• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
• /
• v.13 no.2
• /
• pp.137-144
• /
• 1986

A reveiw of 85 patients with uterine anomalies was made in respect to the incidence, chief complaints, the reason of infertility, fetal wastage rate, pregnancy complications, fetal presentations and obstetric outcome after metroplasty from 1980 to 1985. The results were summarized as follows: 1. Incidence of uterine anomaly was 0.18% among all outpatients (85/48,240). 2. Of the 85 patients, there were 36 with bicornuate deformities (42.3%), 21 septate (24.7%), 18 uterus didelphys (21.2%), 8 arcuate (9.4%) and 2 patients with unicornuate anomalies (2.4%). 3. Uterine anomalies were diagnosed by hysterosalpingogram (54.1%), pelvic examination (14.2%) and other operative procedures. 4. Chief complaints were primary infertility (41.2%), secondary infertility (15.3%), repeated pregnancy loss (12.9%), antenatal care (11.8%) and menstural disturbance (10.6%), etc. 5. Twenty-nine patients with uterine anomalies had primary infertility. The cause of infertility was proved nonuterine in 26 cases and remained unknown in 3 cases. 6. The obstetric outcome of 104 pregnancies was spontaneous abortion in 51.0%, premature delivery in 11.50/0 and fetal loss in 57.7%. 7. Complications of 41 present pregnancies were threatened abortion (22%), premature rupture of membrane (12%) and premature labor (10%), etc. The frequency of abnormal presentation was 35.3% and 64.7% of deliveries was made by Cesarian section. 8. Metroplasty was performed in 13 patients who didn't have a baby because of repeated miscarriage and unknown cause of infertility. Subsequently 8 patients had 9 successful pregnancies: 6 patients had 7 healthy babies and 2 patients are now in pregnancy without any complications.

• Journal of Animal Reproduction and Biotechnology
• /
• v.37 no.4
• /
• pp.292-297
• /
• 2022

Direct injection of CRISPR/Cas9 into zygotes enables the production of genetically modified nonhuman primates (NHPs) essential for modeling specific human diseases, such as Usher syndrome, and for developing novel therapeutic strategies. Usher syndrome is a rare genetic disease that causes loss of hearing, retinal degeneration, and problems with balance, and is attributed to a mutation in MYO7A, a gene that encodes an uncommon myosin motor protein expressed in the inner ear and retinal photoreceptors. To produce an Usher syndrome type 1B (USH1B) rhesus macaque model, we disrupted the MYO7A gene in developing zygotes. Identification of appropriately edited MYO7A embryos for knockout embryo transfer requires sequence analysis of material recovered from a trophectoderm (TE) cell biopsy. However, the TE biopsy procedure is labor intensive and could adversely impact embryo development. Recent studies have reported using cell-free DNA (cfDNA) from embryo culture media to detect aneuploid embryos in human in vitro fertilization (IVF) clinics. The cfDNA is released from the embryo during cell division or cell death, suggesting that cfDNA may be a viable resource for sequence analysis. Moreover, cfDNA collection is not invasive to the embryo and does not require special tools or expertise. We hypothesized that selection of appropriate edited embryos could be performed by analyzing cfDNA for MYO7A editing in embryo culture medium, and that this method would be advantageous for the subsequent generation of genetically modified NHPs. The purpose of this experiment is to determine whether cfDNA can be used to identify the target gene mutation of CRISPR/Cas9 injected embryos. In this study, we were able to obtain and utilize cfDNA to confirm the mutagenesis of MYO7A, but the method will require further optimization to obtain better accuracy before it can replace the TE biopsy approach.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
• /
• v.63 no.2
• /
• pp.14.1-14.4
• /
• 2023

This study evaluated the effect of resynchronization programs on pregnancies in dairy cows. Of 1,342 cows confirmed not pregnant after their first artificial insemination (AI), those with a corpus luteum (CL) were resynchronized using Ovsynch or PG-GnRH-Ovsynch and those without a CL were resynchronized using GnRH-Ovsynch or modified Double-Ovsynch. There were no differences (p > 0.05) in the pregnancies per AI either between the Ovsynch (31.3%) and PG-GnRH-Ovsynch (34.0%) or between the GnRH-Ovsynch (38.7%) and modified Double-Ovsynch (39.5%). In conclusion, Ovsynch and GnRH-Ovsynch programs could be preferred to resynchronize cows with and without a CL, respectively, from the perspective of reducing costs and labor.

• Animal Bioscience
• /
• v.36 no.1
• /
• pp.43-52
• /
• 2023

Objective: This study aimed to examine the influence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection on pregnancy in cytokeratin-18 (K18)-hACE2 transgenic mice. Methods: To determine the expression of hACE2 mRNA in the female reproductive tract of K18-hACE2 mice, real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was performed using the ovary, oviduct, uterus, umbilical cord, and placenta. SARS-CoV-2 was inoculated intranasally (30 μL/mouse, 1×10⁴ TCID₅₀/mL) to plug-checked K18-hACE2 homozygous female mice at the pre-and post-implantation stages at 2.5 days post-coitum (dpc) and 15.5 dpc, respectively. The number of implantation sites was checked at 7.5 dpc, and the number of normally born pups was investigated at 20.5 dpc. Pregnancy outcomes, including implantation and childbirth, were confirmed by comparison with the non-infected group. Tissues of infected mice were collected at 7.5 dpc and 19.5 dpc to confirm the SARS-CoV-2 infection. The infection was identified by performing RT-PCR on the infected tissues and comparing them to the non-infected tissues. Results: hACE2 mRNA expression was confirmed in the female reproductive tract of the K18-hACE2 mice. Compared to the non-infected group, no significant difference in the number of implantation sites or normally born pups was found in the infected group. SARS-CoV-2 infection was detected in the lungs but not in the female reproductive system of infected K18-hACE2 mice. Conclusion: In K18-hACE2 mice, intranasal infection with SARS-CoV-2 did not induce implantation failure, preterm labor, or miscarriage. Although the viral infection was not detected in the uterus, placenta, or fetus, the infection of the lungs could induce problems in the reproductive system. However, lung infections were not related to pregnancy outcomes.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• v.16 no.9
• /
• pp.3685-3690
• /
• 2015

Background: Low-dose oral contraceptives (OC) were approved by the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare in 1999, yet despite their contraceptive and non-contraceptive health benefits, only 5% of the target population use them. Fear of increased cancer risk, particularly breast cancer, is one reason for this. Due to low OC uptake and low screening participation, a paucity of data is available on the risk of OC use and breast cancer in Japanese women. The present study investigated OC use and breast cancer risk, as well as menstrual, reproductive and family factors. Materials and Methods: This was a clinic-based case-control study of women aged 20-69yrs who had undergone breast screening between January 2007 and December 2013 in central Tokyo. In all, 28.8% of the participants had experience with OC use. Cases were 155 women with a pathologically confirmed diagnosis of breast cancer. Controls were the remaining 12,333 women. Results: Increased age was a significant risk factor for breast cancer (p<0.001). A lower risk was found in premenopausal women presently taking OC compared to never users (OR 0.45; 95% CI 0.22-0.90) after adjusting for age, parity and breast feeding, and a family history of breast cancer. Conclusions: Increased age rather than OC use had a greater effect on breast cancer risk. This risk may be decreased in premenopausal women with OC use, but further long-term prospective studies are necessary.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
• /
• v.18 no.3
• /
• pp.224-238
• /
• 2008

The aim of this study is to confirm the physicochemical property and hazard of thinner (012), which is a diluent of enamel paint used for floor coating for waterproofing and oil painting for the outer wall. The literatures of physicochemical property and hazard of thinner were surveyed and its physicochemical property were evaluated. And then, the inhalation toxicity of thinner affecting the central nervous system and reproductive organs in rats were examined by subchronic (6 h./day. 5 days/ week for 13 weeks) inhalation test. 1) According to the 13-week subchronic inhalation test, there were no significant changes in clinical test and body weight. However, a significant evidence of toxicity was observed in the hematological test and organ weight such as heart, kidney, liver and brain (p<0.01) in the 200 ppm and 1,000 ppm exposure groups in a dose response manner. In the histopathology analysis, there were no significant evidence of toxicity. Therefore, thinner was not classified as an organ targeted toxic agent. In case of Harmfulness, it could be classified as a chronic toxic agent 3($500 ppm/4hr, rat). 2) The reproductive toxicity such as extension of the period of estrous cycle, reduction of serum estradiol concentration and increase of frequency of the abnormal sperm was observed in the 1,000 ppm exposed animals. 3) The result of the physicochemical property of the test material showed that the specific gravity was 0.793, boiling point $155.8^{\circ}C$, steam pressure 2.1 kPa, ignition point $34.5^{\circ}C$, and spontaneous ignition point $280^{\circ}C$. The endothermic and exothermic values were 371.4 J/g and 159.1 J/g. respectively. The explosion limit was 214 mg/l. These data showed that thinner could be classified as an explosion agent level 1.2 and ignitive liquid agent 3 ($23-60^{\circ}C$) according to the notification No. 2008-1 of the Labor Ministry, "Classifying Standard of Chemical Materials."

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
• /
• v.30 no.1
• /
• pp.85-93
• /
• 2003

Objective : To evaluate the safety and efficacy of selective fetal reduction (SFR) and compare the outcome of twin pregnancy after SFR in multiple pregnancy induced by assisted reproductive technology (ART) with that of natural twin pregnancy. Methods : From September 1995 to March 2002 in Ajou University Hospital, SFR was performed in 79 patients whose gestational sacs were more than 3. Of these 79 patients, 47 patents resulted in twin pregnancy after SFR. SFR was performed using transvaginal intracardiac KCl injection at gestational age of $6{\sim}9$ weeks. Control group was composed of 264 patients with natural twin pregnancy, who delivered after intrauterine pregnancy at 24 weeks, from June 1994 through December 2002. We compared Obstetric and perinatal outcomes between SFR group and natural twin group. Results: Among 47 patients with twin pregnancy after SFR, 2 spontaneous abortion were occurred at intrauterine pregnancy at 8 and 19 weeks. Obstetrical and perinatal outcomes were available in 43 patients. Single intrauterine fetal death was occurred in 1 of 43 (2.3%) patients in SFR group. Incidence of preterm labor, premature rupture of membrane, preeclampsia and placenta previa were similar, but gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) was occurred more frequently in SFR group (3 (7.0%) vs 4 (1.5%), p=0.02). Mean gestational age, mean birth weight, incidence of discordancy, use of intubation and ventilation, incidence of fetal anomaly, low (<7) Apgar score and intrauterine growth restriction were similar in both groups. Conclusion: Twin pregnancy after SFR has the increased incidence for GDM but other obstetric and perinatal outcome was similar compared with natural twin pregnancy. So SFR is a safe and effective procedure, so we suggest SFR is needed in multifetal pregnancy more than triplet.

• Neonatal Medicine
• /
• v.16 no.1
• /
• pp.94-98
• /
• 2009

Listeria monocytogenes (L. monocytogenes) is a foodborne anaerobic gram-positive rod and the third most common pathogen for neonatal meningitis. Although the mortality and morbidity of L. monocytogenes infections are high, thus causing serious problems in Western populations, neonatal listeriosis is relatively rare in Eastern countries, including Korea. Possible routes for intrauterine infection or vertical transmission of L. monocytogenes include infected placentas and the reproductive tract. Intrauterine infections may cause chorioamnionitis, preterm labor, spontaneous abortion, stillbirth, or neonatal infection. A high index of suspicion and early empirical antibiotic treatment are critical to achieve a favorable prognosis for neonatal listeriosis. We managed a case of L. monocytogenes sepsis and pneumonia in a premature neonate born at 26 weeks of gestational age from an asymptomatic mother with culture-proven placental infection. The neonate was successively treated with ampicillin and gentamicin.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
• /
• v.19 no.1
• /
• pp.87-94
• /
• 1992

From December 1991 to March 1992, 34 anejacuratory patients with spinal cord injury underwent 90 of electric stimulations with Seager NRH model 12. The average patient age was 43.5 years with a range of 23 to 48 years. The level of cord injury was cervical in 7, thoracic in 6, lumbar in 11, lumbosacral in 7 and conus medullaris in 3. The average number of electric stimulation per a patient was 2.65 with a range of 1 to 4. The average voltage and amplitude per a stimulation were 17.72 volts and 309. 89 mAmp with ranges of 5 to 25 volts and 50 to 500 mAmp. The total and motile sperm number were evaluated microscopically and analyzed statistically by paired t-test according to the frequency of electroejaculation, level of cord injury and voiding pattern. The results were obtained as follows. 1. An overall success rate of electroejaculation was 85.3% among 34 patients and 82.2% among 90 electric stimulations. 2. The total and motile sperm number per a stimulation were not correlated the frequency of electric stimulation, level of cord injury and voiding pattern. 3. Complications occured in 10 cases; severe low abdominal pain in 5, hypertension in 2, sweating in 1, headache in 1 and neck stiffness in 1. All the copmlications subsided spontaneously within 5 to 10 minutes after transient interruption of the electric stimulation. In summary, rectal probe electroejaculation is an accepted safe means of procuring sperm from spinal cord injury patients with ejaculatory incompetence. However very poor sperm motility was found and it was not related with the frequency of electroejaculation, level of cord injury and voiding pattern. Further investigation would be needed to conclude and to identify the reasons for impaired sperm motility.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
• /
• v.9 no.1_2
• /
• pp.29-41
• /
• 1982

This retrospective clinical study was done based under the delivery records of 146 cases of twin pregnancies in Yonsei University, Severance Hospital and Wonju Christian Hospital from 1977 through 1980 with particular interest in the second twins. Clinical factors, Apgar scores related to neonatal prognosis, and perinatal mortality rate were statistically analyzed and the following results were obtained. The mean - birthweight for A (first) twins was 2,377 grams and for B (second) twins 2,296 grams. In comparison of the percentage of low-birth-weight (less than 2,500 grams) infants, there were more small B twins, but the difference was statistically not significant. Because there were no significant statistical differences in birth weight-grouping between A and B twins, they could be compared with the comprehensive Apgar scores, but this method was also shown to be statistically not significant. In comparison of the percentage of breech deliveries in A and B twins, the percentage was more than three times in B twin (A twin, 7.5 per cent; B twin, 24.0 per cent), and the difference was statistically very significant (p < 0.0005). There were no significant statistical differences between the Apgar scores of A and B twins in reference to the manner of delivery. According to the manner of delivery of B twins, spontaneous vertex delivery and total breech extraction revealed higher infant mortality rate than others. B twins presented by the vertex in 88 cases (61.0 per cent), by the breech in 55 cases (37.0 per cent), and by the shoulder in 3 cases (2.0 per cent). And this therefore disclosed no significant statistical differences in Apgar scores in relation to the presentation. The duration of labor appeared to have no clear correlation with the Apgar scores and the perinatal mortality of A and B twins. The delivery interval between A and B twins was 11.9 minutes on an. averge, varying from 3 to 65 minutes. The length of this interval was not found to have any significant effect on the Apgar scores and the perinatal mortality rate of B twin.