Biomedical Engineering faculty page

Nelson G. Publicover

  • Professor
  • College of Engineering
  • Director, Graduate Program in Biomedical Engineering
  • Ph.D., McGill University
  • Address: University of Nevada, Reno / mail stop 400, Reno NV 89557
  • Phone: (775) 784-4952
  • FAX: (775) 327-5257
  • E-mail: nelson@unr.edu
  • Website: http://www.unr.edu/bme/nelsonp/nelsonp.html

Teaching

Current teaching activities:

  • Introduction to Biomedical Engineering (BME 401/601) course coordinator
  • Seminar (BME 790) course coordinator
  • Colloquium (BME 794) course coordinator
  • contributor to a number of other graduate level courses covering Physiology, Electrical Engineering, Optics, Imaging, Independent Study, and Research Proposal Preparation

Research Interests

A basic understanding of the function of the gastrointestinal system must include an understanding of the electrical events that regulate contractions. Where are these electrical events generated? How are they initiated? How do they propagate through smooth muscle tissues in an orderly fashion? We address these questions using a variety of techniques including high rate (up to 1,000 frames/sec) fluorescence imaging and the development of large-scale mathematical models of electrical excitation and propagation. We are also using fluorescent imaging to investigate the basic mechanisms of interaction between electromagnetic fields and excitable cells, from the cellular to the molecular levels. How do electromagnetic fields affect isolated nerve and muscle cells? In addition, we are exploring several fundamental mechanisms (using many portions of the electromagnetic spectrum) that will lead to the development of new biosensors. How can monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies directed against a wide range of chemical and biological compounds be used within sensing instruments? Other areas of activity include: the development of a wide range of biomedical instrumentation and novel imaging techniques.

Transmission between an interstitial cell and a smooth muscle cell mediated via nitric oxide. An increase in intracellular Ca2+ was evoked in an interstitial cell by micropressure ejection of the Ca2+ agonist, Bay K 8644 (upper trace, panel A). This caused a decrease in [Ca2+] in a smooth muscle cell located 205 micrometers away (lower trace, panel A). Transmission was blocked when the experiment was repeated in the presence of a nitric oxide synthase inhibitor, L-NAME (panel B). Data were gathered using a fluorescence video imaging system and suggest the ability of interstitial cells to generate sufficient nitric oxide to mediate and actively propagate inhibitory transmission. (taken from Publicover et al, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. (USA) 90: 2087-2091.[Download PDF version of the article])

Recent Selected Publications

Kantsyrev, V.L., R. Bruch, R. Phaneuf, and N.G. Publicover. (1997). New concepts for X-ray, soft X-ray and EUV optical instrumentation including methods for spectroscopy, plasma diagnostics and biomedical microscopy: a status report. J. X-ray Science and Technology 7: 139-158. [Download PDF version of the article -- Warning, because of several photographs, this is a huge file >4M]

Carl, A., B.W. Frey, and N.G. Publicover. (1998). Charybdotoxin block of BK channels in smooth muscle depends on the dynamics of membrane potential changes. Am. J. Physiol. (cell) 274: C673-C680. [Download PDF version of the article]

Bub, G., L. Glass, N.G. Publicover, and A. Shrier. (1998). Bursting calcium rotors in cultured cardiac myocyte monolayers. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. (USA) 95: 10283-10287. [Download PDF version of the article]

Stevens, R.J., N.G. Publicover, and T.K. Smith. (1999). Induction and organization of calcium waves by enteric neural reflexes. Nature 399: 62-66. (with associated News and View article by G.D.S. Hirst 399: 16-17) [Download PDF version of the article]

Publicover, N.G., T.K. Smith, and. R.J. Stevens. (1999). Fluorescence imaging of the propagation of excitability in gastrointestinal muscles. Molecular imaging: Reporters, dyes, and instrumentation -- SPIE 3600: 42-50. [View the abstract]

Publicover, N.G., C.G. Marsh, C.A. Vincze, G.L. Craviso, and I. Chatterjee. (1999). Effects of microscope objectives on magnetic field exposures. Bioelectromagnetics 20: 387-395.  [Download PDF version of the article]

Stevens, R.J., J.S. Weinert, and N.G. Publicover. (1999). Visualization of the origins and propagation of excitation in canine gastric smooth muscle. Am. J. Physiol. (cell) 277: C448-C460.  [Download PDF version of the article]

Stevens, R.J., N.G. Publicover, and T.K. Smith. (2000). Propagation and neural regulation of calcium waves in longitudinal and circular muscle layers of the guinea pig small intestine. Gastroenterology 118: 892-904. [Download PDF version of the article]

Chatterjee, I., N. Hassan, G.L. Craviso, and N.G. Publicover. (2001). Numerical computation of distortions in magnetic fields and induced currents in physiological solutions produced by microscope objectives. Bioelectromagnetics 22: 463-469. [Download PDF version of the article]

 

Sutko, J.L., N.G. Publicover and R.L. Moss. (2001). Titin:  An elastic link between length and active force production in myocardium. Circulation 104: 1587-1587. [Download PDF version of the article]

 

Larrabe, J.L., F.J. Alvarez, E.G. Cuesta, A. Valls-i-Soler, L.F. Alfonso, A. Arnaiz, M.B. Fernández, B. Loureiro, N.G. Publicover, L. Roman, J.A. Casla, and M.A. Gómez. (2001). Development of a time-cycled, volume-controlled, pressure-limited respirator and lung mechanics system for total liquid ventilation. IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering 48(10): 1134-1144. [Download PDF version of the article]

 

Craviso, G.L., J. Poss, C. Lanctot, S.S. Lundback, I. Chatterjee, and N.G. Publicover. (2002). Intracellular calcium activity in isolate bovine adrenal chromaffin cells in the presence and absence of 60 Hz magnetic fields. Bioelectromagnetics 23: 557-567. [Download PDF version of the article]

 

Hassan, N., I. Chatterjee, N.G. Publicover, and G.L. Craviso. (2002). Mapping membrane potential perturbations of chromaffin cells exposed to electric fields. IEEE Transactions on Plasma Science 30: 1516-1524. [Download PDF version of the article]

 

Craviso, G.L., I. Chatterjee, and N.G. Publicover. (2003). Catecholamine release from cultured bovine adrenal medullary chromaffin cells in the presence of 60-Hz magnetic fields. Bioelectrochemistry 59: 57-64. [Download PDF version of the article]

 

Hassan, N., I. Chatterjee, N.G. Publicover, and G.L. Craviso. (2003). Numerical study of induced current perturbations in the vicinity of excitable cells exposed to extremely low frequency magnetic fields. Physics in Medicine and Biology 48(20): 3277-3293. [Download PDF version of the article]

 

Peng, S., N.G. Publicover, G.J. Kargacin, D. Duan, J.A. Airey, and J.L. Sutko (2004). Imaging single cardiac ryanodine receptor Ca2+ fluxes in lipid bilayers. Biophysical J. 86: 134-144. [Download PDF version of the article]

 

Peng, S., N.G. Publicover, J.A. Airey, J.E. Hall, H.T. Haigler, D. Jiang, S.R.W. Chen, and J.L. Sutko. (2004). Diffusion of single cardiac ryanodine receptors in lipid bilayers is decreased by Annexin 12. Biophysical J. 86: 145-151. [Download PDF version of the article]