• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.239-249
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• 1999

The role of amino acids in culture media for IVF-ET was examined in a total of 76 cycles. Patients received clomiphene citrate (CC) followed by hMG or GnRH-a combined with gonadotropins (FSH/hMG) for controlled ovarian hyperstimulation. Severe male (<$4{\times}10^6$ motile sperm) or age factor (>39 y) patients were excluded in this study. Pregnancy was classified as clinical if a gestational sac or fetal cardiac activity was seen on ultrasound. No significant differences were found in age, duration of infertility, follicle size, the level of $E_2$ on the day of hCG injection, the mean number of oocytes retrieved, total motile sperm count, fertilization rate and the mean number of embryos transferred between bHTF (without amino acids) and mHTF (with amino acids) groups. However, total ampules of gonadotropins were higher (p<0.01) in mHTF group than bHTF group. Significantly (p<0.05) more clinical pregnancies were recorded in mHTF group (13/30) compared with bHTF group (9/46). The multiple pregnancy rates were 11.1% in bHTF group and 7.7% in mHTF group. There were one ectopic pregnancy in mHTF group and one heterotopic pregnancy in bHTF group. Abortion rates were 22.2% in bHTF group and 7.7% in mHTF, respectively. The ongoing pregnancy or livebirth rate was significantly (p<0.05) higher in mHTF group (12/30) than bHTF group (7/46). These results suggest that the addition of amino acids in culture media is essential for culture of zygotes in vitro and adjustment of energy substrates in phosphate-free culture media appears to be beneficial for human IVF-ET procedure.

• Journal of Embryo Transfer
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.333-337
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• 2014

To compensate for the critical shortage of human organs for allotransplantation, xenotransplantation studies using genetically modified pigs are being performed in Korea. Two types of pigs that are used are ${\alpha}1,3$-galactosyltransferase gene knockout (GalT KO) pigs and GalT KO+hCD46 (human complement regulatory protein) pigs. The present study measured the gestation time, birth weight, daily growth rate, and heart weight of both kinds of transgenic minipigs. The gestation period for both types of pigs was 117~119 days. There was no difference in the body weight of GalT KO (-/+) and GalT KO (-/-) piglets, but GalT KO+hCD46 ($-^{hCD46+}/+$) pigs were significantly heavier at birth than were GalT KO+hCD46 ($-^{hCD46+}/-^{hCD46+}$) pigs. During the first 10 weeks of life, the daily weight gain of GalT KO+hCD46 ($-^{hCD46+}/-^{CD46+}$) piglets, which are considered the optimal type for xenotransplantation, was 0.19 kg. The weight of hearts from GalT KO piglets up to two months of age was affected more by body weight than by age. Transgenic pigs showed no differences in gestation period or reproductive ability compared with normal pigs. These results comprise basic data that may be used in xenotransplantation studies and transgenic animal production in Korea.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• v.45 no.3
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• pp.129-134
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• 2018

Objective: In frozen and thawed embryos, the zona pellucida (ZP) can be damaged due to hardening. Laser-assisted hatching (LAH) of embryos can increase the pregnancy rate. This study compared thinning and drilling of the ZP before frozen embryo transfer (FET). Methods: Patients were randomly allocated into two groups for LAH using thinning or drilling on day 2 after thawing. Twenty-five percent of the ZP circumference and 50% of the ZP thickness was removed in the thinning group, and a hole $40{\mu}m$ in diameter was made in the drilling group. Results: A total of 171 in vitro fertilization/intracytoplasmic sperm injection FET cycles, including 85 cycles with drilling LAH and 86 cycles with thinning LAH, were carried out. The thinning group had a similar ${\beta}$-human chorionic gonadotropin-positive rate (38.4% vs. 29.4%), implantation rate (16.5% vs. 14.4%), clinical pregnancy rate (36.0% vs. 25.9%), miscarriage rate (5.8% vs. 2.4%), ongoing pregnancy rate (30.2% vs. 23.5%), and multiple pregnancy rate (7.0% vs. 10.6%) to the drilling LAH group. There were no significant differences in pregnancy outcomes between subgroups defined based on age (older or younger than 35 years) or ZP thickness (greater or less than $17{\mu}m$) according to the LAH method. Conclusion: The present study demonstrated that partial ZP thinning or drilling resulted in similar outcomes in implantation and pregnancy rates using thawed embryos, irrespective of women's age or ZP thickness.

• Journal of Embryo Transfer
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.251-259
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• 1998

Concentrations of free amino acids in the BF of IVP bovine BL and HBL were examined in this study. The embryos derived from IVF oocytes were cultured in a SOFM containing BSA, EAA and NEAA. BF was aspirated from BL (180 h of age after insemination) and HBL (216 h of age after insemination), and introduced into drops of SOFM (30$\mu$l/drop) containing PVA through micromanipulation. The medium containing BF was then subjected to measurement of 20 amino acids by an automatic amino acid analyzer. The concentrations of isoleucine, leucine and methionine were higher (p〈0.05) in the BF from HBL than from BL, and no difference was found in aspartate or glutamate concentrations between BL and HBL, while threonine, alanine (p〈0.01) and the rest of the amino acids (p〈0.001) were significantly higher in the BF from HBL than from BL. Cystine was not found in either BL or HBL. A high concentration of glutamine was found in the BF from both BL and HBL, although it was not added to the culture medium. These results indicate that bovine BF contains several EAA (methionine in BL and isoleucine, leucine and methionine in HBL) and NEAA (alanine, glutamate, glycine, proline, serine and aspartate in BL, and glutamate and aspartate in HBL), and there is significant differences in the amino acid concentration in the BF between BL and HBL derived by WP.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.307-315
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• 2001

Objective: To evaluate the clinical outcomes and influencing factors of in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer (IVF-ET) in patients with failed pregnancy after microsurgical reversal of tubal sterilization. Materials and Methods : From January, 1997 to December, 2000, IVF-ET was performed in two groups; the study TR (tubal reanastomosis) group consisted of 147 cycles in 66 patients with failed microsurgical reversal of tubal sterilization, and the control group of 115 cycles in 67 patients with bilateral tubal occlusion (BTO). The two groups were evaluated and compared for clinical characteristics, clinical pregnancy rates, and factors influencing the outcomes of IVF-ET. Results: Compared with the control BTO group, age and the previous parity were significantly higher ($36.3{\pm}2.7$ vs. $33.6{\pm}2.0$ years, p<0.05; $1.6{\pm}0.7$ vs. $0.2{\pm}0.4$, p<0.05), and the clinical pregnancy rate per cycle was significantly lower (23.8% (35/147) vs. 29.3% (34/115), p<0.05) in the TR group. Difference in the clinical pregnancy rates was age-related, since there was no significant difference between the two groups, except for the previous parity ($1.6{\pm}0.7$ vs. $0.1{\pm}0.3$, p<0.05), when the patients aged 37 years or older were excluded. No difference was found in terms of the following: the proportion of controlled ovarian hyperstimulation (COH) cycles with GnRH agonist ultrashort protocol, the duration of COH, the dosage of gonadotropins used, and the numbers of oocytes retrieved and of embryos transferred, irrespective of age correction. Conclusions: The outcomes of IVF-ET following the failed microsurgical reversal of tubal sterilization depend upon patient age. The previous fertility of patients does not seem to be a factor of better IVF-ET prognosis.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.487-495
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• 2007

The objectives of the present study were to initiate cloning of Korean native goat by somatic cell nuclear transfer (NT) and to examine whether unovulated (follicular) oocytes can support the same developmental ability of NT embryos as ovulated (oviductal) oocytes after hCG injection in stimulated cycles of the goat. The in vivo-matured and immature oocytes were collected from the oviducts and follicles of superovulated does, respectively, and the immature oocytes were maturated in vitro. Ear skin fibroblasts derived from a 3-yr-old female Korean native goat were used as the donors of nuclei or karyoplasts. Following fusion, activation and in vitro culture to a 2- to 4-cell stage, 49 in vitro-derived and 105 in vivo-derived embryos were transferred to 6 and 17 recipient does, respectively. One doe and three does of the respective groups were identified as pregnant by ultrasonography on day 30 after embryo transfer. However, only one doe, which had received in vivo-derived embryos, delivered a normal female kid of 1.9 kg on d 149. The cloned kid gained more weight than her age-matched females as much as 87% during the first 4 mo after birth (17.7 vs. $9.4{\pm}0.8$ kg) and reached puberty at 6-mo age a few months earlier than normal female does. The telomere length of the kid, which was similar to that of the donor fibroblast at 2-mo age, decreased 8% between 2- and 7-mo ages. Moreover, at 7-mo age, she had 21% shorter telomere than her age-matched goats. To our knowledge, this is the first case in which a cloned animal born with a normal weight exhibited accelerated growth and development. The unusually rapid growth and development of the cloned goat may have resulted from SCNT-associated epigenetic reprogramming involving telomere shortening.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• v.42 no.1
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• pp.22-29
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• 2015

Objective: Sperm must be properly prepared in in vitro fertilization (IVF)-embryo transfer (ET) programs in order to control the fertilization rate and ensure that embryos are of high quality and have appropriate developmental abilities. The objective of this study was to determine the most optimal sperm preparation method for IVF. Methods: Patients less than 40 years of age who participated in a fresh IVF-ET cycle from November 2012 to March 2013 were included in this study. Poor responders with less than three mature oocytes were excluded. Ham's F-10 medium or sperm-washing medium (SWM) was used in combination with the density-gradient centrifugation/swim-up (DGC-SUP) or SUP methods for sperm preparation. A total of 429 fresh IVF-ET cycles were grouped according to the media and methods used for sperm preparation and retrospectively analyzed (DGC-SUP/Ham's F-10, n=82; DGC-SUP/SWM, n=43; SUP/Ham's F-10, n=181; SUP/SWM, n=123). Results: There were no significant differences among these four groups with respect to the mean age of the female partners, duration of infertility, number of previous IVF cycles, and retrieved oocytes. We determined that both the DGC-SUP and SUP methods for sperm preparation from whole semen, using either Ham's F-10 or SWM media, result in comparable clinical outcomes, including fertilization and pregnancy rates. Conclusion: We suggest that both media and both methods for sperm preparation can be used for selecting high-quality sperm for assistive reproductive technology programs.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• v.51 no.1
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• pp.75-84
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• 2024

Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of preimplantation genetic testing for aneuploidy (PGT-A) on clinical outcomes among high-risk patients. Methods: This retrospective study involved 1,368 patients and the same number of cycles, including 520 cycles with PGT-A and 848 cycles without PGT-A. The study participants comprised women of advanced maternal age (AMA) and those affected by recurrent implantation failure (RIF), recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL), or severe male factor infertility (SMF). Results: PGT-A was associated with significant improvements in the implantation rate (IR) and the ongoing pregnancy rate/live birth rate (OPR/LBR) per embryo transfer cycle in the AMA (39.3% vs. 16.2% [p<0.001] and 42.0% vs. 21.8% [p<0.001], respectively), RIF (41.7% vs. 22.0% [p<0.001] and 47.0% vs. 28.6% [p<0.001], respectively), and RPL (45.6% vs. 19.5% [p<0.001] and 49.1% vs. 24.2% [p<0.001], respectively) groups, as well as the IR in the SMF group (43.3% vs. 26.5%, p=0.011). Additionally, PGT-A was associated with lower overall incidence rates of early pregnancy loss in the AMA (16.7% vs. 34.3%, p=0.001) and RPL (16.7% vs. 50.0%, p<0.001) groups. However, the OPR/LBR per total cycle across all PGT-A groups did not significantly exceed that for the non-PGT-A groups. Conclusion: PGT-A demonstrated beneficial effects in high-risk patients. However, our findings indicate that these benefits are more pronounced in carefully selected candidates than in the entire high-risk patient population.

• Proceedings of the Korean Aquaculture Society Conference
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• 2003.10a
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• pp.41-41
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• 2003

Transgenic triploid hybrid between fast-growingtransgenic mud loach (Misgurnus mizolepis) males and cyprinid loach (M. anguillicaudatus) females were generated and their performance on growth, feed conversion ability and reproduction were evaluated. Although the growth accelerations of diploid and triploid transgenic hybrids were not as much as those of original transgenic mud loaches, they still represented persistent growth stimulation ranging 11 to 28 fold when compared to their non-transgenic counterparts, with significantly improved feed conversion efficiency up to 2-fold (compared to non-transgenic hybrid) and 1.5-fold (compared to non-transgenic mud loach) in maximum. The gonad development of diploid hybrids was fertile in histological views regardless of transgenic genotypes but the extent of developmentin hybrid fish were less than mud loach diploids at the same age. On the other hands, very stringent sterility was obtained in both sexes of the triploid hybrid transgenics: ovary and testis from transgenic triploid hybrids were significantly depressed and any notable sign for maturation to ovum or spermatids was not detected. No viable embryo was obtained in a fertilization trial using the suspension prepared from the minced testes of transgenic triploid hybrids. This study may indicate the potential usefulness of triploid hybridization as a mean for reproductive containment of transgenic mud loach.

• Journal of Veterinary Clinics
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.376-378
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• 2009

A surgery of penile translocation was performed on a seven-month-old male calf born in August 26, 2007. With a penis deviated, as to prevent proper coitus on a dairy farm, the calf would be introduced to the group of cows and heifers before sniffing around to detect which one is in heat and to indicate to a veterinarian the right time for artificial insemination or embryo transfer. This study showed how to make a teaser bull in his young age.