• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.17 no.5
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• pp.423-435
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• 1984

The reproductive cycle of the small filefish, Rudarius ercodes was investigated based on the annual variations of gonadosomatic index(GSI) and hepatosomatic index(HSI) by electronic and photic microscophy. The specimens used were collected at the coastal area of Benden island, Sizuokagen, Japan, from September 1982 to August 1983. GSI began to increase from March, starting season of longer daylength and higher water temperature, and reached the maximum value between June and August. It began to decrease from September with the lowest value appearing between November and February without any evident variation. The annual variations of HSI were not distinct in male filefish and were negatively related to GSI in female : HSI decreased in the summer season when the ovary was getting mature and reached the maximum in the winter season when the ovary was getting retrogressive. The ovary consisted of a pair of saccular structure with numerous ovarian sacs branched toward the median cavity. Oogonia divided and proliferated along the germinal epithelium of the ovarian sac. Young oocytes with basophile cytoplasm showed several scattering nucleoli along the nuclear membrane. when the oocytes growing to about 300 ${\mu}m$, nuclear membrane to disappear with nucleus migrating toward the animal pole. The regions of protoplasm were extremely confined within the animal hemisphere in which most of cytoplasms were filled with yolk materials and oil drops. After ovulation, residual follicles and growing oocytes remaining in the ovarian sacs degenerated. But perinucleatic young oocytes without follicles formed were not degenerated, and growing continuously still in the next year. Mitochondria and endoplasmic reticula in the cytoplasm remarkably increased with oocytes maturing and yolk accumulating. Those were considered to be functionally related to the yolk accumulation. Five or six layers of possible vitellogenin, oval-shaped disc structures with high electron density, appeared in the apex of follicular processes stretching to the microvilli pits of mature oocytes. Testis consisting of a pair of lobular structures in the right and left were united in the posterior seminal vesicle, Cortex of testis was composed of several seminiferous tubules, and medulla consisting of many sperm ducts connected with tubules. Steroid hormone-secreting cells with numerous endoplasmic reticula and large mitochondria of well developed cristae were recognized in the interstitial cells of the growing testis. Axial filament of spermatozoon invaginated deeply in the central cavity of the nucleus and the head formed U-shape with acrosome severely lacking, mitochondria formed large globular paranuclei at the posterior head, and microtubular axoneme of the tail represented 9+9+2 type. The annual reproductive cycles could be divided into five successive stages : growth(March to July), maturation(May to September), Spawning(mid May to early October) and resting stages(October to February). The spawning peak occurred from June to August.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.292-301
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• 2010

Follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) is a pituitary glycoprotein hormone that is encoded by separate alpha- and betasubunit genes. It plays a key role in stimulating and regulating ovarian follicular development and egg production in chicken. FSH signal transduction is mediated by the FSH receptor (FSHR) that exclusively interacts with the beta-subunit of FSH, but characterization of prokaryotic expression of the FSHb gene and its effect on the expression of the FSHR gene in local chickens have received very little attention. In the current study, the cDNA fragment of the FSHb gene from Dagu chicken was amplified using reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), and inserted into the pET-28a (+) vector to construct the pET-28a-FSHb plasmid. After expression of the plasmid in E. coli BL21 (DE3) under inducing conditions, the recombination protein, $FSH{\beta}$ subunit, was purified and injected into the experimental hens and the effect on the mRNA expression levels of the FSHR gene was investigated. Sequence comparison showed that the coding region of the FSHb gene in the local chicken shared 99%-100% homology to published nucleotides in chickens; only one synonymous nucleotide substitution was detected in the region. The encoded amino acids were completely identical with the reported sequence, which confirmed that the sequences of the chicken FSHb gene and the peptides of the $FSH{\beta}$ subunit are highly conserved. This may be due to the critical role of the normal function of the FSHb gene in hormonal specificity and regulation of reproduction. The results of gene expression revealed that a recombinant protein with a molecular weight of about 19 kDa was efficiently expressed and it was identified by Western blotting analysis. After administration of the purified $FSH{\beta}$ protein, significantly higher expression levels were demonstrated in uterus, ovary and oviduct samples (p<0.05). These observations suggested that the expressed $FSH{\beta}$ protein possesses biological activity, and has a potential role in regulation of reproductive physiology in chickens.

• Korean Journal of Health Education and Promotion
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.73-89
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• 1995

This study was planned to investigate indirectly the effects of study environments of high school students such as family characteristics, availability of sex education, and possibility of exposure to unhealthy sexual environments. For this purpose, the level of knowledge and attitude towards sex of general and industrial high school students were compared because these two groups of students were believed to be different in those study variables. For this study, 600 students (300 male and 300 female students) from a general high school students and 400 (200 male and 200 female) from an industrial high school in one industrial city in Korea were surveyed with a structured questionnaire. The study results were as follows: 1. There were significant differences in selected family condition variables between general and industrial high school students. Proportions of students with single parents, those who live in houses other than their own, and those father's occupations were farming and manufacturing were higher in industrial high school students than in general high school students. 2. Female students wanted to have more knowledge on sex whereas male students were interested in things related to sexual acts in both general and industrial high school students. The largest proportion of students wanted to discuss their sex problems with their friends not with their parents. 3. More students in general high school thought that the sexual intercourse is natural and pretty than those in industrial high school, whereas more industrial high school students insisted on the sexual purity before marriage than general high school students. 4. About 65% of students surveyed agreed to making friends with opposite sex and, in fact, more than half either had experiences or were having friends of opposite sex. More students in industrial high school wanted to choose their marital partners based on advices of their parents than students in general high school. 5. More female students than male and more industrial high school students than general high school students were embarrassed with first wet dream or menstruation and felt guilty about the masturbation. 6. Level of knowledge on reproductive physiology, sex transmitted disease and contraception was higher in general high school students than in industrial high school students. These study results suggest that simple knowledge on sex of the general high school students does not seem to affect positively the students attitude towards sex and the unfavorable living conditions of industrial high school students seem to influence the students to become more sincere and healthy in their attitude towards sex and life. Therefore, more thoughtful consideration in contents and methods should be given when the sex education is provided to the high school students.

• Toxicological Research
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.379-384
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• 1998

Endocrine disruptor is an exogenous substance that changes endocrine function and causes adverse effects at the level of the organism, its progeny, and/or (sub)populations of the organisms. Purported adverse effects are cancers, declines in reproductive health, developmental learning disabilities in humans, and declining populations, altered morphology, physiology or behavior in wildlife. In these days, expert groups on chemicals in IPCS, IFCS and OECD are intensively discussing the identification of endocrine disruptors and the proper management of those chemicals. In this study, we screened the endocrine disrupting effects of lead using fertilized eggs of Oryzias latipes. In brief, the eggs were exposed to lead with different concentrations at Ringer's solution, and the mortality, the incidence of deformation, the body movement and the hatching success were determined after incubation. The histological analysis of normal and deformed larvae was also carried out. Compared to control, the mortality and the heart rate of eggs and/or larvae increased, but the hatching success and the tail movement decreased. The morphological observation showed the asymmetrical deformation of larvae and the distortion of spinal cord. The absorption of the liquid in yolk sac was hindered. The adverse effects of lead in the ontogeny of fertilized eggs of Oryzias latipes seemed to be stronger in pH5.6 than in pH7.5 solution. In summary, lead showed adverse effects on the ontogeny of fish fertilized eggs plays critical role in regulating biological systems and controlling developmental processes as an endocrine disruptor.

• Korean Journal of Health Education and Promotion
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.22-33
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• 1989

Rapid socio-cultural and economic changes in the country has brought with it changes in the society's value system. For a traditional society that is increasingly being exposed to modernization but where sex norms are still very restrictive, the adolescent sexual mores takes on added significance. Adolescents are caught between two opposing forces, the changing environment that allows for freer and liberal mores and the traditional society that cannot keep pace with the changing environment and therefore demands resistance to changes. This paper focuses on problems of adolescent sexuality in this country and considers the countermeasures for the existing problems. Amongst the problems are: (a) increasingly younger age of the adolescents who start sexual intercourse (b) non-use of contraception, (c) unwanted pregnancies, (d) increase in the number of induced abortion and (e) increase in the number of unwanted children and unmarried mothers. The Korean adolescent's sexual behavior seems to follow that of the developed countries. In other words, many western modes of life and sexual values seem to bave been copied in Korea and yet Korean adolescents lack in their knowledge of sex related matters such as reproductive physiology and contraception. Among middle and high school students, female students are reported to have less knowledge on sex than male students according to a 1988 survey by KIPH. Even among the unmarried famale factory workers, only 42.5 percent replied they know of the condom, and 25.1 percent and 23.1 percent said they had knowledge of spermicide and menstrual regulation respectively. However, 14.9 percent and 13.9 percent reported that they had a knowledge of the loop and female sterilization respectively according to the 1984 study by KIPH. Among the middle school students 0.8 percent said they had experience in sexual intercourse, while 7.3 percent of the high school students reported having had sexual intercourse. The sexual intercourse experience rate among the unmarried female factory workers is 37.8 percent. Among those female factory workers with sexual experience, 46.7 percent had more than one sex partners. Only 39.1 percent of male students and 18.9 percent of female students among those with sexual intercourse experience have used contraceptives. mostly condoms and oral pills 45.1 percent of female factory workers with sexual intercourse experience used contraceptives such as pills, condoms and rhythm methods. The pregnancy experience rate among the female factory workers who had experience in sexual intercourse is 29.5 percent, which is 11.1 percent among the total respondents. Out of the 102 pregnant female workers, 98 workers(96.1 percent) terminated their pregnancy by induced abortion and 2 workders(2 percent) in natural abortion, while 1 worker(1 percent) was in pregnancy and another 1 worker had normal birth that was subsequently sent to orphanage. In order to cope with the problem of adolescent sexuality, a drastic and strong policy measures should be taken by the government. The most effective countermeasure to the adolescent sexual problems appears to the education. The sex and population education in the school is very much in need. In addition, sex education program through mass media and at the job sit-should be promoted for a healthy development of adolescents' sexual behavior. Also, the existing national family planning program, which has focused on the married couples, should be extended to the unmarried people in its scope and contents of the program.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.630-636
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• 2002

After The Yellow Emperor's Canon of Internal Medicine, The text researches of pathologic change to the liver disease concluded the next, 1, The category of liver-disease(肝病) include the Symptoms of abnormality due to vital energy and blood motion, emotion and intention, muscular and reproductive function, and legions around descending liver channel. 2. In the theory that Liver-Yang energy(肝陽氣) is always overproducing, Liver-Yin blood(肝陰血) is always lacking, pathologic characteristics for liver disease is functional change of malfunction of the use of body(體用失調), So nourishing the liver and kidney is used for the principal aspects of a disease. regulating and calm the liver is used for the secondary aspects of a disease as the treatment plan, 3. If malfunctioning of the functions of dispersion and discharge(疏泄), Iiver-energy(肝氣) is becoming degected, So overproduct and overflow of ascent and exhalation of liver-yang(肝陽) is becoming blood are ascending following energy. complete usage of Yin-blood(陰血) is responsible for some kinds of mass formed by blood stasis in the early stage of pathogenesis of liver disease syndrome of the energy system as the progession of disease extravasated blood is forming. the pathologic characteristics is appeared loss of control of the vital energy and blood(體用失調) at the liver disease. 4. Sthenia-syndrome of liver(肝實證) and liver-heat syndrome(肝熱證) is appered that overproducing and overflow of dispersion(疏泄太過) and discharge is responsible for overfunctioning of liver disease or some kinds of heat syndrome such as liver fire(肝火), Sthenia of liver-yang(肝陽上亢), the syndromes of sthenic liver heat(肝實熱) are appered. deficiency of the liver(肝虛證) and cold syndrome of liver(肝寒證) is classified pathologic characteristics of cold and heat, deficiency and excess that regression of sensory, motor, mental due to lack of dispersion and discharge(疏泄不及), or intruding of the cold miasma, are degected. 5. The liver is close relation of physiologic function and internal organ such as spleen, stomach, lung, heart, kidney, gall bladder by the meridian channels, because of property of wind Zang, rapid progession is classified by phthologic charateristics.

• Korean Journal of Animal Reproduction
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.124-132
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• 1985

The work was conducted to clarify the development of testes and histological changes of the Seminiferous tubules that is the Surface area, diameter, length of the tubules and the process of Spermatic cells growth in Seminal epithelium in relation to Sexual maturity of the meat-type cockerels. In addition the present experiments were planned to gain some basic data helpful for the study of reproductive physiology in meat-type cockerels and also to compare the histological changes Seminiferous tubules between egg and general purpose type cockerels. 1. The growth pattern of body weight, testes and comb was classified into four phase according to age. Body weight increased up to about 2kg at 2nd stage and to 4.3kg at 4th stage while at 3rd stage the growth rate of body weight was slower. The tests developed slowly until 22 weeks of age with no correlation to the growth of body weight. However, it grew rapidly afterwards, reaching 27.79$\pm$9.26gm and 42.46$\pm$5.33 gm at 24 and 28 weeks of age, respectively. The spermatozoa was seen first at 24 weeks of age. On the other hand, comb grew at similar rate to the testes, weighing on the average 21.78$\pm$6.48gm and 41.42$\pm$1.25gm at 24 and 28 weeks of age, respectively. 2. The areal rate of the Seminiferous tubules to interstitial tissues was 66%:34% at 2 weeks of age and the rate of the former increased in comparison to that of the latter as they grew older, becoming 94%:7% between at 24 weeks of age, when the testes weight increased rapidly too. 3. Diameter of Seminiferous tubules at 2 weeks of age was 42.76$\pm$1.04$\mu$m and then it gradually increased as the testes grew until 22 weeks of age, when it grew rapidly, increasing about 2.9 times of those of 2 weeks and at last increased up to 5 times at 24 weeks. 4. Length of Seminiferous tubules was 4.5cm at 2 weeks and then it was gradually increased. At 22 weeks old the length of tubules was icnreased rapidly being 321 meter and increased more than double, being 658 meter at 24 weeks old. 5. The cells of Seminal epithelium developed poorly and the number of cells were relatively few until 16 weeks old. Afterwards the cells increased rapidly in number and at 18 weeks, the number became twice of those of 16 weeks, reaching 140.43$\pm$43.6. At 24 weeks the cells increased more rapidly, reaching to 10 layers and Spermatozoa were first time seen.

• Journal of Embryo Transfer
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.97-104
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• 2011

This study was carried out to confirm the effects of luteotrophin, human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG), and an anti-luteolytic agent, flunixin meglumin (FM), on pregnancy rates in Hanwoo with in vitro produced (IVP) embryo transfers (ET), and to research the effects on the estrus cycle. Treatments included hCG and FM administration 3~10 minutes prior to ET. Also, pregnancy rates were compared with lidocane treatment and FM treatment prior to ET. The results are shown below. 30-day pregnancy rate was 76.7% in the hCG-treated group and 75.7% in the FM-treated group. Both rates were higher than the 70% rate for the control group. 42-day pregnancy rate was 76.7% in the FM-treated group. This was higher than 66.7% recorded for both the hCG-treated and control groups. The pregnancy rate of the hCG-treated group was high at Day 30 (76.7%) but low at Day 40 (66.7%), and there were no differences from the FM-treated and control groups. The recurrent estrus rate of infertile individuals at 2 weeks after ET was 36.4% in the hCG-treated group, under 71.4% in the FM-treated group and 80.0% in the control group. The non-pregnancy rate of individuals without recurrent estrus was 18.2% in the hCG-treated group, which was higher than the 0% rate in both the FM-treated and control groups. The pregnancy rates were higher in the FM-treated group than the Lidocane-treated group with 72.3% versus 67.5% in the heifers and 48.9% versus 43.6% in the cows. From the above results, the FM treatment proved more effective than the hCG treatment and no treatment whatsoever in increasing pregnancy rates after ET. In addition, hCG treatment was shown to be undesirable due to the deviations it caused in the reproductive physiology of the hCG-treated recipients. Therefore, in our study, the FM treatment resulted in a higher pregnancy rate than either lidocaine treatment or no-treatment in the trials of ET.

• Journal of Aquaculture
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.199-202
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• 2007

We isolated a 317 bp of partial cDNA for doublesex-and mab-3-related transcription factor-1 (DMRT-1) from the testis of olive flounder, Paralichthys olivaceus using RT-PCR. Based on the multiple sequence alignment, olive flounder DMRT-1 shared relatively high sequence homology (82 to 94%) with orthologues from other teleost species such as Atlantic halibut, Hippoglossus hippoglossus, black porgy, Acanthopagrus schlegeli and rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss. DMRT-1 mRNA was predominantly expressed in the testis of olive flounder. In our investigation for the effect of testosterone treatment in vivo on induced expression of ovarian DMRT-1 transcript, mRNA levels of DMRT-1 in ovary were significantly up-regulated by testosterone treatments (0.3 or $3.0{\mu}g$ testosterone/g body weight for 12 to 36 hours) as judged by RT-PCR analysis. In overall, transcriptional stimulation of DMRT-1 during treatments was more affected by doses of testosterone than treatment durations. This result strongly suggests that the regulation of DMRT-1 be tissue- and gender-specific in olive flounder, and also provides useful baseline knowledge on the testosterone-mediated regulation in the reproductive physiology of this species.

• Development and Reproduction
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.21-27
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• 1998

The present study was performed to analyze the gene expressions of pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide(PACAP) and its receptor in the rat uterus, a candidate for novel extrahypothalamic source and target. The PACAP cDNA fragments corresponding to the common exon region which is found in both the rat hypothalamus and testis were produced from all tissue samples including the rat uterus by reverse transcriptionpolymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). No PCR product was amplified from the rat hypothalamic, pituitary, ovarian and uterine samples when the 5' primer corresponding to the testis-specific exon 1 region was used, while the predicted size of product was detected from the testis sample. RT-PCR using the uterine RNA and specific primers for the PACAP receptor yielded products with predicted sizes. Transcripts for the rat uterine PACAP receptor were identified as type I isoforms with hip-hop and hip- or hop-type inserts. After pregnant mare's serum gonadotropin (15 IU) treatment of immature rats (day 25), the level of PACAP mRNA was increased in 24 h and 48 h group, and was declined to the lowest in 72 h group. The present study shows the presence of transcripts for PACAP and its receptor isoform in the rat uterus. These finding ssuggest that the uterine PACAP ight act as a novel autocrine and/or paracrine factor via its specific receptors on the reglulation of rat uterine function and physiology during the reproductive cycle.