurotransmitter. J. Neurophysiol., 71 (1994) 2557-2561]. Here, we used a hemisected turtle OB preparation and patch-clamp recording techniques to assess dopamine modulation of the ON/OB neuron synapse. We found that dopamine (10-300 microM) reversibly decreased the excitatory postsynaptic response to ON stimulation. This effect could be overcome by recruiting additional nerve fibers by increasing the intensity of ON stimulation. Quinpirole (10 microM), a D2 agonist, mimicked the effects of dopamine. Conversely, sulpiride (300 microM), a D2 antagonist, prevented the inhibitory effects of dopamine on synaptic transmission. Whereas dopamine appeared to equally affect the NMDA and AMPA/kainate receptor-mediated components of the synaptically evoked response, it had no direct effect on membrane currents evoked by exogenous glutamate, kainate or NMDA applied to cultured OB neurons. Our data, therefore, support the notion that dopamine modulates synaptic transmission between olfactory receptor neurons and OB neurons via a presynaptic mechanism involving D2 receptor activation. Our abstract (Berkowicz et al. (1994) Neuroscience Abs. 20:328) is the first report of these results.

Action Potentials↗

PubMed1998

Component architecture for web based EMR applications.

The World Wide Web provides the means for the collation and display of disseminated clinical information of use to the healthcare provider. However, the heterogeneous nature of clinical data storage and formats makes it very difficult for the physician to use one consistent client application to view and manipulate information. Similarly, developers are faced with a multitude of possibilities when creating interfaces for their users. A single patients records may be distributed over a number of different record keeping systems, and/or a physician may see patients whose individual records are stored at different sites. Our goal is to provide the healthcare worker with a consistent application interface independent of the parent database and at the same time allow developers the opportunity to customize the GUI in a well controlled, stable application environment.

Computer Systems↗

PubMed1998

An XML portable chart format.

The clinical chart remains the fundamental record of outpatient clinical care. As this information migrates to electronic form, there is an opportunity to create standard formats for transmitting these charts. This paper describes work toward a Portable Chart Format (PCF) that can represent the relevant aspects of an outpatient chart. The main goal of the format is to provide a packaging medium for outpatient clinical charts in a transfer of care scenario. A secondary goal is to support the aggregation of comparable clinical data for outcomes analysis. The syntax used for PCF is Extended Markup Language (XML), a W3C standard. The structure of the PCF is based on a clinically relevant view of the data. The data definitions and nomenclature used are based primarily on existing clinical standards.

Humans↗

PubMed1997

Design considerations in migrating an obstetrics clinical record to the Web.

Recently the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) embarked on an effort to promote the development of nationally networked obstetrical records. The Laboratory of Computer Science (LCS) is collaborating with them to help achieve this goal through the development of a web-based prototype of an electronic medical record (EMR) which would allow the entry and display of typical clinical information for the obstetric patient. The process of porting a stand alone application to the web environment necessitated the development of a robust software scheme that could exploit the strengths of Web-based technologies and avoid some of the drawbacks inherent in a stateless environment.

Computer Communication Networks↗

PubMed1994

Evidence for glutamate as the olfactory receptor cell neurotransmitter.

1. Synaptic transmission between olfactory receptor neurons and mitral/tufted cells was examined using a whole-cell recording technique in a hemisected preparation of the turtle olfactory bulb. To determine the olfactory receptor neuron transmitter, we isolated components of the synaptic response of mitral/tufted cells to olfactory nerve stimulation using postsynaptic receptor antagonists. 2. Low-intensity stimulation of the olfactory nerve evoked monosynaptic excitatory postsynaptic potentials in mitral/tufted cells that consisted of a rapid and prolonged depolarization with little contribution from other bulb neurons. The exogenous application of glutamate mimicked the response of mitral/tufted cells to olfactory nerve stimulation. 3. Olfactory nerve stimulation evoked in mitral/tufted cells a two component response that was reversibly blocked by glutamate receptor antagonists. The first, a rapid depolarization of short duration, was sensitive to the non-N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist 6,7-dinitroquinoxaline-2,3-dione (DNQX); the second, a depolarization of slower onset but longer duration, was sensitive to the NMDA receptor antagonist DL-2-amino-5-phosphonovaleric acid (AP5). When DNQX and AP5 were both present the postsynaptic response was completely abolished. These results strongly support the notion that glutamate is the neurotransmitter at the olfactory nerve to mitral/tufted cell synapse.

Animals↗