• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• 제42권2호
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• pp.51-57
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• 2015

Objective: This study aimed to examine the effect of laser-assisted zona thinning (LAZT) at one or four-points on the blastocyst formation and hatching process in mice with respect to female age. Methods: Eight-cell or morula embryos collected from superovulated C57BL female mice with different ages (6-11 and 28-31 weeks) were treated with LAZT at one-point (LAZT1) or four-points (LAZT4). The zona pellucida was thinned to more than 70% of its initial thickness by making two holes of $15-20{\mu}m$. Results: In the young mice, LAZT resulted in a significant increase in early hatching and hatching rates compared to the control group (p<0.05). However, in the old mice, LAZT significantly increased blastocyst formation as well as early hatching and hatching compared to the controls (p<0.05). These effects were more remarkable in LAZT4 than in LAZT1 and in aged mice than in young ones. Conclusion: These results show that multi-point LAZT leads to a significant improvement of blastocyst formation and hatching in mice compared to controls.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• 제38권3호
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• pp.148-152
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• 2011

Objective: Laser-assisted intracytoplasmic sperm injection (LA-ICSI), also known as micro-opening or thinning of the zona pellucida (ZP) prior to ICSI, may help to reduce mechanical damage to the oocyte during the procedure. The aim of the present study was to evaluate and analyze the efficacy of our institutional LA-ICSI program, which features laser-assisted ZP thinning prior to ICSI, in comparison with conventional ICSI (C-ICSI), performed on patients with different clinical characteristics. Methods: Patients undergoing a total of 212 ICSI cycles were randomly divided into an LA-ICSI group (106 cycles) and a conventional ICSI group (106 cycles). To reduce tissue damage, we thinned the ZP by approximately 70%, using a laser, before ICSI. Patients thus treated formed the LAICSI group. Comparisons included the morphological quality of transferred embryos, blastocyst development of the remaining embryos, and clinical pregnancy, in terms of ICSI method and patient characteristics. Results: Fertilization, development of remaining embryos, and pregnancy rate were significantly higher in the LA-ICSI group compared with the C-ICSI group. Fertilization, embryonic development, and the pregnancy rate were all improved in younger patients (<38 years of age) and in those who underwent a low number of IVF-ET attempts (<3 trials). In addition, the pregnancy rate was increased in older patients. Conclusion: LA-ICSI may be useful in improving the chance of pregnancy in all ICSI patients.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• 제45권3호
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• pp.129-134
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• 2018

Objective: In frozen and thawed embryos, the zona pellucida (ZP) can be damaged due to hardening. Laser-assisted hatching (LAH) of embryos can increase the pregnancy rate. This study compared thinning and drilling of the ZP before frozen embryo transfer (FET). Methods: Patients were randomly allocated into two groups for LAH using thinning or drilling on day 2 after thawing. Twenty-five percent of the ZP circumference and 50% of the ZP thickness was removed in the thinning group, and a hole $40{\mu}m$ in diameter was made in the drilling group. Results: A total of 171 in vitro fertilization/intracytoplasmic sperm injection FET cycles, including 85 cycles with drilling LAH and 86 cycles with thinning LAH, were carried out. The thinning group had a similar ${\beta}$-human chorionic gonadotropin-positive rate (38.4% vs. 29.4%), implantation rate (16.5% vs. 14.4%), clinical pregnancy rate (36.0% vs. 25.9%), miscarriage rate (5.8% vs. 2.4%), ongoing pregnancy rate (30.2% vs. 23.5%), and multiple pregnancy rate (7.0% vs. 10.6%) to the drilling LAH group. There were no significant differences in pregnancy outcomes between subgroups defined based on age (older or younger than 35 years) or ZP thickness (greater or less than $17{\mu}m$) according to the LAH method. Conclusion: The present study demonstrated that partial ZP thinning or drilling resulted in similar outcomes in implantation and pregnancy rates using thawed embryos, irrespective of women's age or ZP thickness.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• 제45권1호
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• pp.25-30
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• 2018

Objective: This study conducted a preliminary examination of the effects of three-area laser-assisted zona thinning (LAZT) during the cleavage stage of embryo development on the hatching process in human in vitro fertilization-embryo transfer (IVF-ET) with subjects of advanced female age or frozen-thawed (FT) embryos. Methods: Eight-cell stage embryos were treated with LAZT in three areas of the zona pellucida at $120^{\circ}$ intervals. The control group was embryos without LAZT. Of the 72 consecutive fresh cycles and the 28 FT embryo transfer cycles, the patients in 55 fresh cycles and 17 FT cycles declined LAZT, and those cycles were defined as the control group. Results: In the fresh cycles, the pregnancy rates were similar in the LAZT and control groups. However, in the FT cycles, the pregnancy rate was significantly higher in the LAZT group than in the control group (45.5% in the LAZT group vs. 23.5% in the control group, p< 0.05). Conclusion: These results show that multi-area LAZT resulted in significantly improved pregnancy outcomes in human 8-cell embryos compared to controls.

• 한국가축번식학회지
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• 제18권2호
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• pp.141-150
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• 1994

전자현미경에 의해 자궁부착 전후의 돼지 수정란의 형태형성 및 분화에 따른 배발생 과정을 검토하였다. 돼지 초기배는 자궁이주후 균일하게 자궁에 배분되기전 약 2~3일간은 자궁각의 proximal portion에 존재하며, 임신 4일째에 할구와 할구의 경계를 상실하는 tight한 gap junction을 가진 상실배로 발달한다. 배반포를 형성하는 시기에 estradiol 17$\beta$는 compact한 상실배를 cavitated blastocyst로 발달을 촉진시키면서, steroid hormone이 이후의 배발생을 지배한다. Hatching의 시기는 교배후 6~7일경 zona pellucida을 둘러사고 있는 glycoprotein의 thinning과 lysis에 의해 이루워지는데, hatching 과정은 embryo의 세포수와 무관하였으며, 이때의 embryo의 직경은 0.5~1.0mm인 것을 본 실험에서 확인하였다. 12일경부터는 embryo는 prostaglandins, IGF-binding protein, retinol binding protein, plasminogen activator등의 단백질이 풍부해 이들 인자가 elongation 개시 후보로 고려될 수 있었다. 또한 이 시기의 embryo는 embryonic disc로 발달시 progesterone과 estrogen을 estradiol 17$\beta$로 전활할 수 있으며, 이러한 변화와 함께 spherical stage로부터 tubular 혹은 filamentous form으로 변형되었다. Estrogen이 임신을 통해 prostagladins의 분비를 uterine lumen에 지시하는지는 알 수 없으나 13일 경을 전후해 conceptus estrogen이 uterine arterial blood flow, uterine vasular permeability을 증가시키는 것으로 나타났으며, 자궁에서 protein과 calcium, PGF2$\alpha$, plasminogen inhibitor를 증가시키는 것으로 나타났다. 이 시기의 자궁 변화와 함께 embryo의 attachment는 trophoblast와 uterine membrane사이의 느슨한 결합에 의해 개시되었으며, 18일경 uterine과 trophoblastic microvili의 interdigitation에 의해 완성된다. 이 시기에 conceptus attachment를 위해 필요한 uterine microvili에서의 glycocalyx의 형성과 endometrial epithelium의 erosion을 야기하기 위해 plasminogen activator을 분비하였으며, 반면 자궁에서 plasminogen 역할을 하는 것은 estrogen이며, blastocyst cell 표면의 lectin binding이 attachment에 중요한 역할을 한다. 이상과 같은 일련의 과정을 거친 초기배는 성공적인 임신으로 유도된다고 본다. 따라서, 본 연구는 이상과 같이 착상을 전후한 시기의 배를 전자현미경에 의해 형태형성의 변화를 특히 착상을 전후해 배 취사율이 높은 시기를 대상으로 분석하였다. 이 분석 시기중 성공적인 착상성공율은 56%(71/126)였다.