• Development and Reproduction
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.297-303
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• 2009

Implantation of blastocyst into the uterine endometrium is established by the existence of histologically and functionally prepared uterine endometrium. Doc-1, an oral cancer suppressor gene, is expressed under the control of steroid hormones and has been suggested as a proliferation regulator of endometrial cells. However, the role is not much clear and in this study we examined the expression modulation of Doc-1 in decidualizing cells in vitro. In vitro decidualization was performed in endometrial stroma cells using progesterone and estrogen. Until 24 hr after decidual induction the proliferation of stroma cell was significantly increased but decreased after then. On the other hand, most of the cells differentiated into decidual cell after 48 hr of induction. The Doc-1 protein was co-localized in a specific deciudal cells and colocalization rate was increased in a parallel manner with the induction time. Based on these results, it is suggested that Doc-1 expression is under the control of both steroid hormones and decidual signals, and Doc-1 protein is involved in suppression of the proliferation of decidualizing cells.

• Korean Journal of Animal Reproduction
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.133-139
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• 1999

This study was carried out to investigate in vitro/in vivo development of vitrified-thawed immature mouse oocytes. Immature mouse oocytes were vitrified with EFS40 (40% ethylene glycol, 18% ficoll and 0.5 M sucrose). Thawed oocytes were matured for 16 hr in vitro. Matured oocytes with the first polar body were fertilized with the concentration of 1~2$\times$10$^{6}$ $m\ell$ of epididymal sperm. After fertilization, cleavage ($\geq$ 2-cell) and in vitro/in vivo development rates were examined. $\pi$ Ie results were summarized as follows: in vitro maturation rate of immature mouse oocytes in vitrified-thawed group was similar to that in exposed group (67.5%) and control (66.3%), but cleavage rate of vitrified-thawed oocytes (64.9 %) and blastocyst formation rate (59.0%) were significantly different compared to those of exposed group (83.7 and 74.7%) and control (90.7 and 83.7%) (p＜0.05). However, when the blastocysts derived from immature mouse oocytes vitrified-thawed were transferred to pseudopregnant mouse, total implantation (31.3%) was slightly lower than that in control (40.8%), but live fetus formation rate (66.7%)was slightly higher than that in control (58.1%), there was not significantly different. Therefore, when the blastocyts produced in vitro were transferred into recipients, although the development in vitro of oocytes vitrified-thawed was decreased, live fetus formation rate was similar to that of control group. The present results indicate that immature mouse oocytes can be frozen successfully by vitrification with EFS40.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.143-151
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• 2010

Objective: The aim of this study was to compare day 3 embryo transfer (D3ET) with day 5 ET (D5ET) in fresh in vitro fertilization (IVF) cycle on pregnancy outcomes. Methods: We conducted a retrospective matched case control study that included 90 women with D3ET and 90 women with D5ET from January 2007 to June 2009. Subjects were matched for reproductive profiles and IVF cycle characteristics. Two good quality embryos were transferred in both groups. Pregnancy rates (PR), implantation rate, and multiple PR were compared. Results: Demographics, stimulation parameters and embryological data were comparable in both groups. Main pregnancy outcomes with D3ET and D5ET groups were not statistically different: implantation rate (39.4% vs. 32.8%), positive PR (57.8% vs. 46.7%), clinical PR (53.3% vs. 45.6%), ongoing PR (50.0% vs. 42.2%), respectively. Both groups showed high multiple PR (37.5% vs. 34.1). Conclusion: D5ET may not be beneficial and necessary in comparison with D3ET on pregnancy outcomes, and elective single ET should be considered to decrease multiple pregnancies in women with favorable conditions and good quality embryos undergoing IVF.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.347-353
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• 1997

This study was to test whether in vitro/in vivo survival of vitrified mouse blastocysts was influenced by culture conditions and ET method. Mouse blastocysts were obtained from in vitro fertilization and cultured for 4 days in M16 medium, and they were vitrified in EFS40 which contained 40% ethlyene glycol, 18% Ficoll and 0.5 mol sucrose in PBS. In experiment I, in vitro and in vivo survival rate of these embryos were evaluated in different culture condition after thawing. When thawed embryos were cultured in M16 medium as a control, m-CR1 medium contained 20 amino acids (2% BME amino acis and 1% MEM non-essential amino acids solution) and 4 mg/ml BSA and cumulus monolayer cell co-cultured condition in mCR1 medium (10% FBS), their in vitro survival at 24 hr after thawing was not affected by culture condition (75.6, 83.1, 82.4%). However, in vivo survival rates of implantation in m-CR1 medium (80.4%) were significantly higher than those of M16 medium (51.2%), co-culture (57.1%) condition, although there was no difference in live fetuses rates on day 15 gestation (39.0, 49.0, 38.1%). In experiment II, the in vivo development potential of embryos by ET methods was examined. When blastocysts were transferred to the day 2, 3 pseudopregnant recipient without culture soon after thawing, no pregnant recipient was obtained on the day 2 pseudopregnancy, and 50% of pregnancy rates and 15.4% of live fetus rates were obtained on the day 3 pseudopregnant recipients. These results were significantly lower than those of transferred group (day 3 pseudopregnant recipients) after culture for 16 hr post thawing (73.5, 57.1%) (p<0.05). In experiment III, to elevate usability of delayed embryos in vitro/in vivo survival of vitrified embryos (day 4 early, day 5 early and expanding blastocyst) were examined. in vivo survival rates (live fetus, total implantation) were higher in day 4 early blastocysts (33.3, 66.7%) than in day 5 expanding blastocysts (29.0, 38.7%), although the highest in vitro survival rates were obtained in the day 5 expanding brastocysts (78.3%). Therefore, these results suggest that the in vitro/in vivo survival rates of vitrified embryos could be improve by the culture condition and ET method and that the in vivo development rates of delayed embryos were decreased with longer culture duration in vitro. It means that more effective cryopreservation was obtained in day 4 early blastocysts than in day 5 expanding blastocysts.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• v.37 no.4
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• pp.349-359
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• 2010

Objective: This study was performed to compare the clinical outcome of elective single embryo transfer (eSET) performed at the cleavage stage to that of elective double embryo transfer (eDET). Methods: Of the women less than 36 years old who visited Daegu Maria from January 2008 to April 2009, the only women (n=330) with more than 8 mm of endometrial thickness and at least one good quality embryo, who were treated with GnRH agonist long protocol, were included in this study. After information about complications that can arise by multiple embryo transfer, either eSET or eDET was conducted by their request (167 and 163, respectively).Results: The implantation rate of eSET group was significantly higher than that of eDET group (53.9% vs. 40.2%, p<0.01). The twin pregnancy rate of eSET group was significantly lower than that of eDET group (1.1% vs. 32.3%, p<0.001). However, there were no significant differences between two groups in the clinical pregnancy (53.3% vs. 60.7%, p=0.172), ongoing pregnancy (47.3% vs. 54.6%, p=0.185) and live birth rates (44.9% vs. 50.9%, p=0.275). The number of the surplus embryos which developed to the blastocyst stage and cryopreserved at that stage was significantly higher in eSET group than that of eDET group ($3.2{\pm}2.6$ vs. $2.1{\pm}2.4$, p<0.001). Conclusion: These results suggest that eSET should reduce significantly the multiple baby pregnancy without decreasing the whole pregnancy rate in women with less than 36 years old.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.87-92
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• 1998

This study was carried out to investigate in vitro/in vivo development of vitrified mouse oocytes. Mouse oocytes were vitrified using EFS30, 35 and 40 (30, 35 and 40% ethylene glycol, 18% ficoll and 0.5 M sucrose in M2 medium). After being exposed or vitrified-thawed, oocytes of normal morphology were inseminated in vitro by $1-2\times10^6/ml$ of epididymal sperm. The rates of fertilization, in vitro/in vivo development and cell number (inner cell mass and tropectoderm cell) of blastocysts in each treatment group were examined. The results obtained in these experiments were summarized as follows: The cleavage rates were obtained in EFS35 containing 35% ethylene glycol higher than in EFS30 and EFS40. The development rate of vitrified-thawed oocytes to two-cell stage after in vitro fertilization (51.1%) was significantly different compared to that of exposed to vitrification solution without cooling (60.0%) and control (68.2%) (p<0.05). However, there were no differences in the blastocyst formation from the cleaved embryos among groups (75.0, 73.3 and 80.0%). Also, the mean number of cells per blastocysts of vitrified group $(92.5{\pm}2.9)$ was similar to that of the exposed $(98.5{\pm}5.3)$ and control $(100.9{\pm}4.8)$. In vivo development of the blastocysts derived from vitrified-thawed oocytes resulted in fetal development (50.7%) and implantation rates (80.0%) which are very similar to those of control (58.2, 78.2%). These results suggest that mouse oocytes could be cryopreserved using vitrification solution (EFS35) based on ethylene glycol.