• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
• /
• v.49 no.5
• /
• pp.552-557
• /
• 2006

Purpose : The recent results observed in precocious puberty and the hope that interrupting puberty might increase adult height have led to an attempt to use GnRH agonist(GnRHa) in children with premature puberty and a poor growth prognosis. We aimed to analyze the growth promoting effect of GnRHa in girls with early puberty and low predicted adult height(PAH). Methods : Thirty six girls were recruited. They were grouped according to the GnRHa treatment period(group 1>6 mo, n=18; group 2<6 mo, n=18). The following variables were analyzed before and after GnRHa treatment : chronological age(CA), bone age(BA), ${\Delta}age$(CA-BA), height, target height (TH), PAH, serum IGF-1, IGFBP-3. Results : Duration of the GnRHa treatment was $0.89{\pm}0.81yr$($1.37{\pm}0.92yr$ in group 1, and $0.41{\pm}0.08yr$ in group 2). Before treatment, none of the variables were different between the two groups. There were no differences in the following variables the between two groups at the end of treatment : CA, BA, ${\Delta}age$, PAH, serum IGF-1, IGFBP-3. But, growth velocity(GV) and PAH increment during treatment were significantly reduced in group 1. Compared with initial PAH, PAH at the end of treatment was significantly increased($3.7{\pm}3.2cm$). The last serum levels of IGF-1 and IGFBP-3 were lower than those before treatment. Conclusion : Even though last PAH didn't approach TH, short term GnRHa administration in early puberty with low predicted PAH was somewhat effective. But, GnRHa administration suppressed the growth hormone-IGF-1 axis. Therefore, it is recommended that growth hormone(GH) should be used in combination with GnRHa.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
• /
• v.15 no.4
• /
• pp.570-575
• /
• 2002

Effects of active immunization against native 14-mer somatostatin (SRIF, somatotropin releasing inhibiting factor) and its two 14-mer-somatostatin analogues on the milk production in rat mammary cells were studied. Native SRIF, Tyr11-somatostatin (Tyr11-SRIF), and D-Trp8, D-Cys14-somatostatin (Trp8Cys14-SRIF) were conjugated to bovine serum albumin (BSA) for immunogen preparation. Twenty-four female Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into four groups and immunized against saline (Control), SRIF, Tyr11-SRIF, and Trp8Cys14-SRIF at five weeks of age. Booster immunizations were performed at 7, 9, and 11 weeks of age. SRIFimmunized rats were mated at 10 weeks of age. The blood and mammary glands were collected at day 15 post-pregnancy and -lactation. To measure the amount of milk protein synthesis in the mammary gland, mammary cells isolated from the pregnant and the lactating rats, were cultured in the presence of $^3H$-lysine. No significant differences in growth performance, concentration of growth hormone in the circulation, and the amount of milk protein synthesis were observed among the groups. Inductive levels of serum anti-SRIF antibody in the SRIF and Tyr11-SRIF groups but not in the Trp8Cys14-SRIF group, were significantly higher than that of the control group during the pregnancy and lactation periods. The result suggests that active immunization against native 14-mer SRIF and Tyr11-SRIF was able to induce anti-SRIF antibodies, but did not affect the milk protein synthesis.

• Journal of Yeungnam Medical Science
• /
• v.28 no.1
• /
• pp.77-83
• /
• 2011

Non-islet cell tumor-induced hypoglycemia (NICTH) is associated with mesenchymal tumor types, including hemangiopericytoma, fibrosarcoma, mesothelioma, and neurofibroma, as well as carcinoma of the liver, adrenal glands, and kidneys. Non- islet cell tumors induce hypoglycemia by overproducing an abnormal form of insulin-like growth factor II (IGF m. Complete removal of the tumor or reduction of the tumor mass is a successful therapeutic strategy in cases of NICTH. However, if the tumor re-grows, curative resection is nearly impossible, and hypoglycemia occurs repeatedly. Glucocorticoids are effective in terms of long-term relief from hypoglycemia through promotion of gluconeogenesis in the liver, tumor suppression, production of 'big'-IGF-II, and correction of the attendant biochemical abnormalities involving the growth hormone (GH)-IGF axis. We found that administration of corticosteroid therapy to a patient suffering from NICTH resulted in improvement of hypoglycemia associated symptoms.

• Development and Reproduction
• /
• v.13 no.4
• /
• pp.207-215
• /
• 2009

Numerous factors can affect the activities of hypothalamus-pituitary-gonad (HPG) hormonal axis, resulting in alteration of reproductive capacity or status such as onset of puberty and menopause. Soon after the finding of leptin, a multifunctional hormone secreted from adipocytes, a close relationship between reproduction and body energy balance have been manifested. Ghrelin, another multifunctional hormone from gastrointestinal tract, is an endogenous ligand of growth hormone secretagogue receptor (GHSR), and is thought to be a counterpart of leptin in the regulation of energy homeostasis. As expected, ghrelin can also modulate the reproductive capacity through the modulation of activities of HPG axis. This paper summarizes the current knowledge on the discovery, gene structures, tissue distribution and roles of ghrelin and GHSRs in mammalian reproduction in particular modulation of reproductive hormone secretion in HPG axis. Like POMC gene expression in pituitary gland, preproghrelin gene can generate a complex repertoire of transcripts which further undergo alternative splicing and posttranslational modifications. Concerning the roles of preproghrelin gene products in the control of body physiology except energy homeostasis, limited knowledge is available so far. Several lines of evidence, however, show the interplay of ghrelin between metabolism and reproduction. In rat and human, the distribution of ghrelin receptor GHSRs (GHSR1a and GHSR1b) has been confirmed not only in the hypothalamus and pituitary which were originally postulated as target of ghrelin but also in the testis and ovary. Expression of the preproghrelin gene in the brain and gonads was also verified, suggesting the local role (s) of ghrelin in HPG axis. Ghrelin might play a negative modulator in the secretions of hypothalamic GnRH, pituitary gonadotropins and gonadal steroids though the action on pituitary is still questionable. Recent studies suggest the involvement of ghrelin in regulation of puberty onset and possibly of menopause entry. It is now evident that ghrelin is a crucial hormomal component in 'brain-gut' axis, and is a strong candidate links between metabolism and reproduction. Opposite to that for leptin, ghrelin signaling is likely representing the 'hunger' state of body energy balance and is necessary to avoid the energy investment into reproduction which has not a top priority in maintaining homeostasis. Further researches are needed to gain a deep insight into the more precise action mechanism and role of ghrelin in reproduction, and to guarantee the successful biomedical applications.

• Korean Journal of Plant Tissue Culture
• /
• v.21 no.4
• /
• pp.215-220
• /
• 1994

Pollen-derived embryos cultured on the hormone-free medium showed a low germination frequency (12.5%) and poor growth response after germination. The greatest frequency of germination (81.3%) was obtained from the embryos cultured on medium with 0.3mg/L GA$_3$.The greatest frequency of generation (81.3) was obtained from embryos cultured on medium with 0.3mg/L GA$_3$. The embryos precultured for 20 days on medium with 0.3mg/L GA$_3$were transferred to the medium with various combination of hormones such as IAA, kinetin, zeatin, 6-benzylaminopurin (BA) and Gh$_3$. The germination frequency of cotyledonary stage embryos showed above 72% on media with all of the hormonal combinations, but the embryos germinated on medium with 2mg/L BA or 0.1mg/L kinetin and 0.3mg/L GA$_3$ developed more vigorously into plantlets than those of other hormonal combinations. Torpedo-stage embryos cultured on medium with 0.3 mg/L Gh$_3$ were pretreated for 8 weeks at 2-week intervals at 4$^{\circ}C$, The germination frequency of the cold-preheated embryos increased with the increment of pretreatment period from 2 to 8 weeks. The greatest frequency of germination (73.3%) was obtained from the embryos pretreated for 8 weeks at 4$^{\circ}C$. The chromosomes of the root-tip cells of W plane grown for 40 days after germination were observed. Most of the regenerated plants were haploid (55.8%) or diploid (315%), but triploid (1.3%), tetraploid (5.2%), or aneuploid (6.5%) were also detected among them.

• Reproductive and Developmental Biology
• /
• v.29 no.1
• /
• pp.49-55
• /
• 2005

We cloned cDNA of the PGH(porcine growth hormone) gene and constructed retrovirus vector designed to express PGH gene under the regulation of CMV (cytomegalovirus) promoter. To maximize the expression, WPRE(woodchuck hepatitis virus posttranscriptional regulatory element) sequence was placed at the downstream of the PGH gene. After infection with recombinant viruses, approximately 1×10/sup 6/ PFF(porcine fetal fibroblast) cells released PGH protein into the media as much as 1,400 ng. In a subsequent experiment, a modifications of the retrovirus vector was made to express the PGH gene in a teracycline-inducible manner. In PFF cells carrying these viral vector sequences, addition of doxycycline to the media resulted in 2∼6 fold increase in PGH synthesis. In the modified retrovirus vectors, the WPRE sequence also played a role in boosting the effect of the tetracycline induction. This result indicates that our tetracycline-inducible expression system might be a promising candidate in alleviating the complicate physiological problems caused by constitutive expression of the exogenous genes in the transgenic animals.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
• /
• v.38 no.2
• /
• pp.246-257
• /
• 1998

Endocrine cells in the thymus of duck(Anas platyrhynchos platyrhyncos, Linne) were studied immunohistochemically from 23 days of incubation to 32 weeks of age. Somatostatin-, growth hormone(GH)-, gastrin/cholecystokinin(Gas/CCK)-, polypeptide YY(PYY)-, S-100 protein(S-100 P)-, dopamine-, serotonin(5-HT)-, and bovine chromogranin (BCG)-immunoreactive cells were detected in the duck thymus by the PAP techniques. These immunoreactive cells were observed in the medulla and in the juxtacortical medulla. No immunoreactivity of calcitonin and bovine pancreatic polypeptide(BPP) antiserum were observed. The argyrophil cells by Grimelius techniques were observed from 23 days of incubation to 32 weeks of age and peaked in 5 weeks of age. In the early develpmental stage, the argyrophil cells were distributed only in the medulla, while these cells were distributed mainly in the medulla and a few cells were distributed in the corticomedullary junction from 3 weeks of age. These immunoreactive cells were generally round, oval and elliptical and occasionally spindle, polygonal and polymorphous with the long cytopslasmic processes in shape. The present study suggests that the intrathymic endocrine cells may associate with the functional maturation of T-lymphocytes on the establishment of immunity. The further study will be needed to elucidate the function of these thymic endocrine cells.

• KSBB Journal
• /
• v.18 no.4
• /
• pp.306-311
• /
• 2003

Solid-phase refolding of immobilized proteins can be an effective way to reuse an immobilized enzyme column. Oriented immobilization methods are known to provide higher activity of the immobilized enzymes. In this study, using recombinant EK (enterokinase) as a model enzyme and a fusion protein, that consisted of recombinant human growth hormone and six His tag that was linked by the peptide of EK-specific recognition sequence, as a model substrate, we evaluated two oriented immobilization methods, i. e., reductive alkylation of N-terminus ${\alpha}$-amine and affinity interaction between poly-histidine tag and Ni-NTA (nickel-nitrilotriacetic acid). The immobilization yield, activity and cleavage of the immobilized enzymes, and the yield of solid-phase refolding were compared. The Ni affinity immobilization and the covalent immobilization yields were about 100％ and 65％, respectively. But the specific activities were the same, about 50％ of that of the soluble enzyme. The cleavage rate by the covalently immobilized EK was higher than the soluble enzyme and the side reaction of cryptic cleavage was significantly decreased. Covalently immobilized EK showed almost 100％ refolding yield but the affinity immobilized EK showed only 70％ yield, which suggested the covalent conjugation provided more rigid ‘reference structure’ for the solid-phase refolding. The monomeric hGH could be easily obtained by capturing the cleaved poly Histidine tag by the Ni affinity column.

• The Journal of Pediatrics of Korean Medicine
• /
• v.25 no.2
• /
• pp.111-120
• /
• 2011

Objectives: The purpose of this study is to estimate genetic and environmental factors, which can affect Idiopathic true Precocious puberty, and to evaluate the clinical and endocrinologic characteristics. Methods: Retrospective and Comparative analysis of 76 children (72 girls and 4 boys) has been diagnosed with idiopathic true precocious puberty, and treated with GnRHa from December 2008 to July 2011. Results: 1. The Average chronological age (CA. yr) of children diagnosed with idiopathic true precocious puberty was $8.40{\pm}0.81$ (girls), $9.93{\pm}0.12$ (boys). 2. The Average height & weight percentile (%ile) of the girls diagnosed with idiopathic true precocious puberty was $67.38{\pm}22.04$, $67.69{\pm}23.20$. 3. The girls' mothers have diagnosed with idiopathic true precocious puberty, and they were shorter than the average. This shows that mother's small height and idiopathic true precocious puberty are closely related to each other. 4. BMI percentile (%ile) of girls diagnosed with idiopathic true precocious puberty was $63.26{\pm}24.86$. 23.6% of children were diagnosed with overweight or obesity. This result shows that obesity and idiopathic true precocious puberty are proportionally related. 5. Birth weights (kg) of the children diagnosed with idiopathic true precocious puberty were $3.16{\pm}0.43$ (girls), $3.15{\pm}0.38$ (boys). 8.3% of children were diagnosed with Intrauterine growth retardation. 6. The Average bone ages (BA. yr) of the children diagnosed with idiopathic true precocious puberty were $10.51{\pm}0.99$ (girls), $12.10{\pm}0.97$ (boys). The Average BA-CA was $2.11{\pm}0.81$ (girls), $2.00{\pm}0.87$ (boys). 7. The Average predicted adults' height (PAH. cm) of the children diagnosed with idiopathic true precocious puberty was $151.61{\pm}4.00$ (girls), $163.50{\pm}2.15$ (boys). The Average MPH-PAH was $6.84{\pm}4.91$ (girls), $6.00{\pm}5.35$ (boys). 8. 23.6% of the children treated with GnRHa were co-treated with Growth Hormone. Conclusions: Estimated factors which cause Idiopathic true precocious puberty are mother's small height, obesity, and Intrauterine growth retardation. However, the studies of Oriental Medicine for Idiopathic true precocious puberty were lacking. Further clinical and experimental researches are needed.

• Korean Journal of Poultry Science
• /
• v.25 no.4
• /
• pp.185-193
• /
• 1998

This experiment was conducted to investigate the effect of dietary supplemental Astragalus membranaceus on performance and meat quality of broiler chicks for 5 weeks. Basal diets based on corn and soybean meal contained 21％ crude protein for the first three weeks and 19％ for the rest of two weeks. Four levels of dietary Astragalus membranaceus(0, 0.25, 0.50, 1.00％) were fed in a one way design. There were four replicates of 50 chicks per treatment. Weight gain, feed intake, feed efficiency, blood component, breast meat lipid and protein were measured at the end of experiment. No increased growth rate was observed in chicks fed the basal diet supplemented with Astragalus membranaceus. Chicks fed the diet containing 0.5 and 1.00％ Astragalus membranaceus tended to depress the growth rate. Feed intake of 0.25％ Astragalus membranaceus treatment was significantly lower than control group(P<0.05), Dietary supplemental Astragalus membranaceus improved the feed efficiency compared to the control group, but was not significantly different between them. However, Astragalus membranaceus treatment exhibited decreased serum cholesterol and AST compared to those of control group, but was not significantly different between supplemental groups. Serum hematocrit, triglyceride, phosphate and BUN decreased at 0.25％ Asparagus membranaceous supplementation. Growth hormone and IGF-1 (ng/ml) of chicks fed more than 0.50％ Astragalus membranaceus significantly decreased compared to those of control(P<0.05). The total lipid and protein content of chicks fed 0.25 and 0.50％ Astragalus membranaceus tended to increase, but did not show consistency at more than 0.50％ supplement. The results of this experiment indicated that optimum dietary Astragalus membranaceus level to improve the performance and meat quality of broiler chicks may be less than 0.25％.