• The Korean Journal of Zoology
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.1-12
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• 1984

In order to investigate the alkaline phosphtase activities in the mouse oocytes in matuation and preimplantation embryos in developing in culture, the enzyme activities were measured by means of biochemical method. The in vitro effect of levamisole which is known as an inhibitor of the lakaline phosphatase was also observed on the oocyte in maturation and the embryos in early embryogenesis. The results obtained were as follows: The enzyme activity was not detected in the embryos unitl the stage of 4-cell, but it appeared first in the 4-cell embryos and the level of the activity was steady through up to the blastocyst. Levamisole inhibited the alkaline phosphatase activity in the blastocyst, and the activity decreased by almost 70% at 10 mM and 50% at 1 mM as compared with the control. In addition, levamisole inhibited completely the formation of polar body by the oocytes. and induced degeneration of the preimplantation embryos at the dose of 0.5 mM or higher.

• Ocean and Polar Research
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• v.41 no.3
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• pp.135-145
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• 2019

We investigated the mass occurrence of the salp Salpa fusiformis during spring in the southern waters of Korea and the northern East China Sea. Abundance of S. fusiformis and dominant taxonomic groups including copepods, ostracods, euphausiids, and appendicularian was examined along with environmental factors (e.g., temperature, salinity, and chlorophyll-a concentration). The abundance of S. fusiformis at 27 stations ranged from 0 to $183\;inds\;m^{-3}$. Both aggregate and solitary forms of S. fusiformis occurred with a mean abundance of $62\;inds\;m^{-3}$ and $4\;inds\;m^{-3}$, and mean body length of 6.5 mm and 15.4 mm, respectively. Redundancy analysis showed that the abundance of S. fusiformis was negatively correlated with chlorophyll-a concentration, indicating the intensive grazing impact of S. fusiformis on phytoplankton. While the abundance of S. fusiformis increased, the species diversity of zooplankton community decreased. The abundances of total copepods and the dominant copepod species (e.g., adults and/or copepodites of Paracalansus parvus s.l., Calanus sinicus, Oithona similis, and Corycaeus affinis) also decreased with the increase of S. fusiformis abundance. However, the abundance of ostracods, euphausiids, and appendicularians was not affected by the mass occurrence of the salps. These results suggest that the mass occurrence of S. fusiformis in spring could negatively affect ecosystem conditions by changing trophodynamics in the zooplankton community.

• Journal of Embryo Transfer
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.287-296
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• 2018

Ganglioside GM3 is known as an inhibition factor of cell differentiation and proliferation via inhibition of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) phosphorylation. Our previous study showed that the exogenous ganglioside GM3 reduced the meiotic maturation of porcine oocytes and induced apoptosis at 44 h of in vitro maturation (IVM). However, the role of ganglioside GM3 in the relationship between EGFR signaling and apoptosis during porcine oocyte maturation has not yet been studied. First, porcine cumulus-oocyte complexes (COCs) were cultured in the NCSU-23 medium with exogenous ganglioside GM3 according to maturation periods (non-treated, only IVM I: 0 - 22 h, only IVM II: 22 - 44 h and IVM I & II: 0 - 44 h). We confirmed that the proportion of germinal vesicle breakdown (GVBD) increased significantly in the IVM I treated group than in the control group. We also confirmed that the meiotic maturation until M II stage and polar body formation decreased significantly in the only IVM I treated group. Cumulus cell expansion and mRNA levels of the expansion-related factors (HAS2, TNFAIP6 and PTX3) decreased significantly in the IVM I treated group than in the control group. Protein levels of EGFR, p-EGFR, ERK1/2, and p-ERK1/2 decreased significantly in the GM3-treated groups, during the IVM I period. In addition, cellular apoptosis, determined using TUNEL assay, and protein levels of Cleaved caspase 3, were increased significantly in the GM3-treated COCs during the IVM I period. Based on these results, ganglioside GM3 exposure of porcine COCs during the IVM I period reduced meiotic maturation and cumulus cell expansion via inhibition of EGFR activity in pigs.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• v.50 no.4
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• pp.270-276
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• 2023

Objective: This study investigated the clinical and laboratory factors associated with the presence of dysmorphic oocytes in intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) cycles. Methods: The study involved 200 ICSI cycles, performed from 2020 to 2021, that yielded at least one mature oocyte. Clinical characteristics and ovarian stimulation methods were compared between 68 cycles with at least one dysmorphic oocyte (the dysmorphic group) and 132 cycles with normal-form oocytes only (the non-dysmorphic group). Dysmorphic oocytes were characterized by dark cytoplasm, cytoplasmic granularity, cytoplasmic vacuoles, refractile bodies in the cytoplasm, smooth endoplasmic reticulum in the cytoplasm, an oval shape, an abnormal zona pellucida, a large perivitelline space, debris in the perivitelline space, or an abnormal polar body. Results: The ages of the women, indications for in vitro fertilization, serum anti-Müllerian hormone levels, and rates of current ovarian endometrioma were similar between the dysmorphic and non-dysmorphic groups. In both groups, the three ovarian stimulation regimens, two types of pituitary suppression, and total gonadotropin dose were employed similarly. However, the dual-trigger method was used more frequently in the dysmorphic group (67.6% vs. 50%, p=0.024). The dysmorphic group contained significantly more immature oocytes and exhibited significantly lower oocyte maturity (50% vs. 66.7%, p=0.001) than the non-dysmorphic cycles. Within the dysmorphic group, significantly lower oocyte maturity was found in the cycles using a dual-trigger, but not in those with a human chorionic gonadotropin trigger. Conclusion: ICSI cycles with dysmorphic oocytes are closely associated with reduced oocyte maturity. This association was observed exclusively in dual-trigger cycles.

• Development and Reproduction
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.213-221
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• 1998

Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) has been widely used to treat couples with infertility due to severely impaired sperm charateristics and for whom conventional in-vitro fertilization (IVF) had failed. The extent to which the morphology of the oocyte at the light microscopy level is related to the results of ICSI vis controversial. In this study, oocytes from 44 patients were reviewed. The ICSI procedure was recorded through CCD camera. The oocytes were divided into five groups according to the presence of cytoplasmic inclusions, the width of perivitelline space (PVS), the presence of cell debris in PVS, the status of first polar body and the flexibility of oolemma. The results showed that the fertilization rate and embryonic development were not associated with the morphological criteria of oocyte. The degeneraton rate of oocytes after ICSI was significantly higher (P<0.001) in the oocytes whose membranes were broken at the moment of insertion (17.7%) than the oocytes whose membranes were broken by aspiration of cytoplasm (1.6%). More oocytes with cytoplasmic inclusions (48.4% vs. 25.1%, p<0.001), wide PVS (35.2% vs. 19.0%, p<0.001), or cell debris in PVS (53.3% vs. 38.4%, p<0.05) were observed in patients with female factor infertility compared to patients with male factor infertility. These results .suggest that the fertilization rate and embryonic development after ICSI are not correlated with oocyte morphology based on the presence of cytoplasmic inclusions, size of PVS, the presence of cell debris in PVS and the status of polar body. And the degeneration rate of oocytes after ICSI was associated with the flexibility of oolemma.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.27 no.6
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• pp.712-726
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• 1994

Feeding trials were conducted to determine the essentiality of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), and to compare the efficiency between EPA and DHA for juvenile Korean rockfish. Fish averaging 2.1 g were fed experimental diets containing different levels of EPA or DHA, and different combinations of EPA and DHA in two separate experiments. Graded levels ($0.0{\sim}l.75\%$) of dietary EPA or DHA as ethyl esters were substituted for a part of the $8\%$ beef tallow in the basal diet. After 5 weeks of the experimental period, weight gain, chemical composition of whole body, protein and lipid retention efficiency, hepatosomatic index, and fatty acid composition of liver were measured. Daily growth rate and feed efficiency were the lowest in fish fed the diets without EPA arid DHA. These responses were effectively improved by increasing EPA or DHA in the diets up to $1.0\%$ levels, and then reached a plateau between 1.0 and $1.75\%$ levels of either EPA or DHA. Protein and lipid retention efficiency were also improved with the high levels of dietary EPA or DHA. DHA was superior to EPA at the same level of each in weight gain, feed efficiency, and protein and lipid retention efficiency. Hepatosomatic index tended to decrease with increase of the dietary EPA or DHA levels. Lipid contents of whole body were increased with levels of EPA or DHA in the diets. Dietary EPA and/or DHA levels affected directly the fatty acid composition of liver polar lipid. EPA or DHA in the liver polar lipid were increased with levels of dietary EPA or DHA, respectively, whereas those in nonpolar lipid were not affected by the dietary levels of EPA and/or DHA. These finding indicate that either of the EPA or DHA is essential for normal growth of Korean rockfish, and the essential fatty acid requirement is $1.0\%$ of EPA and/or DHA in the diet. DHA is superior to EPA as essential fatty acid, and the dietary EPA/DHA ratio of less than 1.0 may be adequate for normal growth of Korean rockfish fed a diet enough n-3HUFA (EPA and DHA).

• The Korean Journal of Malacology
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.45-55
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• 2001

Gametogenes, reproductive cycle, first sexual maturity(biological minimum size), sex ratio and larval development of the marsh clam Corbicula japonica were investigated monthly by histological observations. Samples were collected in brackish water of Gokgang stream, Kyungsangbuk-Do, Korea, from August 1997 to July 1998. Sexuality of Corbicula japonica is dioecious and the species are an oviparous clam. The gonads are irregularly arranged from the sub-region of mid-intestinal gland in visceral cavity to reticular connective tissue of foot. The ovary is composed of a number of ovarian sac which are branched arborescent. Oogonia actively proliferate along the germinal epithelium of ovarian sac, in which young oocytes are growing. The testis is composed of a number of testicular tubules, and the epithelium of the tubule has function of germinal epithelium, along which spermatogonia actively proliferate. A great number of undifferentiated mesenchymal tissue and eosinophilic granular cells are abundantly distributed between developing oocytes and spermatocytes in the early developmental stages. With the further development of the ovary and testis these tissue and cells gradually disappear. Then the undifferentiated mesenchymal tissue and eosinophilic granular cells are considered to be related to the growing of the oocytes and spermatocytes. The spawning period is from July to September, and the main spawning occur between July and August when seawater temperatures reach above 22$^{\circ}C$. The reproductive cycle of this species can be divided into five successive stages; early active (February to April), late active (May to July), ripe (June to September), partially spawned (July to September), degenerative (September to October) and resting stage (October to February). Percentages of first sexual maturity of female and male clams ranging in length from 10 mm to 12 mm are over 50% and 100% for clams over 16.0 mm in shell length. Fertilized eggs or Corbicula japonica were 80-90 ${\mu}{\textrm}{m}$ in diameter. In the early embryonic development of C. japonica, the appearance of polar body, trochophore and D-shaped veliger were observed around 40 min., 27 hours and 4 days after spawning, respectively, at a water temperature of 26.5-28.$0^{\circ}C$. The size of larvae of early umbo stage was about 185-210 ${\mu}{\textrm}{m}$ in shell length, 160-180 ${\mu}{\textrm}{m}$ in shell height around 7 days after fertilization. The correlation of relative growth between the culture day (D) and shell length (SL) was expressed by the following simple formula from D-shaped veliger to metamorphosing stage; SL = 13.300D + 209.36($r^2$= 0.9078).

• Journal of Photoscience
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.154-157
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• 2002

Direct, continuous, and accurate measurements of solar ultraviolet irradiance (290-400 nm: UVR) have been carried out since 1990, by using both band-spectral ultraviolet-B (290-320 nm: UV-B) and ultraviolet-A (320-400 nm: UV-A) radiometers at Tokai University in Hiratsuka, Japan (35$^{\circ}$N, 139$^{\circ}$E). From our observations, the following findings are provided: 1) an increasing trend in solar UV -B from Oct. 1990 to Sept. 2000; 2) a regional comparison of solar UVR in Japan; 3) the distinct characteristics of UV-B and UV-A irradiance, such as diffuse property, daily and seasonal variation; and 4) human body protection against solar UVR. An increasing 10-year trend in global solar UV - B in Hiratsuka corresponded to a decrease in the total ozone amount measured at Tsukuba (36$^{\circ}$N, 140$^{\circ}$E), giving supportive evidence for a direct link between these two parameters. Furthermore, a strong correlation was found between solar UV-B and total ozone amount from results of UVR measurements at four Tokai University monitoring stations dispersed throughout Japan. Additional results revealed different diffuse properties in global solar UV and in global solar total (300-3000 nm: Total) irradiances. For example, in the global UVR, the diffuse component was dominant: about 80 % independent of weather, with more than 60 % of global UV-B, and more than 50% of global UV-A with even a cloudless clear sky. On the other hand, the portion of the diffuse in the global total irradiance was very low, less than 10 % on a cloudless clear day. Daily and seasonal variations of UV -B and UV -A irradiances were found to be quite different, because of the marked dependence of UV -B irradiance on the atmospheric ozone amount. Moreover, UV -B irradiance showed large daily and seasonal variations: the ratio between maximum and minimum irradiances was more than 5. In contrast, the variation in UV-A was small: the ratio between maximum and minimum was less than 2. Three important facts are proposed concerning solar UVR protection of the human body: 1) the personal minimal erythema dose (MED); 2) gender based difference in MED values; and 3) proper colors for UVR protective clothing.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.57-66
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• 1993

The potential of fumagillin dicyclohexylamine salt to treat and prevent intestinal giant-cystic disease in Israel carp, Cyprinus carpio nudus, was monitored in field experimental studies. In experiment 1 (therapeutic), most fish were already naturally infected with more advanced stage of Relohqnellu: kitnuet. Fumagillin was administered to ash (mean body weiht of 830 g for a Penod of one month at a dose of 10.62 mg in the first group and 5.3 mg in the second group per fi sh per day. In experiment 2 (fprophylactlcl), most flesh also were already naturally infected with an early developmental stage of the protozoa and fish (average body weight of 484 g) were administered fumagillln for 45 days at a dose of 3.95 mg per fish per day. In both experiments, the cumulative mortalities of fish and the extrusion rates of the polar filaments of the spores were significantly decreased in a dose-independent fashion. In experiment 2 no dead fish were observed. No adverse side effects of the drug were observed among fish from any dosage group. In experiment 2, an oval or dot-like concave lesion of most cysts developed at the 7th day and the vegetative form was never observed at the 17th day postmedication and the cysts were grossly reduced in size as compared with the control group, beginning at the 24th day until the end of the study. In contrast, it was scarcely effective to the cysts in experiment 1. Taking the seasonal development of the protozoa into consideration, the above results revealed that oral administration of fumagillin at 3.95 mg/500 g body weight/day for a month Is the optimal dose for the treatment and prevention of thelohanellosls caused by T kitnuei among C. carpio nudus.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.26 no.5
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• pp.477-492
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• 1993

In order to investigate the n-3 highly unsaturated fatty acids (n-3HUFA) requirement of the Korean rockfish Sebastes schlegeli, two experiments were conducted in the flush-out aquarium system. 1. Effects of different dietary fatty acids on growth and feed efficiency Efficacy of different fatty acids on the Korean rockfish was investigated by feeding diets containing each of the different fatty acids, 12:0, 18:1n-9, 18:2n-6, 18:3n-3, and n-3HUFA for 9 weeks. The best growth and feed efficiency were obtained from the fish fed diet containing n-3HUFA (P<0.05). 2. n-3HUFA requirement Requirement of dietary n-3HUFA for the Korean rockfish (5.9 g in mean body weight) was investigated with the test diets containing different levels of n-3HUFA ranging from $0\%$ to $4.0\%$ at $8\%$ dietary lipid level. After 6 weeks of feeding experiment, fish performance and fatty acid composition of liver were studied. Growth was significantly improved with increasing dietary n-3HUFA level up to the $0.9\%$ in the diet (P<0.05). Higher values of lipid content, 18:1/n-3HUFA ratio of polar lipid of liver and hepatosomatic index were observed in the fish fed n-3HUFA deficient diets. The groups of fish fed lower levels of dietary n-3HUFA showed higher 18:1 and love. n-3HUFA (EPA+DHA) levels in polar lipid of the liver. The data obtained in these experiments indicated that dietary n-3HUFA was essential for the Korean rockfish, and required level of n-3HUFA was around $0.9\%$ in diet.