• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• v.47 no.1
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• pp.54-60
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• 2020

Objective: Oxidative stress plays a key role in the pathogenesis of male infertility. But, the adverse effects of oxidative biomarkers on sperm quality remain unclear. This study aimed to investigate the levels of nitric oxide (NO), 8-hydroxydesoxyguanosine (8-OHdG), and total antioxidant capacity (TAC) oxidative biomarkers in seminal plasma and their relationship with sperm parameters. Methods: A total of 77 volunteers participated in the study, including fertile (n = 40) and infertile men (n = 37). NO, 8-OHdG, and TAC levels were measured using the ferric reducing ability of plasma, Griess reagent method and an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kit, respectively. Results: The mean values of sperm parameters in the infertile group were significantly lower than those in the fertile group (p< 0.001). The mean 8-OHdG in the seminal plasma of infertile men was significantly higher (p= 0.013) than those of controls, while the mean TAC was significantly lower (p= 0.046). There was no significant difference in NO level between the two groups. The elevated seminal 8-OHdG levels were negatively correlated with semen volume, total sperm counts and morphology (p< 0.001, p= 0.001 and p= 0.052, respectively). NO levels were negatively correlated with semen volume, total sperm counts and morphology (p= 0.014, p= 0.020 and p= 0.060, respectively). Positive correlations between TAC and both sperm count and morphology (p= 0.043 and p= 0.025, respectively) were also found. Conclusion: These results suggested that increased levels of NO and 8-OHdG in seminal plasma could have a negative effect on sperm function by inducing damage to the sperm DNA hence their fertility potentials. Therefore, these biomarkers can be useful in the diagnosis and treatment of male infertility.

• Journal of Music and Human Behavior
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.29-56
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• 2020

The purpose of this study was to develop and validate an imagery-focused music listening program for improving emotion regulation among infertile women. For the program development in this study, the literature on emotional issues and coping strategy of infertile women was analyzed to establish theoretical foundation; and the literature on Supportive Music and Imagery (SMI) was analyzed to identify intervention components. Based on the established theoretical framework, the program was developed and finalized after evaluation of validity by four SMI professionals. The developed program was found to systematically target changes in emotions in the step-wise process of discovery, reinforcement, and affirmation of positive emotional resources. The list of music for future use was also identified and presented after systematic analysis of musical features in relation to valence and arousal of emotions. The imagery-focused music listening program was an initial approach to infertile women with SMI, which indicates the possibility of extended application for broadened clinical population.

• 대한생식의학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2001.03a
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• pp.189-194
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• 2001

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.2 no.4
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• pp.575-578
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• 1989

Estradiol-$17{\beta}$ and progesterone at the rate of 0.1 and 0.25 mg respectively, per kg body weight per day were administered s/c to each of the five infertile feifers for 3 consecutive days i.e. days 1 to 3, and 2 mg of reserpine were followed twice daily on days 8 to 11. Results indicated that three of the treated heifers were successfully induced into lactation. Progesterone concentrations in the blood plasma and defatted milk exhibited considerable variations.

• Development and Reproduction
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.41-49
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• 2016

Moxibustion, which has a more than 4,000-year long history of use in East Asia, has been widely used for gynecological diseases. To investigate the effects of perineum (CV1) moxibustion on gynecological function, infertile women of childbearing age applied CV1 moxibustion for 30 days on a fixed schedule. The subjects had on average $2.4{\pm}1.1$ cases of infertility-related disabilities. After CV1 moxibustion treatment, on average, the subjects showed improvements in $1.5{\pm}1.0$ cases of their gynecological problems. In addition, 14.7% of the subjects got pregnant within $29{\pm}1.4$ days after the treatment. This result shows that application of moxibustion on the CV1 and uterus is an effective treatment for gynecological diseases and that it can improve the function of gynecologic organs.

• The Korean Journal of Mycology
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.140-145
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• 1993

Yeast strains were isolated from healthy women(36 isolates), infertile women(15 isolates) and women suffering from local morbidity(82 isolates). On the basis of 37 different physiological and morphological characteristics, the isolated 133 yeast strains were assigned to 10 species belonging to 5 genera. Four pathogenic species were identified. They were Candida albicans, Candida parapsilosis, Candida tropicalis and Trichosporon beigelii. Candida albicans was the dominant species, whereas Saccharomyces cerevisiae prevailed among the saprophytic species. The percentage occurrence as well as the pattern of yeast species differed in the diagnostic groups. It was higher in the women suffering from local morbidity than in the healthy and infertile women. Moreover, a wider spectrum of species was isolated from this group. Women with intrauterine contraceptive devices showed the highest percentage of yeast occurrence which reached 50% of those tested. Five different antifungal agents were tested fro their effects on the growth of the isolated yeast species in vitro. Nystatin was the most effective against the isolated yeast species, followed by pyrithion zink and ciclopiroxolamine, whereas micronazole and clotrimazole, showed a lesser effect.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.23 no.5
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• pp.513-517
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• 2000

Enterohepatic recycling of estrogen after oral administration of 1 mg non-radioactive estriol was studied in fourteen women selected as the control subjects and ten infertile women in whom the infertility was appearing to be of endocrine origin. The extent of enterohepatic recycling of estriol ($E_3$) during the early follicular phase of menstrual cycle was assessed by monitoring during 48 h the urinary excretion of its two major metabolites i.e; estriol 16 $\alpha$-glucuronide ($E_3-16$$\alpha-G$) and estriol-3 glucuronide ($E_3$-3-G). The change in urinary level of $E_3$-3-G with respect to ($E_3-16$$\alpha-G$G was considered to reflect the extent of enterohepatic recycling of estriol. Lower values of urinary output of both metabolites in the infertile women as compared with the control subjects and the urinary excretion profile of both metabolites during 48 h after estriol ingestion reveal that the reduced extent of enterohepatic recycling could possibly be one of the factors which contribute towards the incidence of infertility in women.

• The Journal of Korean Obstetrics and Gynecology
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.203-212
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• 2017

Objectives: To report the efficacy of traditional Korean medicine to an infertile patient who repeatedly failed in vitro fertilization. Methods: The patient was diagnosed with adenomyosis and failed in vitro fertilization 9 times. Her dysmenorrhea and physical symptoms were improved through traditional Korean medicine and she was pregnant with the 10th attempt of in vitro fertilization. She had bleeding during pregnancy due to adenomyosis and took herbal medicines to maintain stable condition. Results: During the treatment period, the uterine thickness due to adenomyosis was reduced and her dysmenorrhea was improved. She was pregnant by in vitro fertilization and gave birth to a healthy child by Caesarean section. Conclusions: This case report shows that traditional Korean medical treatments work to improve the success rate of in vitro fertilization.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• v.44 no.4
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• pp.214-223
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• 2017

Objective: In vitro fertilization (IVF) is a well-known method for the treatment of infertility. The present study aimed to compare the differences between infertile women with successful and unsuccessful IVF outcomes regarding the expression of T helper (Th) cell transcription factors and a group of related cytokines before and after exposure to their husbands' seminal plasma. Methods: This study was performed on 19 couples with unexplained infertility undergoing IVF treatment. Among the studied group, nine and 10 couples had successful and unsuccessful IVF outcomes, respectively. This study was carried out using real-time polymerase chain reaction. Results: Before seminal plasma exposure, the expression levels of T-bet (p< 0.007), $interferon-{\gamma}$ (p= 0.013), and tumor necrosis factor $(TNF)-{\alpha}$ (p= 0.017) were higher in the infertile women with IVF failure than in those with successful IVF outcomes, while those of GATA3 (p< 0.001), Foxp3 (p= 0.001), and interleukin (IL)-35 (p< 0.003) were lower. After seminal exposure, the expression of T-bet (p= 0.02), Rorc (p< 0.001), $TNF-{\alpha}$ (p= 0.001), Foxp3 (p= 0.02), and $interferon-{\gamma}$ (p= 0.001) increased in the unsuccessful IVF group, while the expression of Foxp3 (p= 0.02), Rorc (p< 0.001), IL-23 (p= 0.04), IL-17 (p= 0.02), IL-6 (p< 0.001), transforming growth $factor-{\beta}$ (p= 0.01), and IL-35 (p< 0.001) increased in the successful IVF group. Conclusion: In summary, IVF failure was associated with imbalanced Th1/Th2/Th17/Treg responses. Moreover, our results show that seminal plasma might have a positive effect on IVF outcomes via changes in peripheral blood T cell subsets.

• Development and Reproduction
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.291-299
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• 2011

The membranous adhesions could induce implantation failure despite transplantation of high quality of embryo. Clinically, of the patients who have membranous filmy adhesions, endometrial polyps have been found in not infrequently. Thus this study was tried to evaluate the features of endometrial polyps and the effect of endometrial polyps on formation and extents of membranous adhesions in uterine cavity of infertile patients under hysteroscopy. A retrospective study was conducted on 34 infertile patients who were diagnosed as endometrial polyps with membranous adhesions during hysteroscopy from July 2008 to July 2011. Number, size, location and morophologic type of endometrial polyps were investigated. If needed, methylene blue solution was instillated to endometrial cavity to identify membranous adhesions. Then, associations between membranous adhesions with features of endometrial polyps were evaluated. Mean size of endometrial polyp was $1.6{\pm}0.6$ cm, the bigger of endometrial polyps was, the larger of extents of membranous adhesions. (p<0.05). Endometrial polyps were locate evenly in endometrial cavity as follows: anterior uterine wall, 39.1%; posterior uterine wall, 34.8%; lateral uterine wall, 26.1%; upper: 29.4%, middle: 32.4%, lower segment, 35.3%. Mean number of endometrial polyps was $2.26{\pm}1.3$. The pedunculated type was 37.7% and sessile type was 32.4%. There was no statistically significant association of location, number and morphologic type of endometrial polyps with membranous adhesions. In conclusion, hysteroscopy before in vitro fertilization on infertile patients was worthy because of removing of endometrial polyps and membranous adhesions.