• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
• /
• v.32 no.1
• /
• pp.25-30
• /
• 2000

Phytoestrogen has been used as a suppliment of estrogen in order to treat osteoporosis. The representative phytoestrogens, isoflavones, are daidzein, genistein and formononetin which were present highly in our traditional soybean foods. The quantitative analysis of the isoflavone was done with a high performance liquid chromatography(HPLC) using a UV/VIS detector for the contents of the isoflavones in Astragali Radix, soybean sprouts, bean-curd(Tofu), soybean, soybean oil, pea, kidney pea, black bean(Yak-kong), soybean sauce(Ganjang). soybean paste(Doenjang), and fermented soybean(Maejoo). The content of free daidzein in soybean sprouts was $43.49{\pm}3.41\;mg/kg$$ which was much higher than that in soybean, $14.52{\pm}0.58\;mg/kg$, although total daidzein of fermented soybean was lower than that in soybean (Table 2. P<0.01). The amounts of free genistein in soybean sprouts, fermented soybean. and soybean paste were $27.63{\pm}1.66\;mg/kg,\;291.52{\pm}6.81\;mg/kg,\;and\;18.75{\pm}1.33\;mg/kg$, respectively. The level of free formononetin in soybean paste was the highest among the soybean products (P<0.01). The content of formononetin in Aatragali Radix, $9629.73{\pm}0.57\;{\mu}g/kg$, was about 160 times higher than that in soybean. Thus Korean traditional soybean products, black bean(Yak-Kong) and Astragali Radix can be a good choice of phytoestrogens.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
• /
• v.51 no.2
• /
• pp.182-187
• /
• 2019

Women who undergo natural menopause transition have increased numbers of risk factors relating to metabolic syndrome due to estrogen deficiency. This study was conducted to investigate the effect of Superhongmi bran extract on metabolic syndrome improvement in menopausal women. Thirty women, who participated in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, were assigned to placebo-control (n=15) or Superhongmi bran extract (n=15) groups and were asked to consume two tablets (350 mg per extract per tablet) per day. After 12 weeks, weight, body mass index (BMI), plasma triglyceride (TG) levels, and total cholesterol (TC) levels were significantly decreased, whereas HDL-cholesterol (HDL-C), apolipoprotein A1 (ApoA1), adiponectin, superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1), and GSH (glutathione) concentrations were significantly increased in the Superhongmi bran extract group. Moreover, $17{\beta}-estradiol$, and progesterone levels in the Superhongmi group were significantly higher than those in the placebo-control group. These results suggest that Superhongmi bran extract alleviates metabolic symptom in menopausal women.

• Animal Bioscience
• /
• v.34 no.4
• /
• pp.546-557
• /
• 2021

Objective: If fertilization does not occur within a specific period, the quality of unfertilized oocytes in the oviduct (in vivo aging) or in culture (in vitro aging) will deteriorate over time. Icariin (ICA), found in all species of Epimedium herbs, has strong antioxidant activity, and is thought to exert anti-aging effects in vitro. We asked whether ICA protects oocytes against age-related changes in vitro. Methods: We analyzed the reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels and expression of antioxidant, maternal, and estrogen receptor genes, and along with spindle morphology, and the developmental competence and quality of embryos in the presence and absence of ICA. Results: Treatment with 5 μM ICA (ICA-5) led to a significant reduction in ROS activity, but increased mRNA expression of glutathione and antioxidant genes (superoxide dismutase 1 [SOD1], SOD2, peroxiredoxin 5, and nuclear factor erythroid 2-like 2), during aging in vitro. In addition, ICA-5 prevented defects in spindle formation and chromosomal alignment, and increased mRNA expression of cytoplasmic maturation factor genes (bone morphogenetic protein 15, cyclin B1, MOS proto-oncogene, serine/threonine kinase, and growth differentiation factor-9). It also prevented apoptosis, increased mRNA expression of antiapoptotic genes (BCL2-like 1 and baculoviral IAP repeat-containing 5), and reduced mRNA expression of pro-apoptotic genes (BCL2 antagonist/killer 1 and activation of caspase-3). Although the maturation and cleavage rates were similar in all groups, the total cell number per blastocyst and the percentage of apoptotic cells at the blastocyst stage were higher and lower, respectively, in the control and ICA-5 groups than in the aging group. Conclusion: ICA protects oocytes against damage during aging in vitro; therefore, it can be used to improve assisted reproductive technologies.

• Archives of Plastic Surgery
• /
• v.50 no.1
• /
• pp.63-69
• /
• 2023

Background An increasing number of nonbinary patients are receiving gender-affirming procedures due to improved access to care. However, the preferred treatments for nonbinary patients are underdescribed. The purpose of this study was to investigate the goals and treatments of nonbinary patients. Methods A retrospective study of patients who self-identified as nonbinary from our institutional Gender Health Program was conducted. Patient demographics, clinical characteristics, surgical goals, and operative variables were analyzed. Results Of the 375 patients with gender dysphoria, 67 (18%) were nonbinary. Over half of the nonbinary patients were assigned male at birth (n = 57, 85%) and nearly half preferred the gender pronoun they/them/theirs (n = 33, 49%). A total of 44 patients (66%) received hormone therapy for an average of 2.5±3.6 years, primarily estrogen (n = 39). Most patients (n = 46, 69%) received or are interested in gender-affirming surgery, of which, almost half were previously on hormone therapy (n = 32, 48%). The most common surgeries completed or desired were facial feminization surgery (n = 15, 22%), vaginoplasty (n = 15, 22%), mastectomy (n = 11, 16%), and orchiectomy (n = 9, 13%). Nonbinary patients who were assigned male at birth (NB-AMAB) were more often treated with hormones compared to nonbinary patients assigned female at birth (NB-AFAB) (72% vs. 30%, p = 0.010). Conversely, patients who were AFAB weremore likely to complete or desire surgical intervention than those who were AMAB (100% vs. 63.0%, p < 0.021). Conclusion Majority of nonbinary patients were assigned male at birth. NB-AFAB patients all underwent surgical treatment, whereas NB-AMAB patients were predominantly treated with hormone therapy.

• Animal Bioscience
• /
• v.35 no.9
• /
• pp.1303-1313
• /
• 2022

Objective: The current study aimed to perform whole-genome resequencing of Chinese indigenous Mongolian sheep breeds including Ujimqin, Sunit, and Wu Ranke sheep breeds (UJMQ, SNT, WRK) and deeply analyze genetic variation, population structure, domestication, and selection for domestication traits among these Mongolian sheep breeds. Methods: Blood samples were collected from a total of 60 individuals comprising 20 WRK, 20 UJMQ, and 20 SNT. For genome sequencing, about 1.5 ㎍ of genomic DNA was used for library construction with an insert size of about 350 bp. Pair-end sequencing were performed on Illumina NovaSeq platform, with the read length of 150 bp at each end. We then investigated the domestication and signatures of selection in these sheep breeds. Results: According to the population and demographic analyses, WRK and SNT populations were very similar, which were different from UJMQ populations. Genome wide association study identified 468 and 779 significant loci from SNT vs UJMQ, and UJMQ vs WRK, respectively. However, only 3 loci were identified from SNT vs WRK. Genomic comparison and selective sweep analysis among these sheep breeds suggested that genes associated with regulation of secretion, metabolic pathways including estrogen metabolism and amino acid metabolism, and neuron development have undergone strong selection during domestication. Conclusion: Our findings will facilitate the understanding of Chinese indigenous Mongolian sheep breeds domestication and selection for complex traits and provide a valuable genomic resource for future studies of sheep and other domestic animal breeding.

• The Korean Journal of Pharmacology
• /
• v.19 no.1
• /
• pp.37-60
• /
• 1983

The uterus receives adrenergic terminals from the mesenteric ganglia and considerably large amount of catecholamines have been shown to be contained in this organ. On the other hand, the activities of epinephrine, norepinephrine or adrenergic nerve on uterine motility is so complicated that many controversial results have been reporter. Recently, a large number of reports concerning the changes of uterine catecholamines content have appeared, but little is known about the role of uterine catecholamines in their activities on uterine motility. The present experiments were undertaken to determine the significance of the intrinsic uterine catecholamines in the physiology of uterus. Female albino rabbits weighing approximately 2 kg were employed in this experiment. uterine strip3 were prepared and suspended in a constant temperature $bath(38^{\circ}C)$ containing 100 ml of Locke's solution aerated with 95% oxygen and 5% carbon dioxide. Spontaneous motility was recorded on a smoked drum with an isotonic lever. The catecholamines concentration of the uterus was determined according to the Procedure described of Shore and Olin (1958). Human uterus obtained from patients was also used to determine the catecholam ines content of myometrium. Followings are summarized results. 1) On the non-pregnant rabbit uterine strips, epinephrine and norepinephrine significantly elevated the tonus and stimulated the spontaneous motility. Pretreatment with dichloroisoproterenol(DCI), an adrenergic beta-receptor blocker, enhanced the stimulatory activity of epinephrine or norepinephrine. On the other hand, pretreatment with dibenamine, an adrenergic alpha-receptor blocker, rendered the uterine muscle to exhibit inhibition after the administration of epinephrine or norepinephrine. Following the treatment with both DCI and dibenamine, epinephrine or norepinephrine produced no appreciable effects on the spontaneous motility of the uterus. These results suggest there exist both alpha and beta-adrenergic receptors in the uterine muscle and the response to epinephrine of the former is predominant over that of latter in the non-pregnant uterus of rabbits. The total catecholamines concentration of the non-pregnant uterus was $351\;m{\mu}g/g$ and the fractional concentrations of epinephrine and norepinephrine were $125\;m{\mu}g/g(35.7%)$ and $226\;m{\mu}g/g$ respectively. It is interesting to note that the catecholamines content of uterus was characterized by a high fractional corcentration of epinephrine relative to norepinephrine. 2) On the pregnant rabbit uterine strips, the effects of epinephrine and norepinephrine varied according to the period of pregnancy. The response to epinephrine of adrenergic beta receptor of uterus increased during pregnancy, and the effect of catecholamine was inhibitory in the early pregnancy but became stimulatory as the pregnancy progressed. This stimulating action on the uterine motility was found to occur through the action of norepinephrine. The uterine catecholamines concentration was markedly reduced during pregnancy. The catecholamines concentration was started to decrease in the early pregnancy, reached the lowest level in the mid-pregnancy and then started to increaae again in the late pregnancy when the total catecholamines content became the highest level of all. This increase of catefholamines in late pregnancy was chiefly due to the increase of norepinephrine. These results suggest that the uterine motility may be related to the catecholamines content, especially norepinephrine content in the uterus. 3) Bilateral oophorectomy of rabbits results in a marked shrink of the uterus in size. The spontaneous motility of the uterine segment of these animals was very weak and irregular. Norepinephrine produced inhibitory effect, whereas epinephrine was stimulatory or inhibitory effect on the uterine segment. The total catecholamines tontent in whole uterus was markedly reduced. The injection of estrogen into the oophorectornized rabbit increased the weight of uterus to approximately three times of that of oophorectornized animal. The apontaneous motility and the response to epinephrine and norepinephrine of the uterine segment were greatly enhanced. Both epinephrine and norepinephrine produced a marked stimulatory effects of the uterine motility. The uterine content of catecholamines, particularly epinephrine, was markedly increased. The injection of progesterone into the oophorectornized rabbit increaeed the weight of uterus to approximately 2.5 times of that of eophorectornized animal. The spontaneous motility of the uterine segment was weak and irregular. Epinephrine produced stimulatory effect at high concentrations but norepinephrine always prcdnced inhibitory effect on the uterine segment. The uterine content of catecholamines, particularly of norepinephrine, was markedly reduced. These results suggested that ovarian hormones play an important role not only on the growth and spontaneous norepinephrine of uterus but also on the catecholamines content and responee to epinephrine and norepinephrine of the uterus. 4) The intraperitoneal injection of reserpine(3 mg/kg) into the non-pregnant, pregnant and oophorectornieed rabbits markedly decreased the uterine content of catecholamines, particularly of the norepinephrine. The stimulatory response to epinephrine and. norepinephrine of the uterine segment of these reserpinized ratbits was markedly reduced whereas the inhibitory response to these catecholamines was enhanced. This finding further support the close relationship between the uterine catecholamines content and uterine response to epineptrire and norepinephrine. 5) In the human uterus, the concentration of epinephrine was actrally greater than that of norepinephrine and it was significantly greater during the proliferative phase of the menstrtal cycle. In the human pregnant uterus, the concentrations of toth epinephrine and ncrefinephrine were markedly reduced and showed about 45 percent rednction after 6-8 weeks of ectopic Pregnancy. At full term ana during labor, the concentrations of epinephrine and norepinephrine at placental sites were less than those found in the non-pregnant group. Of interest was the finding that the norepinephrine concentration of uterus from toxemic patients was two and half times higher than that of lower uterine segment of the nontoxemic pregnant individuals. Also the epinephrine concentraticn was slightly increaeed.

• Proceedings of the KOR-BRONCHOESO Conference
• /
• 1982.05a
• /
• pp.6.1-6
• /
• 1982

Papilloma is the common benign tumor of the larynx and the incidence of its malignant change was variable. The authors recently experienced 2 cases of squamous cell carcinoma of the larynx which were considered to be transformed from laryngeal papilloma. Case 1. A 58 year old male patient visited O.P.D. of Department of Otolaryngology of Busan National University Hospital, because of hoarseness for 3 years on May 13th, 1980. At that time, local finding of indirect laryngoscopy revealed whitish hypertrophic papillomatous mass on both vocal cords and anterior commissure, and dirty gray white pseudomembrane on left aryepiglottic fold, and the result of biopsy was squamous cell papilloma. So the laryngeal papilloma was removed under suspension laryngoscopy and then he had no specific treatment in spite of being recommended 5-FU topical spray. On March 5th, 1981, he visited O.P.D. again because of progressive exacerbation of hoarseness with mild dyspnea and histopathological finding was revealed squamous cell carcinoma of the larynx. Seven days later from that day, he visited emergency room due to severe dyspnea, and emergency tracheostomy was performed on sitting position. On April 7th 1981, total laryngectomy was performed successfully and postoperative irradiation therapy was recommended. Case 2. A 47 year old male patient visited our O.P.D. because of hoarseness for 5 years on Sep. 27, 1978. At that time, local finding of indirect laryngoscopy revealed papillomatous mass on left vocal cord and left ventricle and result of biopsy was squamous cell papilloma. So he had been treated with 11 times removal of papilloma, topical spray of 5-Fu and estrogen for 3 years, but the papilloma had been recurred. On Sep. 9th, 1981, he visited O.P.D. because of severe dyspnea and emergency tracheostomy and biopsy was performed. The result of biopsy was squamous cell carcinoma of larynx and total laryngectomy was performed successfully.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• v.16 no.11
• /
• pp.4603-4608
• /
• 2015

Background: To determine the potential value of serum tumor markers in predicting pCR (pathological complete response) during neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Materials and Methods: We retrospectively monitored the pro-, mid-, and post-neoadjuvant treatment serum tumor marker concentrations in patients with locally advanced breast cancer (stage II-III) who accepted pre-surgical chemotherapy or chemotherapy in combination with targeted therapy at Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center between September 2011 and January 2014 and investigated the association of serum tumor marker levels with therapeutic effect. Core needle biopsy samples were assessed using immunohistochemistry (IHC) prior to neoadjuvant treatment to determine hormone receptor, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2(HER2), and proliferation index Ki67 values. In our study, therapeutic response was evaluated by pCR, defined as the disappearance of all invasive cancer cells from excised tissue (including primary lesion and axillary lymph nodes) after completion of chemotherapy. Analysis of variance of repeated measures and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were employed for statistical analysis of the data. Results: A total of 348 patients were recruited in our study after excluding patients with incomplete clinical information. Of these, 106 patients were observed to have acquired pCR status after treatment completion, accounting for approximately 30.5% of study individuals. In addition, 147patients were determined to be Her-2 positive, among whom the pCR rate was 45.6% (69 patients). General linear model analysis (repeated measures analysis of variance) showed that the concentration of cancer antigen (CA) 15-3 increased after neoadjuvant chemotherapy in both pCR and non-pCR groups, and that there were significant differences between the two groups (P=0.008). The areas under the ROC curves (AUCs) of pre-, mid-, and post-treatment CA15-3 concentrations demonstrated low-level predictive value (AUC=0.594, 0.644, 0.621, respectively). No significant differences in carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) or CA12-5 serum levels were observed between the pCR and non-pCR groups (P=0.196 and 0.693, respectively). No efficient AUC of CEA or CA12-5 concentrations were observed to predict patient response toward neoadjuvant treatment (both less than 0.7), nor were differences between the two groups observed at different time points. We then analyzed the Her-2 positive subset of our cohort. Significant differences in CEA concentrations were identified between the pCR and non-pCR groups (P=0.039), but not in CA15-3 or CA12-5 levels (p=0.092 and 0.89, respectively). None of the ROC curves showed underlying prognostic value, as the AUCs of these three markers were less than 0.7. The ROC-AUCs for the CA12-5 concentrations of inter-and post-neoadjuvant chemotherapy in the estrogen receptor negative HER2 positive subgroup were 0.735 and 0.767, respectively. However, the specificity and sensitivity values were at odds with each other which meant that improving either the sensitivity or specificity would impair the efficiency of the other. Conclusions: Serum tumor markers CA15-3, CA12-5, and CEA might have little clinical significance in predicting neoadjuvant treatment response in locally advanced breast cancer.

• Development and Reproduction
• /
• v.10 no.2
• /
• pp.147-154
• /
• 2006

Phthalates such as di(2-ethyl hexyl)phthalate(DEHP) are industrial chemicals with wide-ranging human exposures because of their use in plastics and other common consumer products. Consequently, their adverse effects as endocrine disruptor in the reproductive physiology of both laboratory rodents and human have been studied extensively. The present study was undertaken to examine whether prepubertal exposure to DEHP affects on the onset of puberty and the associated reproductive parameters such as hormone receptor expressions in female rats. DEHP(100mg/kg/day) was administered daily from postnatal day 25(PND 25) through the day when the first vaginal opening(VO) was observed, and the animals were sacrificed on the next day. Gross anatomy and weight of reproductive tissues were compared to test the DEHP's effects on the cell proliferation. Furthermore, histological studies were performed to assess the structural alterations in the tissues. Specific radioimmunoassay was carried out to measure serum LH levels. To determine the transcriptional changes in progesterone receptor(PR), total RNAs were extracted and applied to the semi-quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction(RT-PCR). As a result, delayed VO was shown in the DEHP group(PND $37.3{\pm}0.7$) compared to the control group(PND $35.3{\pm}0.7$; p<0.05). DEHP treatment significantly decreased the wet weight of ovaries and uteri compared to the control group(p<0.05). Interestingly, elevation of serum LH levels was shown in the DEHP group(p<0.05). Graafian follicles and corpora lutea were observed only in the ovaries from the control animals. Numerous primary, secondary follicles and small atretic follicles were observed in the ovaries from DEHP-treated animals. Similarly, hypotrophy of luminal and glandular uterine epithelium was found in the DEHP-treated group. These effects were probably due to the inhibitory effects of DEHP on the synthesis and secretion of estrogen from granulosa cells. In the semiquantitative RT-PCR studies, the transcriptional activities of PR in both ovary(p<0.05) and uterus(p<0.01) from DEHP-treated animals were significantly lower than those from the control animals. The present studies demonstrated that the acute exposure to DEHP during the critical period of prepubertal stage could inactivate the reproductive system resulting delayed puberty in female rats.

• Journal of Life Science
• /
• v.20 no.1
• /
• pp.90-96
• /
• 2010

Menopause increases the onset of hypertension and heart disease. Whereas it increases the blood LDL-cholesterol, triglyceride and total-cholesterol levels, the HDL-cholesterol concentration is reduced. Accordingly, we examined the effect of internal organs of Todarodes pacificus (IOT) on improvement in blood flow ability and changes in serum lipid content by using ovariectomized rats. For this study, the following four groups of 9-week-old Sprague-Dawley strain female rats were evaluated over 6 weeks: normal rats (SHAM), ovariectomized rats (CON) and ovariectomized rats that were treated with IOT extracts. Ovary removal promoted platelet aggregability. However, IOT administration in the CON group after ovary excision resulted in a hinderance of coherence. The blood vessel passing time of ovariectomized rats was slower than the SHAM group. But the blood flow ability, which was slowed down for ovary removal, was improved by IOT administration. Serum triglyceride levels were significantly reduced by IOT administration. Moreover, blood HDL-cholesterol levels were reduced by ovary removal. However, IOT administration after ovary excision significantly increase HDL-cholesterol levels. The biological activity of IOT could be confirmed from these results. Moreover, IOT can be used in the development of functional foods which are meant to improve blood circulation and anti-platelet aggregation function. According to these results, we could know that IOT improved blood flow and anti-platelet aggregation. Therefore, it is expected that IOT can be used for the development of functional foods.