• Development and Reproduction
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• v.11 no.3
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• pp.167-177
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• 2007

In the present study, we isolated three human adult stem cells including adipose tissue-derived stem cells(HAD), umbilical cord-derived stem cells(HUC), and amnion-derived stem cells(HAM) and analysed their characteristics. And we examined whether HAD could be used as therapeutical cells for the heart diseases. Both HAM and HUC appeared very similar morphology but HAD was different. Doubling time of HUC was most fast, but total doubling numbers of HUC was same with HAM. Total doubling numbers of HAD was much more than others. Expression patterns of genes and proteins of three human adult stem cells were very similar. Also they were differentiated into adipocytes, osteocytes, and chondrocytes. In addition, they expressed many cardiomyocyte-related genes. But expression pattern of genes is a little different. When HAD were cultivated in the presence or absence of various combinations of BMP and FGF after 5-azacytidine expose for 24 h, expression of Cmlc-1, and ${\alpha}1c$ genes was significantly increased. However, expression of troponin T, troponin I and Kv4.3 genes was not changed. Based on these observations, it is suggested that HAD, HUC, and HAM might be used as potentially therapeutical cells for clinical application.

• Korean Journal of Ichthyology
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.49-54
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• 2020

The morphometry and morphology of the olfactory organ of the southern king spine loach Iksookimia hugowolfeldi were investigated by stereo microscopy and statistical analysis. Its external morphology consists of two holes, the anterior and posterior nostrils. The anterior nostril (0.35~0.53 mm in diameter) forms tubular process protruding vertically from each side of the snout. The posterior nostril (0.32~0.68 mm in major diameter) is a eye-like hole parallel to the skin. Internally, the rosette structure is set with 14 to 21 lamellae and medium raphe on the inner floor. In morphometry, its lamellar number (male vs. female; 18±1.8 vs. 17±1.6, P<0.05) and lamellar number to standard length ratio (24.2±1.3% vs. 21.7±2.5%, P<0.05) was larger in male than female. The lamellar number and standard length have high correlation in male (P<0.001) but not in female (P=0.170). It seems that such characteristics of the olfactory organ of I. hugowolfeldi are related to its bottom-dwelling life which digs and takes a rest under sand and sexual dimorphism by a distinct degree in olfactory dependence for reproduction of each sex.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.484-489
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• 2016

Living organisms can maintain or extend their territories by producing allelochemicals that influence the growth, survival, and reproduction of other organisms. To identify natural biostimulants of positive allelochemicals, we screened 18 common seaweed extracts for enhancement of rhizoid and blade production in a convenient Porphyra suborbiculata monospore assay. By addition of methanolic extract from the most potent green seaweed, Codium fragile, 100% and 50% enhancement doses reflecting the amount of C. fragile extract required to enhance rhizoid formation (in terms of number of spores with rhizoids per total spores tested) were approximately 100 and 50 μg/ml, respectively, in the P. suborbiculata monospore culture. The C. fragile extract quickly enhanced rhizoid formation, rhizoid numbers per rhizoid-holding spore, rhizoid length, blade formation (in number of spores with blade per total spores tested), and blade length from most monospores at early culture days. The extract enhanced rhizoid formation after 2 days of culture significantly, rhizoid numbers per rhizoid-holding spore after 3 days, rhizoid length after 3 days, blade formation after 2 days, and blade length after 1 day, respectively, from most monospores. The allelochemicals that enhanced favorite seaweed species may be efficacious for new seaweed management technologies, including the development of biostimulant agents based on natural products.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.36 no.3
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• pp.279-288
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• 2003

Objectives : Evidence for an effect of rerroductive factors on colorectal carcinogenesis is not yet consistent. Little research has been conducted to investigate whether reproductive factors were associated with colorectal adenomas that are the precursors of colorecta1 cancer, We evaluated the relationships between reproductive factors and the degree of dysplasia of the colorectal adenoma and cancer as colorectal adenoma-carcinoma sequence. Methods : For this study, 241 adenoma cases with histopathologically confirmed incident colorectal adenoma, 76 cancer cases with colorectal cancer and 1677 controls were collected from Our Lady of Mercy Hospital, The Catholic University of Korea, during 1994-1999. Before colonoscopy, information on demographic characteristics, reproductive factors, life style habits and dietary intake were obtained by interviewed questionnaire. Adjusted OR and 95% CI were estimated by using polytomous logistic regression model, Potential confounders that were selected based on the goodness of fit Statistics and interaction between risk factors were considered in this adjustment. The Wald statistic was calculated to test the heterogeneity of the odds ratios for each case. Results .: Postmenopausal women with natural menopause were found to be positively associated with the risk of mild dysplasia adenoma (multivariate-adjusted OR : 2.59, 95% CI=1.1-0.2). Parity was found to be negatively associated with the risk of colorectal lancer (age-adjusted OR : 0.40, 95% CI=0.2-0.9), but did not significantly decrease the risk of colorectal cancer (multivariate-adjusted OR : 0.95, 95% CI=0.3-2.9). Me associations were seen between a9e at menarche, breast feeding, induced abortion, oral contraceptive use, menopausal types, menopausal age or hormone replacement therapy (HRT and the degree of dysplasia of the colorectal adenoma and cancer. However, none of these associations differed' significantly between the degree of dysplasia of the colorectal adenoma and cancer. Conclusions : These findings suggest that postmenopausal women with natural menopause may experience increased risk of mild dysplasia adenorna among colorectal adenoma-carcinoma sequence.

• Development and Reproduction
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.1-5
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• 2005

The hypothalamo-pituitary-gonadal hormone axis is centrally controlled by a complex regulatory network of excitatory and inhibitory signals, that is dormant during infantile and juvenile periods and activated at puberty. The kisspeptins are the peptide products of the KiSS-1 gene and the endogenous agonists for the G protein-coupled receptor 54(GPR54). Although KiSS-1 was initially discovered as a metastasis suppressor gene, a recent evidence suggests the KiSS-1/GPR54 system is a key regulator of the reproductive system. Yet the actual role of the KiSS-1/GPR54 system in the neuroendocrine control of gonadotropin secretion remains largely unexplored, the system could be the first missing link in the reproductive hormonal axis. Central or peripheral administration of kisspeptin stimulates the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis, increasing circulating gonadotropin levels in rodents, sheep, monkey and human models. These effects appear likely to be mediated via the hypothalamic GnRH neuron system, although kisspeptins may have direct effects on the anterior pituitary gland. The loss of function mutations of the GPR54(GPR54-/-) have been associated with lack of puberty onset and idiopathic hypogonadotropic hypogonadism(IHH). So kisspeptin infusion may provide a novel mechanism for HPG axis manipulation in disorders of the reproductive system.

• Development and Reproduction
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.83-89
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• 2010

Apoptosis is a crucial mechanism for the proper regulation of homeostasis. BCL-2 family proteins are key molecules which control cellular survival and apoptosis. MCL-1 (myeloid cell leukemia-1) is a pro-survival member of BCL-2 family that promotes the survival of cells, and is highly expressed in diverse cancers including ovarian cancer, leukemia, and cervical cancer. Previously we identified IEX-1 (immediate early response gene X-1) as a binding partner of MCL-1. In the present study, we demonstrated that overexpression of IEX-1 induced apoptosis of ovarian cancer cells. Moreover, IEX-1 significantly attenuated the pro-survival function of MCL-1 in these cells. Also, IEX-1-induced cell death activity was able to be modulated by changes in the expression level of MCL-1. Thus, these results suggest that both IEX-1 and MCL-1 modulate each other's function controlling cellular survival and death and the inhibitory activity of IEX-1 toward MCL-1 may be applied for the development of chemotherapeutics.

• Reproductive and Developmental Biology
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.173-179
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• 2004

This study was conducted to investigate the toxi-cological effects of different vitrification solution on development of immature porcine oocytes in vitro. Oocytes were exposed to EFS solution [40% ethylene glycol (EG) + 18% Ficoll + 0.3M sucrose], ES solution (5.5M EG + 1.0M sucrose) or GE solution [10% glycol (G) + 20% EG], and these oocytes were transferred to sucrose solution directly. Maturation rates were significantly (P<0.05) higher in the ES solution (44.5%) and control (57.6%) than in the EFS solution (38.8%) and GE solution (22.4%). No differences among three solution were found in fertilization rates. Cleavage rates was significantly (P<0.05) higher in the ES solution (47.1%) and control (65.9%) than in the EFS solution (21.9%) and GE solution (19.0%), but no difference among three solutions was found in the blastocyst formation rates. These results indicate that combination of EG and sucrose solutions had effects on development of immature porcine oocytes.

• Development and Reproduction
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.37-44
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• 2002

First sexual maturity, sex ratio, spawning frequency, deposition of the egg capsules and fecundity of the female Rapana venosa(Valenciennes) inhabited in the artificially closed slag deposit area, Gwangyang Bay were investigated by histologicai and visual observations for natural living resource management. The rate of individuals reaching the first sexual maturity was 51.6％ in females measuring 7.1~8.0 cm in shell height, and 100％ in those > 10.1 cm. The total number of egg capsules per individual and the mean number of eggs in an egg capsule were 192~382 and 500, respectively. However, the number of eggs per individual and sizes of egg capsules under lower salinity and deficient food conditions in the closed slag deposit area were smaller than those under the optimum salinity and sufficient food conditions in the open regions. Fecundities of the species were approximately from 96,000 to 191,000 eggs/individual with two to low broods(spawning frequencies) during the spawning season. The duration of development in egg capsules was 18~19 days at about 18~2$0^{\circ}C$. R. venosa is a species whose embryos hatch as veliger larvae, not juvenile snail. The sex ratio of female : male was not significantly different from 1 : 1($\chi$$^2$= 0.23, p>0.05).

• Development and Reproduction
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.53-57
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• 2001

Sperm capacitation and acrosome reaction (AR) have been known to be Ca$^{2+}$-dependent events. Sperm capacitation accompanies with cholesterol efflux fiom plasma membrane, that eventually stimulates AR. However, whether the AR mediated by cholesterol efflux is Ca$^{2+}$ dependent has not been verified yet. Recently, methyl beta cyclodextrin (MBCD) was found to evoke AR by stimulating the cholesterol efflux fiom sperm membrane. In the present study, we examined the requirement of Ca$^{2+}$ in the MBCD-induced AR. During incubation of sperm in the bicarbonate buffered media MBCD increased AR in a dose-dependent manner regardless of the Ca$^{2+}$ presence. In the presence of low molar concentration of Ca$^{2+}$ (100 ${\mu}$M), MBCD-induced AR was slightly increased compared to Ca$^{2+}$-free condition. In the absence of Ca$^{2+}$ supplement, spontaneous AR was slightly increased during the incubation but inhibited by 100 ${\mu}$M EGTA. MBCD potentiated AR even the presence of EGTA. However, EGTA attenuated MBCD-induced AR, suagesting the functional involvement of intracellular Ca$^{2+}$ in the MBCD-induced AR. Taken together, it was suggested that cholesterol efflux from the sperm plasma membrane was sufficient for induction of AR even in the absence of extracellular Ca$^{2+}$and that a condition permissive for mobilization of intracellular Ca$^{2+}$ is important for MBCD-induced AR.

• Child Health Nursing Research
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.211-234
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• 1999

The purpose of this article was to get hold of adolescent's needs for sex knowledge and to reveal their understanding of sex. These results may be applied to the sex education and counselling for adolescent. The participants of study were 267 students (females, 144 ; males, 123) who were the first and second grade form 1 middle and 2 high schools. They were asked to describe 3 questions that they wanted to know or to learn about sex. Their questions about sex were total 779(girls, subtotal 456, mean 3.2, boys, subtotal 323, mean, 2.6). These questions categorized to 9 items by content analysis. The items were ‘sexual drive, behavior and tendency(229, 29.4%)’ , ‘anatomy and physiology of reproductive system(140, 18.0%)’, ‘reproduction(131, 16.8%)’, ‘concept of sex(31, 4.0%)’, ‘acquaintance between the other sexes(17, 2.2%)’, and ‘the others(9, 1.2%)’ in order of frequency. The most frequent item that the student want to know or team about sex was ‘sexual drive, behavior and tendency’ except girls of sophomore in middle school. There were several features in participants' needs for sex knowledge as respects of the understanding of sex- biological sex, gender, and sexuality. The prominent feature in knowledge need of bio logical sex was that the participants had the interests according to their biological sex. They had the negative attitude to the phenomenons (ex, menstruation and pregnancy, phimosiectomy, etc) that they experienced or would experience due to their biological sex. A part of them asked the questions based the misconceptions and used the slangs or ‘××’, ect. to name the male or female genitalia. The male students wanted to know the female genitalia. The participants' understanding of gender reflected the sexism of our society, but they didn't accept and had doubts about the dual, hierarchical structure of that. The students, especially female seemed to be powerless to the harms of the sexual violence. Girls had much interest in their appearances and complained to our sexual culture that women comforted and served men. The participants had the dual perspective that the sexuality as respects of physiologic phenomenon was considered as natural but that as related to heterosexuals was as negative. And they deemed that men's sexual drive was stronger than women's and was difficult or was not able to be inhibited. They had much interests in homosexuality but reflected the negative attitude to that in our society. Adolescent felt wonder why the expressions of sexuality of adult were permitted but theirs were not. Lastly, a part of boys substituted querying the sexuality of animals for asking that of human. Maybe it was because of the embarrassment to talk about human's sexuality directly. The teenaged participants understood that the sex had not only the biological meanings but also the sociocultural meanings. They regarded the sex as natural and wanted to know it, but they had conceptions that it was difficult and embarrass to talk about it openly and directly.