• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• v.42 no.4
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• pp.136-142
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• 2015

Objective: Smoking has been reported to harm nearly every organ of the body, but conflicting results have been reported regarding the effects of smoking on assisted conception. In this prospective cohort study, we aimed to investigate the prevalence of positive urinary cotinine tests in infertile couples and whether cotinine positivity was associated with infertility treatment outcomes. Methods: A qualitative urinary cotinine test was administered to 127 couples who underwent in vitro fertilization (IVF, n=92) or intrauterine insemination (IUI, n=35). Results: The overall prevalence of positive urinary cotinine test was 43.3% (55/127) in the male partners and 10.2% (13/127) in the female partners with similar prevalence rates in both genders in the IUI and IVF groups. Semen characteristics, serum markers of ovarian reserve, and number of retrieved oocytes were comparable among cotinine-positive and cotinine-negative men or women (with the exception of sperm count, which was higher among cotinine-positive men). The results of urinary cotinine tests in infertile couples were not associated with IVF and IUI outcomes. Conclusion: The presence of cotinine in the system, as indicated by a positive urinary cotinine test, was not associated with poorer outcomes of infertility treatment.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.13-20
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• 1994

Status of endometrium is a very important factor which influences the implantation of fertilized embryos. In this study, we evaluated the possibility that the endometrial depth and pattern assessed by vaginal sonography on the day of human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) injection in in vitro fertilization (IVF) cycles could be used to predict the IVF outcome. A total of 112 cycles using gonadotropin releasing hormone agonist (GnRHa) for ovulation induction were evaluated. We classified all patients into group A(<9mm) or group B(${\geq}$ 9mm) according to endometrial depth, and into group l(hyperechogenic), group 2(isoechogenic) or group 3(hypoechogenic and triple line) according to endometrial pattern. The other classification was made considering both endometrial depth and pattern. There was no significant correlation between serum estradiol level and endometrial sonographic findings(depth and pattern)(p>0.05). The pregnancy rate of group A(31.3%) did not differ significantly from that of group B(43.7%), but no pregnancies were found in any patients with endometrial depth less than 6mm. The pregnancy rate was 40%, 35.7%, and 44.6 % for group 1, gorup 2, and group 3, respectively, but there was no statistically significant difference between these groups(p>0.05). In combined classification, there was a trend of higher pregnancy rate in case of endometrial depth greater than 9mm and hypoechogenic triple line pattern, but there was no statistically significant differences between these groups(p>0.05). The conclusion from the present data is that endometrial ultrasonography on the day of hCG administration had no predictive value for conception in IVF cycles.

• Research in Community and Public Health Nursing
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.179-189
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• 2015

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify factors influencing depression of participants in the National Supporting Program for Infertile Couples (NSPI) who received a treatment of IVF (in vitro fertilization) or IUI (intra-uterine insemination). Methods: Using the 2013 NSPI Satisfaction On-line Survey data, secondary data analyses were conducted on 830 cases of IVF and 706 cases of IUI. Descriptive statistics, independent t-test, ${\chi}^2$ test, and logistic regression were performed using SPSS/WIN 21.0. Results: Logistic regression analysis showed that non-pregnancy status (OR=3.05), unexplained infertility (OR=4.29), relationship trouble with spouse (OR=3.57), and relationship trouble with the in-law family (OR=2.78) were significant factors predicting the depression level in the IUI treatment group. Non-pregnancy status (OR=5.28), childlessness (OR=1.92), financial support helpful hardly or not at all (OR=2.63), relationship trouble with spouse (OR=3.28), relationship trouble with the in-law family (OR=2.83), and unemployment (OR=1.60) were significant factors in the IVF treatment group. Conclusion: To reduce infertile women's depression, adequate attention and care need to be paid to these psychological symptoms. It is suggested to develop counseling and couple-therapy along with methods to enhance social support (including that from the in-law's family).

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• v.43 no.4
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• pp.240-246
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• 2016

Objective: The study aimed to investigate the efficacy of intrauterine instillation of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) on the day of ovulation triggering or oocyte retrieval in infertile women with a thin endometrium. Methods: Fifty women whose endometrial thickness (EMT) was ${\leq}8mm$ at the time of triggering during at least one previous in vitro fertilization (IVF) cycle and an index IVF cycle were selected. On the day of triggering (n = 12) or oocyte retrieval (n = 38), $300{\mu}g$ of G-CSF was instilled into the uterine cavity. Results: In the 50 index IVF cycles, the mean EMT was $7.2{\pm}0.6mm$ on the triggering day and increased to $8.5{\pm}1.5mm$ on the embryo transfer day (p< 0.001). The overall clinical pregnancy rate was 22.0%, the implantation rate was 15.9%, and the ongoing pregnancy rate was 20%. The clinical pregnancy rate (41.7% vs. 15.8%), the implantation rate (26.7% vs. 11.7%), and the ongoing pregnancy rate (41.7% vs. 13.2%) were higher when G-CSF was instilled on the triggering day than when it was instilled on the retrieval day, although this tendency was likewise not statistically significant. Aspects of the stimulation process and mean changes in EMT were similar in women who became pregnant and women who did not. Conclusion: Intrauterine instillation of G-CSF enhanced endometrial development and resulted in an acceptable pregnancy rate. Instillation of G-CSF on the triggering day showed better outcomes. G-CSF instillation should be considered as a strategy for inducing endometrial growth and good pregnancy results in infertile women with a thin endometrium.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• v.47 no.2
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• pp.135-139
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• 2020

Objective: In the present study, we aimed to retrospectively evaluate the cumulative live birth rate (LBR) after up to three consecutive embryo transfer (ET) cycles, either fresh or frozen, in women with expected poor ovarian response (ePOR). Methods: We selected 115 women who entered the first in vitro fertilization (IVF) cycle between August 2013 and July 2016. The women were divided into an ePOR group (37 women) and a non-ePOR group (78 women). All women in the ePOR group were ≥ 40 years old or had serum anti-Müllerian hormone levels of less than 1.1 ng/mL at the time of the first IVF cycle. Live birth outcomes were monitored until December 2017. The cumulative LBR (with both conservative and optimistic estimates) was calculated according to the serial number of ET cycles. Results: After up to three ET cycles, the overall cumulative LBR was significantly lower in the ePOR group than in the non-ePOR group (conservative estimate, 10.8% vs. 44.9%, respectively; optimistic estimate, 14.7% vs. 56.1%, respectively; log-rank test, p= 0.003). Conclusion: Women with ePOR exhibited a lower cumulative LBR than women in the non-ePOR group, and this information should be provided to ePOR women during counseling before starting IVF.

• Journal of Embryo Transfer
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.183-187
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• 2009

In this study, we aimed to determine whether the evaluated markers of cell death could be found at particular developmental stages of normal porcine in vitro fertilization (IVF) embryos. We investigated the characteristics of spontaneous and induced apoptosis during preimplantation development stages of porcine IVF embryos. In experiment 1, to induce apoptosis of porcine IVF embryos, porcine IVF embryos at 22h post insemination were treated at different concentration of actinomycin D (0, 5, 50 and 500 ng/ml in NCSU medium). Treated embryos were incubated at $39^{\circ}C$ in 5% $CO_2$, 5% $O_2$ for 8h, and then washed to NCSU medium and incubated until blastocyst (BL) stage. We examined cleavage rate at 2days and BL development rate at 7days after in vitro culture. A significantly lower rate of cleavage was found in the 500 ng/ml group compared to others (500 ng/ml vs. 0, 5, 50 ng/ml; 27.8 % vs. 50.0%, 41.2%, 35.9%), and BL formation rate in 500 ng/ml was lower than that of others (500 ng/ml vs. 0, 5, 50 ng/ml; 8.0% vs. 12.6%, 11.2%, 12.6%). In experiment 2, to evaluate apoptotic cells, we conducted TUNEL assay based on morphological assessment of nuclei and on detection of specific DNA degradation under fluorescence microscope. This result showed that apoptosis is a normal event during preimplantation development in control group (0 ng/ml actinomycin D). A high number of BL derived control group contained at least one apoptotic cell. Actinomycin D treated BLs responded to the presence of apoptotic inductor by significant decrease in the average number of blastomeres and increase in the incidence of apoptotic cell death. In 500 ng/ml group, the incidence of apoptosis increased at 4-cell stage and later. This result suggested that apoptosis is a process of normal embryonic development and actinomycin D is useful tool for the apoptosis study of porcine preimplantation embryos.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• v.47 no.4
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• pp.319-322
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• 2020

Adrenal rest tumors are a rare extra-adrenal complication of congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) in women although they are more commonly found in the testes of male patients with CAH. An ovarian adrenal rest tumor (OART) may coexist with CAH or imitate its symptoms without CAH. In this case report, we present the case of a woman with OART without CAH, whose main complaint was infertility and who had a baby after successful surgical treatment.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• v.47 no.3
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• pp.221-226
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• 2020

Objective: We attempted to identify the optimal cutoff numbers of mature oocytes that would produce at least one or multiple top-quality (grade A) day-3 embryos in normal responders undergoing stimulated in vitro fertilization (IVF) cycles. Methods: We selected 210 fresh IVF cycles performed in 170 infertile women at a single center from January 2014 to November 2019. Four to 14 (total) oocytes were obtained in all cycles after conventional ovarian stimulation. A receiver operating characteristic curve analysis was performed to find the moderate and extreme cutoff numbers of mature oocytes that would produce ≥ 1, ≥ 2, ≥ 3, ≥ 4, and ≥ 5 top-quality embryos. Results: The cutoff number of mature oocytes was significantly correlated with the number of top-quality embryos (r = 0.467, p= 0.000). The moderate cutoff number of mature oocytes was ≥ 3, ≥ 5, ≥ 5, ≥ 6, and ≥ 6 for obtaining ≥ 1, ≥ 2, ≥ 3, ≥ 4, and ≥ 5 top-quality embryos, respectively. The extreme cutoff number of mature oocytes was ≥ 9, ≥ 9, ≥ 10, ≥ 10, and ≥ 11 for obtaining ≥ 1, ≥ 2, ≥ 3, ≥ 4, and ≥ 5 top-quality embryos, respectively. Conclusion: We present the optimal cutoff numbers of mature oocytes that would yield ≥ 1, ≥ 2, ≥ 3, ≥ 4, and ≥ 5 top-quality embryos with 95% specificity. Our findings could help infertility clinicians to set target mature oocyte numbers in women undergoing stimulated IVF cycles.

• Korean Journal of Animal Reproduction
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.289-297
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• 2000

This study was conducted to investigate whether various protein sources and co-culture affect in vitro development of porcine zygotes derived from In vitro maturation/fertilization (IVM/IVF). These results obtained in these experiments are summarized as follows 1. When porcine oocytes matured and fertilized In vitro were cultured in NCSU 23 medium supplemented with various BSA concentrations (0.4, 0.8 and 3.2%), In vitro developmental rates of porcine zygotes to blastocyst stage were 22.9, 18.4 and 14.6%, respectively. High concentration of BSA (3.2%) showed a smaller nuclei number (36.1$\pm$11.8) of blastocysts than 0.4 and 0.8% BSA groups (53.2$\pm$27.4 and 61.2$\pm$22.5, respectively) (P<0.05). This result indicates that high concentration of BSA is detrimental on preimplantation development of IVF-derived porcine embryos. 2. No differences were detected in the developmental rate and mean nuclei number of porcine embryos between 10 and 20% FBS concentrations in culture medium. 3. IVF-derived porcine embryos co-cultured with mouse or porcine embryonic fibroblast cells showed a lower development to the blastocyst stage than those without co-culture system. Consequently, the present study suggests that high concentration of BSA as a protein source in culture medium suppresses development potential of porcine embryos produced In vitro. In addition, co-culture with somatic cells is not effective on in vitro development of IVF-derived porcine embryos to blastocyst stage.

• Korean Journal of Animal Reproduction
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.247-253
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• 1997

The objective of this study was to examine the fertilization and embryonic development rates of porcine oocytes matured in vitro according to the morphological normality of epididymal sperm in porcine IVF. The results obtained in this experiment were summarized as follows : 1. When the ratio of morphological normality of epididymal sperm was divided into the three groups with $\leq$ 10%, 10-30% and $\geq$ 50%, the fertilization and embryonic devel-opment rates of 능50% group (64%. 26%) w were significantly higher than those of other two groups ($\leq$10%: 27%, 6% and 10-30%: 36%. 5%) (p$\leq$50% group of morphologically normal epididymal sperm was adjusted to 100% (5 x 10$^5$ cells/ml), the fertilization a and development rates (63%, 27%) of epidymal sperm were similar to those of frozen-thawed ejaculated sperm (56%, 35%). 3. Also, when the fertilization and development rates of epididymal sperm were analyzed according to the oocyte : sperm ratio (1:6000, 1: 6650, 1: 7700, 1: 10000), the fertilization and development rates indicated high, in 1:6000 (68%, 32%) and 1:6650 (89%, 31%), the ratio of oocyte: sperm. Therefore, when the percentage of morphological normality of epididymal sperm is more than 50, the embryonic development a can be obtained similar to that of frozen thawed ejaculated sperm. Also, these result suggested that the morphological evaluation of normal sperm in porcine IVF using epididymal sperm sho비d be prerequisite for the more effective embryonic developm ment.