• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• v.46 no.2
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• pp.50-59
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• 2019

Anti-$M{\ddot{u}}llerian$ hormone (AMH), a peptide growth factor of the transforming growth $factor-{\beta}$ family, is a reliable marker of ovarian reserve. Regarding assisted reproductive technology, AMH has been efficiently used as a marker to predict ovarian response to stimulation. The clinical use of AMH has recently been extended and emphasized. The uses of AMH as a predictive marker of menopause onset, diagnostic tool for polycystic ovary syndrome, and assessment of ovarian function before and after gynecologic surgeries or gonadotoxic agents such as chemotherapy have been investigated. Serum AMH levels can also be affected by environmental and genetic factors; thus, the effects of factors that may alter AMH test results should be considered. This review summarizes the findings of recent studies focusing on the clinical application of AMH and factors that influence the AMH level and opinions on the use of the AMH level to assess the probability of conception before reproductive life planning as a "fertility test."

• Journal of Embryo Transfer
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.271-280
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• 2018

Here, we evaluated the mode of programmed cell death during porcine oocyte maturation by comparing the two major pathways associated with programmed cell death, apoptosis (type I), and autophagy (type II). We investigated the expression and localization of major genes involved in autophagy and apoptosis at mRNA and protein levels. Furthermore, the effect of hormonal stimulation on autophagy and apoptosis was analyzed. We found that the activity of autophagy-associated genes was increased in the cumulus-oocyte complexes (COCs) following follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) treatment, while the addition of luteinizing hormone (LH) reversed this effect. The expression of proteins associated with autophagy was the highest in FSH-treated COCs. On the other hand, caspase-3 protein level was maximum in COCs cultured with LH. The treatment with rapamycin resulted in the effect similar to that observed with FSH treatment and increased autophagy activity. Thus, hormonal stimulation of pig oocytes resulted in distinct patterns of maturation. The high-quality oocytes majorly relied on the type II pathway (autophagy), while the type I pathway (apoptosis) was more prominent among poor-quality oocytes. Further investigation of this distinction may allow the development of techniques to produce high-quality oocytes in porcine in vitro fertilization.

• The Journal of Korean Obstetrics and Gynecology
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• v.36 no.2
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• pp.1-19
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• 2023

Objectives: The purpose of this health promotion project for Korean medicine is to promote the health of climacteric women in Boeun-gun. Methods: During the project, pressure needle acupuncture treatment, herbal medicine treatment, meditation pore therapy, and health education were conducted. To evaluate the results, basic health surveys (body height, body composition test, blood pressure etc.), female hormone tests, Kupperman's index (KI), Menopause-specific quality of life questionnaire (MENQOL), and Perceived stress scales (PSS) were conducted. Results: No significant change was observed in the body composition test and blood pressure after the project. Follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) was significantly increased after the project, but Luteinizing Hormone (LH) and total estrogen levels were not significantly changed. KI and MENQOL scores significantly decreased after the project, and significantly decreased in 4 out of 11 items of KI and 3 out of 4 domains of MEMQOL. No significant change was observed in the PSS score after the project. Conclusions: From the results of this project, it can be seen that the Korean medicine health promotion project can help alleviate symptoms of climacteric syndrome and postmenopausal syndrome.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.87-89
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• 1993

Cortisol levels in plasma are known to be as an indication of reproductive and adrenal status of an animal. In this study it has been examined in relation to the oestrus induction by Progesterone oestrogen therapy in 3rd and 4th parity anoestrus animals. Cortisol was found higher in treated animals and levels raised within 6-12 hrs. after hormone therapy followed by elevation in glucose levels and depletion of total serum proteins. It shows the association of induction, occurrence and expression of oestrus with energy demanding metabolic stress in buffaloes.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.13 no.10
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• pp.1359-1366
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• 2000

An experiment was carried out to study plasma levels of hormones and metabolites of crossbred Holstein cattle during late pregnancy (28 days pre partum), early lactation (30 days post partum), mid-lactation (120 days post partum) and late lactation (210 days post partum). Two breed types of Holstein $Friesian{\times}Red$ Sindhi (50:50 = 50%HF) and Holstein $Friesian{\times}Red$ Sindhi (87.5:12.5 = 87.5%HF) were divided into four groups of four animals each. Two groups of each breed were fed with either rice straw treated with 5% urea or pangola hay (Digitaria decumbens) as the source of roughage throughout the experiments. There were a substantial increases in the mean levels of total triiodothyronine ($T_3$), insulin and glucagon at the onset of lactation, and maintained in a high levels during lactation advance for all groups of experiments. The mean levels of prolactin and thyroxine ($T_4$) were not significantly different among groups of animals, but the plasma cortisol concentration was slightly higher in both groups of 50%HF in comparison with those of 87.5%HF animals. The mean levels of plasma growth hormone (GH) of both groups of 87.5%HF animals feeding on either hay or urea treated rice straw markedly rose in the early period of lactation and markedly reduced in mid- and late lactation. These changes were accompanied with changes of milk yield. In contrast to 50%HF animals, plasma GH levels were considerably higher in the late pregnant period than in the early period of lactation and it remained constant as its value at the early lactation throughout the experimental period. The high levels of both plasma progesterone and estradiol concentration significantly declined after parturition and remained low through lactating period. The plasma glucose level in the 50%HF animals feeding on either hay or urea treated rice straw was higher than the 87.5%HF animals in all periods of experiments. Changes in plasma FFA levels of both types of crossbred animals were depended on the endocrine status during late pregnancy and lactation. The levels of plasma FFA of 50%HF animals were significantly higher (p<0.05) than those of 87.5%HF animals during late pregnancy. Both plasma ${\beta}$-hydroxybutyrate and lactate concentrations were not affected by feeding on either hay or urea treated rice straw during late pregnancy and lactation. These data demonstrate that there were no differences in the physiological performances in the same crossbred animals fed either hay or urea treated rice straw. The 87.5%HF animal has the genetic potential for a high milk yield and homeorhetic adaptation for mammary function differed from 50%HF animals during periods of lactation. Altering lactation persistency in 87.5%HF is regulated mainly by chronically acting growth hormones through the period of lactation.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.15 no.9
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• pp.599-605
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• 2015

This study was conducted to evaluate suppressive effects of black rice aleurone layer extract (BRE) on body fat, serum lipid, and hormone levels in ovariectomized rats. The rats were divided into five groups (n=8/group): sham operated group (S); ovariectomized control group (OVX); ovariectomized group treated with isoflavone 10 mg/kg B.W. (IF); ovariectomized group treated with BRE 30 or 90mg/kg B.W. (BRE-30 or -90). High fat diet (45% calories from fat) was fed to all rats for 12 weeks. Body weight gain, body fat weight, and adiposity index increased in the OVX group, but they significantly decreased in IF or BRE supplementation. Serum triacylglycerol and leptin levels decreased in BRE groups while serum adiponectin level significantly increased compared to that of the OVX group. Hepatic total lipid, triglyceride, and cholesterol levels increased in the OVX group, but they decreased in BRE supplementation (p>0.05). These data suggest that black rice aleurone layer may be a useful food source to decrease obesity and its related diseases by modulating lipid metabolism in estrogen-deficiency model.

• Animal cells and systems
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• v.2 no.4
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• pp.483-488
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• 1998

We previously found that a potent gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) agonist, buserelin, decreases GnRH promoter activity together with GnRH mRNA level, providing evidence for an autoregulatory mechanism operating at the level of GnRH gene transcription in immortalized GT1-1 neuronal cells. To examine whether agonist-induced decrease in GnRH mRNA level requires the continuous presence of buserelin, we performed a pulse-chase experiment of buserelin treatment. Short-term exposure (15 min) of GT1-1 neuronal cells to buserelin ($10{\mu}M$) was able to decrease GnRH mRNA levels when determined 24 h later. When GT1-1 cells were treated with buserelin ( $10{\mu}M$) for 30 min and then incubated for 1, 3, 6, 12, 24, and 48 h after buserelin removal, a significant decrease in GnRH mRNA levels was observed after the 12 h incubation period. These data indicate that inhibitory signaling upon buserelin treatment may occur rapidly, but requires a long time (at least 12 h) to significantly decrease the GnRH mRNA level. To examine the possible involvement of de novo synthesis and/or mRNA stability in buserelin-induced decrease in GnRH gene expression, actinomycin D ($5{\mu}m/ml$), a potent RNA synthesis blocker, was co-treated with buserelin. Actinomycin D alone failed to alter basal GnRH mRNA Revel, but blocked the buserelin-induced decrease in GnRH mRNA level at 12 h of post-treatment. These data suggest that buserelin may exert its inhibitory action by altering the stability of GnRH mRNA. Moreover, a polvsomal RNA separation by sucrose gradient centrifugation demonstrated that buserelin decreased the translational efficiency of the transcribed GnRH mRNA. Taken together, these results clearly indicate that GnRH agonist buserelin acts as an inhibitory signal at multiple levels such as transcription mRNA stability, and translation.

• Journal of Aquaculture
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.267-272
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• 2003

This study investigated sex determination through serum steroid hormone level and compared hematological characteristics of one-year old cultured eels, Anguilla japonica. Four different groups were divided with total length at 40∼45, 45∼50, 50∼55, and 55∼60 cm. Males dominated eels of 40∼50 cm in total length group, while females dominated eels of more than 50 cm. All females and males were immature. Hematocrit levels of males (total length: 40∼50 cm) were higher than those of females (total length: 50∼60 cm). Hemoglobin content also differed between males and females. Glutamate oxaloacetate transaminase (GOT) levels of 40∼45 cm males tended to be higher (157$\pm$3.46 IU/L) than that of other sized males, but there were no significant differences between groups (P<0.05). The highest GOT levels were found in of 55∼60 cm females (148$\pm$3.46 IU/L) compared with that of other female groups (P<0.05). Glutamate pyruvate transaminase (GPT) levels of males and females in the 55∼60 cm size range was significantly higher thanothers (P<0.05). The result of this study indicated steroid hormone content of males and females were very low, but testosterone (T) and estradiol-17$\beta$, (E2) contents of females were higher than those of males. For further research of sex determination in cultured eels, it needs to investigate in more defined body length.

• Korean Journal of Animal Reproduction
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.149-155
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• 1992

The present study was conducted to find out the changes of progesterone and 20$\alpha$-dihydroprogesterone(20$\alpha$-OHP) levels before and after parturition, 4 pluriparous goats were offered for this experiment. Blood samples were taken from jugular vein on Days, 5, 3, 2 and 1 before parturition, the day of parturition, 1, 3, 5, 7 and 9 after parturition. The blood samples were centraifuged and stored at -2$0^{\circ}C$ until hormone assay. The serum levels of progesterone and 20$\alpha$-OHP were measrued by radioimmunoassay. The changes of serum progesterone level during peripartum period were characterized as a remarkable decrease. The progesterone level was 4.05$\pm$0.52ng/ml on 56 days before parturition and decreased to 2.24$\pm$0.38ng/ml on 1 day before parturition and 0.79$\pm$0.09ng/ml on the day of parturition and the basal level was maintained through 9 days of postpartum period. The serum level of 20$\alpha$-OHP during the peripartum period was 1.25$\pm$0.21ng/ml on 5 days before paturition and increased to 1.32$\pm$0.25 on 3 days and 1.59$\pm$0.24ng/ml on 1 day before parturition, and reached a peak level of 1.78$\pm$0.25ng/ml just prior to parturition and then decreased greatly to 0.31$\pm$0.03ng/ml on 1 day postpartum and the basal level was remained until 9 days postpartum. The high serum level of 20$\alpha$-OHP, which was peak just prior to parturition, was maintained for 2 days following the onset of remarkable decrease in the serum level of progesterone. From the above results, it was concluded that the enzyme 20$\alpha$-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (20$\alpha$-HSD) catalyzing the conversion of progesterone to a biologically inactive steroid, 20$\alpha$-OHP was active properly in the luteal cells in Korean native goats.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.16 no.6
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• pp.3882-3888
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• 2015

The present study was conducted to assess the relationship between obesity and abdominal obesity and Parathyroid hormone (PTH) in adults aged 50 or older (n=3,305) using 2011 Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) data, which represents national data in Korea. Key study results were as follows: First, the PTH levels increased significantly with an increase in Body mass index (BMI) (p=0.003), shown by sIAD levels after adjusted the variables that affect sIAD levels (age, gender, SBP, DBP, and 25(OH)D). These were $66.25{\pm}0.89ng/dL$ for Normal weight (BMI, < $23.0kg/m^2$), $67.83{\pm}1.07 ng/dL$ for Overweight (BMI, $23.0-24.9kg/m^2$), $70.71{\pm}0.94ng/dL$ for Obesity (BMI,${\geq}25.0kg/m^2$). Second, the PTH level of abdominal obesity group ($69.30{\pm}0.80ng/dL$) was significantly higher (p=0.017) than non-abdominal obesity group ($66.63{\pm}0.74ng/dL$). In conclusion, BMI and waist measurement are positively associated with the PTH levels in Korean adults.