Publications by authors named "Mu-feng Li"

Background: Bone metastases (BM) from malignant tumors could disrupt the balance between osteoclasts and osteoblasts and affect bone homeostasis. Malignant breast cancer (BC) is rare in male patients, and co-occurrence of BM is even rarer. Given its low incidence, there is limited research evaluating risk and prognosis.

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Lumbar disc prostheses have been used increasingly in recent years. The successful design of lumbar disc prostheses depends on accurate morphometric parameters. However, the morphologic dimensions of lumbar endplate area have not been investigated in Chinese population.

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Toosendanin (TSN) is a triterpenoid extracted from Melia toosendan Sieb et Zucc, which was used as a digestive tract-parasiticide and agricultural insecticide in ancient China. TSN was demonstrated to be a selective presynaptic blocker and an effective antibotulismic agent. By interfering with neurotransmitter release through an initial facilitation followed by a subsequent depression, TSN eventually blocks synaptic transmission at both the neuro-muscular junction and central synapses.

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Aim: Botulinum neurotoxins (BoNT) abort the process of neurotransmitter release at presynaptic motor nerve terminals, causing muscle paralysis. The ability of botulinum toxin to produce its effect is dependent on the ability of the light chain to cleave the SNARE proteins associated with transmitter release. Translocation of the light chain protease through the heavy chain-formed channel is a pivotal step in the intoxication process.

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Toosendanin is a triterpenoid derivative extracted from Melia toosendan Sieb et Zucc. Previous studies demonstrated that toosendanin could block neurotransmission and stimulate PC12 cell into differentiation and apoptosis. These actions of toosendanin were suggested to result from a continuous increase in Ca2+ influx, which led to intracellular Ca2+ overload.

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Toosendanin, a triterpenoid derivative extracted from Melia toosendan Sieb et Zucc, was demonstrated to be potentially useful in medical and scientific researches. Here, we investigated the effects of toosendanin on L-type voltage-dependent Ca(2+) channels in cultured neonatal rat ventricular cells, using whole-cell patch-clamp method. Toosendanin irreversibly increased L-type Ca(2+) current (I(Ca(L))) in a concentration-dependent manner and shifted the maximum of the current/voltage relationship from 8.

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Toosendanin, a triterpenoid derivative extracted from Melia toosendan Sieb et Zucc, was demonstrated to be a selective presynaptic blocker and an effective antibotulismic agent in previous studies. Here, we observed its effects on Ca(2+) channels in NG108-15 cells by whole-cell patch-clamp recording. Obtained data showed that toosendanin concentration dependently increased the high-voltage-activated (HVA) Ca(2+) current with an EC(50) of 5.

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The antibodies against pre-synaptic membrane receptor (PsmR) and acetylcholine receptor (AChR) in serum samples of myasthenia gravis (MG) patients and healthy donors were tested by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA). The serum samples of eight MG patients with different autoantibodies and those of six healthy donors without these two kinds of autoantibodies were collected to investigate their effects on the peri-neurially recorded membrane currents at mouse motor nerve terminals. After inhibition of both fast and Ca(2+)-dependent K+ currents by tetra-ethylammonium (TEA), a positive wave was revealed, which was a balance of the slow K+(Ik,s) and Ca2+ currents (ICa).

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