Development and homeostasis of taste buds in mammals / 华西口腔医学杂志

Taste is mediated by multicellular taste buds distributed throughout the oral and pharyngeal cavities. The taste buds can detect five basic tastes: sour, sweet, bitter, salty and umami, allowing mammals to select nutritious foods and avoid the ingestion of toxic and rotten foods. Once developed, the taste buds undergo continuous renewal throughout the adult life. In the past decade, significant progress has been achived in delineating the cellular and molecular mechanisms governing taste buds development and homeostasis. With this knowledges and in-depth investigations in the future, we can achieve the precise management of taste dysfunctions such as dysgeusia and ageusia.

Berberine regulates type 2 diabetes mellitus related with insulin resistance / 中国中药杂志

Insulin resistance (IR) is defined as a series of clinical manifestations for diminished effectiveness of insulin in lowering blood sugar levels caused by decreased sensitivity to insulin of liver, muscle and adipose tissue. IR is the major contributor to the etiology and pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Berberine, a traditional Chinese herb extract, has been shown to be safe and effective in lowering blood sugar, alleviating insulin resistance and moderating type 2 diabetes mellitus and its complications. The bioavailability of berberine is extremely low, suggesting that it may play a role in lowering blood sugar and lipid by regulating intestinal flora. Intestinal microbiota may serve as a new potential target for berberine treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus.