• 한국동물학회지
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• 제31권2호
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• pp.81-86
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• 1988

생쥐혹은 돼지의 난자-난구 복합체를 인공배양하면서 뇌하수체호르몬 혹은 세포내 cAMP의 농도를 높이는 시약을 사용하여 난자의 성숙과 난구세포의 분산을 조절하고 이 때 두 세토들 사이에 상호협력(metabolic cooperativity)관계가 어떻게 변하는지를 조사하여 보았다. 생귀와 돼지의 난구세포들은 뇌하수체호르몬이나 cAMP의 증가에 의해 분산이 유도됨과 동시에 배양액 내에서 있는 uridine의 흡수가 크게 촉진되었다. (대조군의 약 4배). 그러나 난구세포에 흡수된 uridine이 난자로 전달되는 물질이동율(transfer ratio)은 대조군과 같이 시간이 지남에 따라 감소하였으며 cAMP의 영향도 거의 받지 않았다. 또한 물질이동율의 감소는 난구세포의 부산여부나 난자의 성숙(핵붕괴) 여부에 크게 영향을 받지 않았다.단지 생쥐의 경우 호르몬에 의해 물질이동율의 감소가 더욱 두드러지게 나타나는 경우를 볼수 있었다. 따라서 물질이동율의 변화가 난구세포의 분산이나 난자의 성숙과 직접 관련이 없는 것으로 보여지며 두 세포들 사이의 metabolic cooperativity가 난자의 성숙조절에 중요한 요인이 되지 않는다는 것을 알았다.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• 제17권2호
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• pp.115-121
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• 1990

Ultrasonically guided oocyte collection gradually replaces laparoscope in many IVF center. In present study, we compare the efficacy of both methods in our IVF program. Totally 377 cycles which were undertaken in vitro fertilization treatment were divided into 2 groups. Ultrasonically guided transvaginal follicular aspiration was performed in 188 cycles and laparoscopic follicular aspiration was performed in 189 cycles under local anesthesisa. The mean age for both groups was similar. Follicular recruitment was achieved with human menopausal gonadotropin (hMG) or a com bination of clomiphene citrate and hMG or a combination of FSH and hMG. In the ultrasonically guided aspiration group, 1821 follicles were aspirated with 61.8% of recovery rate (1125 oocytes), 81.5% of embryo transfer rate (145 cycles) and (17%), 26 cases intrauterine pregnancies were estabilished. In the laparoscopic group, 604 follicles were aspirated with 68.7% recovery rate (445 oocytes) and a 79.9% ET rate (127 cycles), 11 cases (8.7%) intrauterine pregnancies were estabilished. A valid comparison of these data is not possible because the 2 groups are dissimilar for factors known to influence oocyte development and recovery. No statistically significant differences could be demonstrated between 2 groups in all but the recovery rate and clinical pregnancy rate, In ultrasound group, the clinical pregnancy rate was significantly higher than that of laparoscope group. The potentially detrimental effect of CO2 pnemoperitonium present during laparoscope but not in ultrasound guided recovery on ova quality may underlie the observed difference in the clinical pregnancy rate between the 2 groups. Ultrasound guided aspiration seems to be as effective as laparoscopy in terms of oocyte retrieval and conception rate. Furthermore, the procedure is simple and inexpensive, it may replace laparoscopy as a method for oocyte collection in most patients who undergo IVF.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• 제21권3호
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• pp.241-245
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• 1994

Despite increasing success rate of IVF, poor response to ovarian stimulation remains a problem. So, attempts to improve ovarian responses, for example, by using combined gonadotropin-releasing hormone analogue(GnRH-a) and human menopausal gonadotropin(hMG) have shown limited success. It is reported that response of granulosa cells in vitro to FSH is stimulated by co-incubation with IGF-l, and IGF-l production can be increased by growth hormone. This suggest that combination regimen of G.H. and hMG may augment follicle recruitment. In fifteen patients who had previous history of poor ovarian response to gonadotropin stimulation after pituitary suppression with mid -luteal GnRH-a, the effectiveness of cotreatment with G.H. in IVF program was evaluated using a combination regimen of G.R. and hMG at Korea University Hospital IVF Clinic. Ovarian responses to gonadotropin stimulation in control and GH-treated cycles assessed by total dose and duration of hMG treatment, follicular development and peak $E_2$ level, number of eggs retrieved, and fertilization rates were also assessed. In each group, serum and follicular fluid IGF-1 concentrations on day of egg collection were measured by RIA after acidification and extraction by reveresed phase chromatography. Patients receiving G.H. required fewer days and ampules of gonadotropins, developed more oocytes, and more embryos transferred. But, the differences were not statistically significant, except the duration of hMG treatment. Our data showed a significantly higher concentration of IGF-l in the serum, not in the follicular fluid, of patients treated with G.H. compared with control group. These data suggest that growth hormone treatment does not improve the ovarian response in women with limited ovarian reserve to gonadotropin stimulation for IVF.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• 제38권1호
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• pp.42-46
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• 2011

Objective: This study was aimed to investigate endometrial histology and to find predictable clinical factors for endometrial disease (hyperplasia or cancer) in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Methods: We investigated the endometrial histology and analyzed the relationship between endometrial histology and clinical parameters, such as LH, FSH, estradiol, testosterone, fasting and 2 hours postprandial glucose and insulin, insulin resistance, body mass index, endometrial thickness, menstrual status from 117 women with PCOS. Statistical analysis was performed with chi square and t-test, p-value<0.05 was considered as statistically significant. And receiver operating characteristic curve was used to find predictable clinical factors for endometrial disease and to decide the cuff off values. Results: In 117 women with PCOS, endometrial histologic profiles are as follows: proliferative phase in 90 women (76.9%), endometrial hyperplasia in 25 women (21.4%), and endometrial cancer in 2 women (1.7%). Of 25 women with endometrial hyperplasia, simple hyperplasia without atypia, complex hyperplasia without atypia and complex hyperplasia with atypia were diagnosed in 15 (12.8%), 6 (5.1%), 4 (3.4%) women, respectively. Age and endometrial thickness were significantly related with endometrial disease, p=0.013 and p=0.001, respectively. At the cut off level of 25.5 years in age, sensitivity and specificity predicting for endometrial disease were 70.4% and 55.6%, respectively (p=0.023). At the cut off level of 8.5 mm in endometrial thickness, sensitivity and specificity were 77.8% and 56.7%, respectively (p=0.000). Conclusion: In women with PCOS, the incidence of endometrial hyperplasia and cancer were 21.4% and 1.7%. The age and endometrial thickness may be used as clinical determining factors for endometrial biopsy.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• 제26권2호
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• pp.239-249
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• 1999

The role of amino acids in culture media for IVF-ET was examined in a total of 76 cycles. Patients received clomiphene citrate (CC) followed by hMG or GnRH-a combined with gonadotropins (FSH/hMG) for controlled ovarian hyperstimulation. Severe male (<$4{\times}10^6$ motile sperm) or age factor (>39 y) patients were excluded in this study. Pregnancy was classified as clinical if a gestational sac or fetal cardiac activity was seen on ultrasound. No significant differences were found in age, duration of infertility, follicle size, the level of $E_2$ on the day of hCG injection, the mean number of oocytes retrieved, total motile sperm count, fertilization rate and the mean number of embryos transferred between bHTF (without amino acids) and mHTF (with amino acids) groups. However, total ampules of gonadotropins were higher (p<0.01) in mHTF group than bHTF group. Significantly (p<0.05) more clinical pregnancies were recorded in mHTF group (13/30) compared with bHTF group (9/46). The multiple pregnancy rates were 11.1% in bHTF group and 7.7% in mHTF group. There were one ectopic pregnancy in mHTF group and one heterotopic pregnancy in bHTF group. Abortion rates were 22.2% in bHTF group and 7.7% in mHTF, respectively. The ongoing pregnancy or livebirth rate was significantly (p<0.05) higher in mHTF group (12/30) than bHTF group (7/46). These results suggest that the addition of amino acids in culture media is essential for culture of zygotes in vitro and adjustment of energy substrates in phosphate-free culture media appears to be beneficial for human IVF-ET procedure.

• 한국발생생물학회지:발생과생식
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• 제11권1호
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• pp.13-20
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• 2007

암컷 포유동물의 노화 과정에서 생식계는 체내 여러 시스템 가운데 가장 먼저 기능 저하가 나타난다. 생식 노화(reproductive aging) 과정 중인 암컷 포유동물은 비록 종 특이성이 있지만 주기성(cyclicity)의 소실과 같은 생식 능력의 감소와 함께 여러 기능들의 변화가 동반되면서 궁극적으로 인간의 폐경 현상과 같은 생식 능력 상실이 나타난다. 본 증설은 암컷 포유동물의 생식호르몬 축, 특히 신경내분비 회로의 노화에 대한 정보들과 노화 연구에 유용한 설치류 모델들을 소개하고자 한다. 암컷 설치류의 중년(middle age, 생후 $8{\sim}12$개월)은 인간의 폐경기 진입 직전에 해당되는 시기로, 이 시기에 시상하부 GnRH 분비의 맥동성과 급등(surge)이 현저히 지연되기 시작하고, 곧 이어 뇌하수체 LH 분비의 맥동성과 급등이 역시 약화 내지 지연된다. 노화와 관련된 GnRH-LH 신경내분비 활성의 결손은 시상하부 GnRH 뉴런의 활성을 조절하는 여러 자극(예, glutamate)들의 변화와 밀접하게 연관되어 있다. 많은 연구자들이 이러한 '시상하부 결손(hypothalamic defects)'이 생식 노화의 주된 요인임을 지지하지만, inhibin과 같은 난소 요인의 변화 역시 생식 노화의 유도와 관련된 것으로 보인다. 생식 노화를 연구함에 유용한 몇몇 설치류 모델이 있다; FSH 수용체 녹아웃(follitropin receptor knockout; FORKO) 생쥐 모델의 경우는 homozygous(null) 뿐만 아니라 heterozygous(haploinsufficient) 상태도 노화에 따른 난자/난포의 고갈을 나타낸다. Dioxin/aryl hydrocarbon 수용체 녹아웃 (AhRKO) 생쥐 모델도 유사한 상태를 유발할 수 있다. 생식 노화의 기작에 관한 연구는 삶의 질을 높이기 위한 수단들, 예를 들어 호르몬 보충요법(HRT)의 장단점을 평가하고 안전성을 제고하는데 도움이 될 것이다.

• 한국발생생물학회지:발생과생식
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• 제15권3호
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• pp.265-272
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• 2011

It is well known that adipose tissue or body fat has been proved as a crucial component of brain-peripheral axis which can modulate the activities of reproductive hormonal axis in female mammals including rodents and human. Concerning the male reproduction, however, the role of adipose tissue has not been thoroughly studied. The present study was carried out to elucidate the effect of a high-fat (HF) diet on the reproductive system of postpubertal male rats. The HF diet (45% energy from fat, HF group) was applied to male rats from week 8 after birth for 4 weeks. The blood glucose levels, body and tissue weights were measured. Histological studies were performed to assess the structural alterations in the reproductive tissues. To determine the transcriptional changes of reproductive hormone-related genes in hypothalamus and pituitary, total RNAs were extracted and applied to the semi-quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Body weights (p<0.01) and blood glucose levels (p<0.01) of HF group were significantly higher than those of control animals. Similarly, the weights of epididymis (p<0.05), prostate (p<0.01), seminal vesicle (p<0.01) in HF group were higher than control levels. The weights of testis were not changed. The weights of kidney (p<0.001) and spleen (p<0.01) were significantly higher than control levels while the adrenal and pancreas weights were not changed. There were only slight alterations in the microstructures of accessory sex organs; the shape of luminal epithelial cells in epididymis from HF group were relatively thicker and bigger than those from control animals. In the semi-quantitative RT-PCR studies, the mRNA levels of hypothalamic GnRH (p<0.05) in HF group were significantly higher than those from the control animals. The mRNA levels of kisspeptin in HF group tend to be higher than control levels, the difference was not significant. Unlike the hypothalamic GnRH expression, the mRNA levels of pituitary $LH{\beta}$ and $FSH{\beta}$ were significantly decreased in HF group (p<0.05). The present study indicated that the 4-weeks feeding HF diet during the postpubertal period can alter the hypothalamus-pituitary (H-P) neuroendocrine reproductive system These results suggest that the increased body fat and the altered leptin input might disturb the H-P reproductive hormonal activities in male rats, and the changed activities seem to be responsible for the changes of tissue weights in accessory sex organs.

• KSBB Journal
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• 제19권1호
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• pp.83-87
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• 2004

폐경 전후 여성에서의 갱년기 증상 등은 흔하게 발생되는 문제이며 이에 대한 해결책으로서 오랜 기간 동안 여성 호르몬 대체요법이 사용되어져 왔다. 그러나 최근 여성호르몬 대체 요법에 따른 유방암 및 심혈관 질환 위험 증가로, 자연 여성호르몬 대체요법의 사용 효과에 대한 관심이 높아지고 있다. 이 연구는 자연 생약 추출물이 갱년기 증상에 미치는 영향을 관찰하여 복합 자연 요법의 유용성을 밝히고자 하였다. 연구 시점에서 실험군과 대조군간의 기초적인 신체 특성과 혈중 호르몬 수치, 골대사지표, 그리고 혈중 지질은 차이가 없었다. 성장호르몬 수치로서 IGF-1 혈중농도가 실험군에서 증가하였으나, 통계적 유의성은 없었다. 연구시점에 갱년기증상을 가지고 있었던 대상자중 실험군에서는 57.1%, 대조군에서는 16.7%에서 증상이 개선되었으며 (OR=6.67, 95% C.I.0.49-91.33), 연구 개시점에는 특별한 증상을 느끼지는 않았으나 연구 종료 시점에서 이전에 비해 개선된 효과를 보였다고 대답한 대상자는 실험군에서 58.3%, 대조군에서는 21.7%로서 실험군에서 개선된 비율이 통계학적으로 유의하게 높았다(OR=5.04, 95% C.I. 1.40-18.14). 치료 후 3개월에 시행한 실험군과 대조군 사이의 체질량지수, 혈압, 혈중, E2, FSH, Osteocalcin, Total cholesterol, LDL, HDL, TG 등은 연구개시점과 연구종료 시점 사이에서의 평균변화는 통계학적으로 의미 있는 차이를 보이지 않았으나, 골생성 지표인 혈중 ALKP는 시험제 투여 3개월 이후 실험군에서 통계학적으로 유의한 감소를 보여 1년 후 골밀도의 상승효과가 기대되었다(p＜0.01). 혈중 중성지방 (TG)은 시험제 투여 1개월 후 대조군에서는 투여전 대비 26.9$\pm$62 (mg%) 증가하였고, 3개월 후 12.852 (mg%) 증가하였으나, 실험군에서는 1개월후 -8.040 (mg%) 감소하였고, 3개월 후 -4.436 (mg%) 감소하여 통계적으로 유의하게 감소하였다(p＜0.01, Student t-test). 시험제 3개월 치료 후 실험군의 체중, 수축기 혈압, 이완기 혈압은 대조군에 비하여 감소하는 비율이 높았으나 통계학적인 유의성은 보이지 않았다(p＞0.05). 연구시점에 고혈압 상태였으나 시험 제 투여 3개월 후 정상혈압으로 판정 된 사람의 비율은 실험 군에서 대조군에 비해 더 많았으나 통계학적인 의미는 없었다(p＞0.05).

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• 제17권3호
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• pp.317-324
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• 2004

The present study was conducted to investigate the involvement of nitric oxide (NO) in cumulus expansion, oocyte mortality and meiotic maturation of porcine cumulus enclosed oocytes (CEOs) cultured in two different models when gonadotropins, including follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) were presented or not. And the interaction between NO and $\beta$-mercaptoethanol ($\beta$-ME), a free radical scavenger was also investigated. Two models refer to spontaneous maturation model and hypoxanthine (HX) medium model. All the 3,433 eligible CEOs were incubated at $39^{\circ}C$ and the cumulus expansion, oocyte morphology and nuclear phase were evaluated 44 h after incubation. (1) In spontaneous maturation model, NO stimulates the cumulus expansion and $\beta$-ME delayed it. NO doesn't affect the oocyte meiotic resumption but inhibits the oocytes to develop to metaphase II. (2) In HX medium model, NO or $\beta$-ME doesn't affect the expansion in the absence of gonadotropins, but in the presence of gonadotropins, NO or $\beta$-ME inhibits the expansion. In the presence of gonadotropins, NO inhibits the oocyte meiotic resumption and it especially inhibits the oocyte to develop to metaphase II, and $\beta$-ME reverses such inhibitory effects. The cooperation of gonadotropins and $\beta$-ME stimulates the meiotic resumption and especially, promotes the CEOs to develop to metaphase II in both models. Moreover, HX might contribute to the fragility of oocyte zona pellucida and gonadotropins, nitric oxide and $\beta$-ME could alleviate it separately, and cooperatively. It is concluded that NO exerts different functions in two models and $\beta$-ME affected the functions of NO in different models.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• 제40권3호
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• pp.131-134
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• 2013

Objective: To evaluate the effect of the addition of estradiol to luteal progesterone supplementation in GnRH antagonist cycles for infertile patients undergoing IVF/ICSI. Methods: One hundred and ten infertile patients, aged 28 to 39 years, were recruited for this prospective randomized study. They were randomly assigned to receive vaginal progesterone gel (Crinone) along with 4 mg estradiol valerate (group 1, n=55) or only Crinone (group 2, n=55) for luteal support. A GnRH antagonist multiple dose protocol using recombinant human FSH was used for controlled ovarian stimulation (COS) in all of the subjects. The COS results and pregnancy outcomes of the two groups were compared. Results: Group 1 and 2 were comparable with respect to the patient characteristics. The COS and IVF results were also comparable between the two groups. There were no differences in the clinical pregnancy rate (PR) and multiple PR between the two groups. However, the embryo implantation rate were significantly higher in group 1 than that in group 2 (22.2% vs. 13.3%, p=0.035). The incidence of luteal vaginal bleeding (LVB) was significantly lower in group 1 (7.4% vs. 27.8%, p=0.010). Conclusion: The addition of estradiol to luteal progesterone supplementation in GnRH antagonist cycles reduces the incidence of LVB and increases the embryo implantation rate in infertile patients undergoing IVF/ICSI.