Berberine, a natural plant product, activates AMP-activated protein kinase with beneficial metabolic effects in diabetic and insulin-resistant states.

Berberine has been shown to have antidiabetic properties, although its mode of action is not known. Here, we have investigated the metabolic effects of berberine in two animal models of insulin resistance and in insulin-responsive cell lines. Berberine reduced body weight and caused a significant improvement in glucose tolerance without altering food intake in db/db mice. Similarly, berberine reduced body weight and plasma triglycerides and improved insulin action in high-fat-fed Wistar rats. Berberine downregulated the expression of genes involved in lipogenesis and upregulated those involved in energy expenditure in adipose tissue and muscle. Berberine treatment resulted in increased AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) activity in 3T3-L1 adipocytes and L6 myotubes, increased GLUT4 translocation in L6 cells in a phosphatidylinositol 3' kinase-independent manner, and reduced lipid accumulation in 3T3-L1 adipocytes. These findings suggest that berberine displays beneficial effects in the treatment of diabetes and obesity at least in part via stimulation of AMPK activity.

Changes in site of obstruction in obstructive sleep apnea patients according to sleep position: a DISE study.

OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS: This study aimed to evaluate changes in obstruction site in obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) patients according to sleep position. STUDY DESIGN: Prospective case series. METHODS: Eighty-five patients who had undergone level 1 sleep study and drug-induced sleep endoscopy in the supine and lateral positions were included. Obstruction sites were classified as soft palate (SP), tongue base (TB), lateral wall (LW), and larynx (LX). Subgroup analysis was performed according to lateral apnea-hypopnea index (AHI): those with an AHI of ≥ 10 (lateral obstructors, LO) and those with an AHI of < 10 (lateral nonobstructors, LNO). RESULTS: Prevalence in obstruction site of SP, TB, and LX decreased significantly after change from supine to lateral position (P < 0.05). However, the prevalence of LW obstruction was not affected by position change. LW collapse in moderate OSA decreased (from 66.7% to 35.9%) after change to lateral sleep, whereas it persisted in severe OSA patients (81.6%-89.5%). In the lateral position, persistent obstruction at the LW was observed more frequently in the LO group compared to the LNO group (83.3% vs. 33.3%). CONCLUSION: When sleep posture is changed from supine to lateral, obstruction due to structures such as tongue base and larynx improves dramatically. Obstruction in lateral position is mostly due to obstruction at the oropharyngeal LWs. Therefore, position dependency is mostly determined by LW collapsibility. Evaluating the changes of the upper airway according to sleep position can further characterize the upper airway collapsibility and can be used for tailored treatment planning.

Development of a vision integration framework for laparoscopic surgical robot.

In order to realize intelligent laparoscopic surgical robot, a vision integrated system constitutes one of the fundamental components. The authors have constructed a vision framework in the current version of NCC (National Cancer Center) laparoscopic surgical robot controlled on a real-time OS (RTLinux-Pro, FSMLabs Inc., U.S.A.). Adding vision framework, we have been applying and testing image processing algorithms- edge detection of object for positioning surgical tool, Watersheds for recognizing object. This paper documents the implementation of the framework and preliminary results of the image segmentation using Watersheds algorithm. Finally the real-time processing capability of our vision system is discussed.