• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.98-108
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• 1996

Korean women are now living almost 1/3 of their life after menopause. Sex-steroid hormone deficiency adversely affect various fields of physical & mental activity and quality of life during this period. Therefore, replacement of deficient hormone is thought to be natural therapeutic modality. Postmenopausal syndrome is recently redefined as an endocrinopathy with both short-and long-term sequelae, as a result of cessation of ovarian function. Hormone replacement therapy taken at or near time of menopause alleviates shot-term acute menopausal symptoms such as vasomotor disturbances and psychological problems. HRT also beneficially affects some of intermediate symptoms such as urogenital atrophy and cutaneous problems. The major benefits of long-term use were reductions in risk of long-term sequelae, that is, total fracture by 50-60%, cardiovascular disease by 50% and cerebrovascular disease by 30-40%, respectively. In addition, HRT may also positively influence Alzheimer's disease, reduce the colorectal cancer risk and increase longevity of the life. In conclusion, all postmenopausal women should consider preventive HRT when there are no contraindications.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Oriental Medical Informatics
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.47-51
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• 2005

Obesity can cause abnormality of ovarian function, which can also result disorder of menstruation. According to several studies, to reduce weights is the effective treatment in order to cure amenorrhea such as disorder of menstruation caused by obesity. This study shows a case that an obese woman by sumdam(濕痰) recovered from abnormality of menstruation as losing her weight due to a dose of Yijintang(二陳湯).

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• v.42 no.4
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• pp.131-135
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• 2015

The thyroid hormones act on nearly every cell in the body. Moreover, the thyroid gland continuously interacts with the ovaries, and the thyroid hormones are involved in almost all phases of reproduction. Thyroid dysfunctions are relatively common among women of reproductive age, and can affect fertility in various ways, resulting in anovulatory cycles, high prolactin levels, and sex hormone imbalances. Undiagnosed and untreated thyroid disease can be a cause of subfertility. Subclinical hypothyroidism (SCH), also known as mild thyroid failure, is diagnosed when peripheral thyroid hormone levels are within the normal reference laboratory range, but serum thyroid-stimulating hormone levels are mildly elevated. Thyroid autoimmunity (TAI) is characterized by the presence of anti-thyroid antibodies, which include anti-thyroperoxidase and anti-thyroglobulin antibodies. SCH and TAI may remain latent, asymptomatic, or even undiagnosed for an extended period. It has also been demonstrated that controlled ovarian hyperstimulation has a significant impact on thyroid function, particularly in women with TAI. In the current review, we describe the interactions between thyroid dysfunctions and subfertility, as well as the proper work-up and management of thyroid dysfunctions in subfertile women.

• Journal of Embryo Transfer
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.287-290
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• 2010

On January 6, 2010, two months earlier than normal breeding season, a red fox vixen was implanted with synthetic GnRH analogue, Deslorelin. Blood was sampled every 2~3 days from the day of implant to identifying spermatozoa on stains of epithelial cells. Estradiol and progesterone were examined. Even though the vixen was in non-breeding season, she was mated by a male fox. Pregnancy was confirmed by canine pregnancy detection kit that detect relaxin released from placenta. Four healthy pups were born on March 9, 2010. This is the first report showing synthetic GnRH can activate ovarian function and lead to fertile estrus of red fox in non-breeding season.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.55 no.8
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• pp.265-271
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• 2012

Phytoestrogen is an estrogenic compound that occurs naturally in plants. The most common sources of phytoestrogen are soybean products, which contain high levels of isoflavones. This compound, which has structural similarity with estrogen, can act as an estrogen receptor agonist or antagonist. Animal studies provide evidence of the significant effects of phytoestrogen on sexual development, including altered pubertal timing, impaired estrous cycling and ovarian function, and altered hypothalamus and pituitary functions. Although human studies examining the effects of phytoestrogen on sexual development are extremely limited, the results of some studies agree with those of the animal studies. In this paper, we review the possible mechanism of phytoestrogen action and the evidence showing the effects of phytoestrogen on sexual development in animal and human studies.

• Genomics & Informatics
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.21.1-21.7
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• 2018

Metritis, the inflammation of the uterus caused by polymicrobial infections, is a prevalent and costly disease to the dairy industry as it decreases milk yield, survival, and the welfare of dairy cows. Although affected cows are treated with broad-spectrum antibiotics such as ceftiofur, endometrial and ovarian function are not fully recovered, which results in subfertility and infertility. According to culture-dependent studies, uterine pathogens include Escherichia coli, Trueperella pyogenes, Fusobacterium necrophorum, and Prevotella melaninogenica. Recent studies using high-throughput sequencing observed very low relative abundance of Escherichia coli, Trueperella pyogenes, and Prevotella melaninogenica in cows with metritis. Herein, we propose that metritis is associated with a dysbiosis of the uterine microbiota, which is characterized by high abundance of Bacteroides, Porphyromonas, and Fusobacterium.

• Women's Health Nursing
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.197-209
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• 2022

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate family functioning among spouses of gynecologic cancer patients in Korea. McCubbin and McCubbin's Family Resilience Model (1993) guided the study focus on burden of care, family resilience, coping, and family functioning. Methods: An online survey collected data from 123 spouses of gynecologic cancer patients through convenience sampling from online communities for gynecologic cancer patients in Korea. Burden of care, family resilience (social support, family hardiness, and family problem-solving communication), coping, and family functioning were measured by self-report. Results: The patients (44.7%) and their spouses (47.2%) were mostly in the 41 to 50-year age group. Stage 1 cancer was 44.7%, and cervical cancer was the most common (37.4%) followed by ovarian cancer (30.9%) and uterine cancer (27.6%) regarding the cancer characteristics of the wife. Family function, burden of care, family resilience, and coping were all at greater than midpoint levels. Family functioning was positively related with social support (r=.44, p<.001), family hardiness (r=.49, p<.001), problem-solving communication (r=.73, p<.001), and coping (r=.56, p<.001). Multiple regression identified significant factors for family functioning (F=25.58, p<.001), with an overall explanatory power of 61.7%. Problem-solving communication (β=.56, p<.001) had the greatest influence on family function of gynecologic cancer families, followed by coping (β=.24, p<. 001) and total treatment period of the wife (β=.17, p=.006). Conclusion: Nurses need to assess levels of family communication and spousal coping to help improve gynecologic cancer patients' family function, especially for patients in longer treatment.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.55-65
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• 1999

There have been many reports to date regarding the role of GnRH as a local regulatory factor of ovarian function as studies of human and rat ovaries revealed GnRH and its receptor. In recent studies it has been shown that GnRH directly causes apoptosis in the granulosa cells of the rat ovary, and such results leads to the suggestion that the use of GnRH agonist for more stable long term ovarian hyperstimulation in human IVF-ET programs causes granulosa cell apoptosis which may lead to follicular atresia. Therefore this study attempts to determine if granulosa-luteal cell apoptosis occurs in patients during IVF-ET programs in which GnRH agonist is employed for ovarian hyperstimulation. The quality of oocyte-cumulus complexes obtained during ovum pickup procedures were assessed morphologically and then the fertilization rate and developmental rate was determined. Apoptotic cells among the granulosa-luteal cells obtained during the same procedure were observed after staining with Hematoxylin-eosin. The fragmentation degree of DNA extracted from granulosa-luteal cells was determined and comparatively analyzed. There was no difference in the average age of the patients, the number of oocytes retrieved, and fertilization and developmental rates between the FSH/hMG group and GnRH-long group. There was also no difference in the apoptosis rate and pyknosis rate in the granulosa-luteal cells between the two groups. However, when the oocyte-cumulus complexes were morphoogically divided into the healthy group and atretic group without regard for the method of hyperstimulation, the results showed that the number of oocytes obtained averaged $11.09{\pm}8.75\;and\;10.33{\pm}4.53$ per cycle, respectively, showing no significant difference, but the fertilization rate (77.05%, 56.99%, respectively, p<0.01) and developmental rate (65.96%, 41.51%, respectively, p<0.01) was significantly increased in the healthy group when compared to the atretic group. The degree of apoptosis in the granulosa-luteal cells showed that in the healthy group it was 2.25% which was not significantly different from the atretic group (2.77%), but the pyknosis rate in the atretic group (27.81%) was significantly higher compared to the healthy group (11.35%, p<0.01). The quantity of DNA fragmentation in the FSH/hMG group was 32.22%, while in the GnRH-long group it was 34.27%, showing no significant difference. On the other hand the degree of DNA fragmentation was 39.05% and 11.83% in the healthy group and atretic group, respectively, showing significantly higher increase in the atretic group (p<0.01). The above results suggest that death of granulosa-luteal cells according to the state of the oocyte-cumulus complex is more related to pyknosis rather than apoptosis. Also, the GnRH agonist used in ovarian hyperstimulation does not seem to directly affect the apoptosis of retrieved oocytes and granulosa-luteal cells, and which is thought to be due to the suppression of the apoptogenic effect of GnRH agonist as a result of the high doses of FSH administered.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.141-150
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• 2019

Despite the development of assisted reproduction technologies (ART) including in vitro fertilization (IVF), the poor ovarian response and endometrial receptivity remains clinically a major unmet need. Although these problems are difficulties to solve in infertility treatment, there are no good therapeutic option yet. Traditional herbal remedies and acupuncture, therefore are being proposed as alternative treatment. Our group found that traditional herbal medicines such as Paeonia lactiflora L.(PL, 芍藥), Cyperus rotundus L.(CR, 香附子), and Perilla frutescens (PF, 紫蘇葉) could improve endometrial receptivity. In this study, we found out Yeosin-san (如神散) as an optimal herbal formula via combination of the previously established herbal medicines. Yeosin-san is a traditional Korean medical formula which was established by Ziming Jin (陳自明) and recorded in Furendaiquanliangfang (婦人大全良方) at first. The formula traditionally used for treating abnormal uterine bleeding and leukorrhea. It showed a highest effect on leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF) expression and on the adhesion between trophoblastic cells and endometrial cells. In addition, it has been shown that the Yeosin-san not only increases the endometrial receptivity to improve the embryo implantation but also enhances the ovary function by expressing the angiogenesis-related genes. Here we suggest that Yeosin-san could be a novel and effective candidate for treating female infertility.

• Herbal Formula Science
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.41-51
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• 2020

Objectives : US extract is a mixture of each extract of Ulmi cortex and Smilacis rhizoma. In this study, we investigated the antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and ovoprotective effects of US extract in in vitro model to identify potential candidates for improving female reproductive function. Methods : The antioxidant activity of US extract was measured using 1,1-diphenyl- 2-picrylhydrazyl free radical and superoxide anion radical scavenging assays. The anti-inflammatory effect of US extract on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells were determined with a nitric oxide (NO) assay, enzyme linked immunosorbent assays, and western blots analysis. The antibacterial activity of US extract against vaginitis infection microorganisms were determined with disc diffusion and minimum inhibitory concentration assays. The ovoprotective effect of US extract on 4-vinylcyclohexene diepoxide (VCD)-induced ovotoxicity in CHO-K1 cells were evaluated with a cell viability assay. Result : US extract showed good antioxidant capacity and inhibited LPS-induced NO production as well as iNOS and COX-2 expression and secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokine IL-6 without affecting the cell viability. It showed significant clear zones for Staphylococcus aureus and Candida albicans but did not indicate the clear zones for Escherichia coli and Enterococcus faecium. VCD-induced ovotoxicity in CHO-K1 cells was significantly reduced by US extract pre-treatment. Conclusions : These results demonstrate that US extract has antioxidant activity, anti-inflammatory effects on the LPS-stimulated macrophages, antibacterial activity against vaginitis infection microorganisms, and protective effects on the ovarian cells against VCD-induced ovotoxicity. These findings suggest that the US extract can be used as new prescriptions, supplements, functional foods, and cosmetics for improving female reproductive function.