• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• v.39 no.4
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• pp.166-171
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• 2012

Objective: We compared the assisted reproductive technology (ART) outcomes among infertile women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) treated with IVM, conventional IVF, GnRH agonist, and GnRH antagonist cycles. Methods: The prospective study included a total of 67 cycles in 61 infertile women with PCOS. The women with PCOS were randomized into three IVF protocols: IVM/IVF with FSH and hCG priming with immature oocyte retrieval 38 hours later (group A, 14 cycles), GnRH agonist long protocol (group B, 14 cycles), and GnRH antagonist multi-dose flexible protocol (group C, 39 cycles). IVF outcomes, such as clinical pregnancy rate (CPR), implantation rate (IR), miscarriage rate (MR), and live birth rate (LBR), were compared among the three groups. Results: Age, BMI, and basal FSH and LH levels did not differ among the three groups. The number of retrieved oocytes and 2 pronucleus embryos was significantly lower in group A compared with groups B and C. The CPR, IR, MR, and LBR per embryo transfer showed no differences among the three groups. There was no incidence of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome in group A. Conclusion: The IR, MR, and LBR in the IVM cycles were comparable to those of the GnRH agonist and GnRH antagonist cycles. The IVM protocol, FSH and hCG priming with oocyte retrieval 38 hours later, is an effective ART option that is comparable with conventional IVF for infertile women with PCOS.

• Journal of the korean academy of Pediatric Dentistry
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.551-559
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• 2007

This study was to investigate if cervical vertebrae maturation stages are as useful as hand-wrist maturation stages in evaluating the mandibular growth. The subject consisted of 292 girls aged from 8 to 16 years with normal occlusion. They were classified according to diagnosis by using studycast, lateral cephalogram, and handwrist X-ray film. The results were as follow: 1. Cervical vertebrae and hand-wrist maturation stages increased with age. 2. All mandibular measurements (Ar-Go, Go-Me, N-Go, S-Gn, N-Me) increased linearly with cervical vertebrae maturation stages. 3. Ar-Go, Go-Me, N-Go, S-Gn increased linearly with hand-wrist maturation stages. 4. Ar-Go, Go-Me, N-Go, S-Gn increased relatively rapidly between cervical vertebrae maturation stages 3 and 4. Go-Me and S-Gn increased relatively rapidly between hand-wrist maturation stages 6 and 7. 5. Ar-Go, Go-Me, N-Go, S-Gn, N-Me had high correlations with cervical vertebrae maturation stages as well as hand-wrist maturation stages. These results suggest that cervical vertebrae maturation stages are reliable on evaluating the mandibular growth.

• Animal cells and systems
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• v.1 no.4
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• pp.595-602
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• 1997

Treatment of newborn female rats with gonadal steroids induces permanent sterility in adulthood. We investigated the alteration in expression patterns of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) and luteinizing hormone (LH) in neonatally estrogenized sterile rats (ESR). Newborn female rats received daily injections of 17${\beta}$-estradiol (E, 10 ${\mu}$g) from the day of birth (day 1) to postnatal day 5. Controls were subjected to vehicles over the same period. All animals were sacrificed on week 7 after birth. Hypothalamic GnRH mANA levels were markedly higher in all ESR than in controls, while hypothalamic GnRH contents in ESR increased in proportion to the frequency of daily administration of E. However, both pituitary LH6 mRNA and serum LH levels were inversely decreased by the same treatment. The data indicate that neonatal exposure of E equally elevates the expression of GnRH gene, but reduces the secretion of GnRH, accordingly leading to attenuation of LH6 gene expression and circulating LH levels. The temporal effect of E and/or progesterone (P) on GnRH and LH6 mRNA levels was also examined in ESR. Newborn female rats were daily injected with E (10 ${\mu}$g) or vehicle for five successive days from day 1 and ovariectomized at week 5. They were implanted with E (235 ${\mu}$g/ml) two days prior to week 7, injected with P (1 mg) 42 h later, and sacrificed 7 h after P administration. In ovariectomized controls, hypothalamic GnRH mRNA levels were dropped to half by treatment of E and restored by subsequent treatment of P. The negative feedback action of E on GnRH mRNA levels observed in ovariectomized rats was completely blocked by neonatal exposure of E. The change in pituitary LH mRNA levels was similar to that in hypothalamic GnRH mRNA levels. Taken together, the results suggest that neonatal treatment of E alters the synthesis and release of GnRH in adulthood and furthermore blocks the negative feedback regulation of E which occurs normally after ovariectomy.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.29 no.10
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• pp.1392-1397
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• 2016

Guanine nucleotide-binding protein subunit alpha-s ($Gn{\alpha}s$) is a small subunit of the G protein-couple signaling pathway, which is involved in the formation of coat color. The expression level and distribution of $Gn{\alpha}s$ were detected by quantitative real-time-polymerase chain reaction (qPCR), western blot, and immunohistochemistry to investigate the underlying mechanisms of coat color in white and black skin tissues of mice. qPCR and western blot results suggested that $Gn{\alpha}s$ was expressed at significantly higher levels in black mice compared with that of white mice, and transcripts and protein possessed the same expression in both colors. Immunohistochemistry demonstrated $Gn{\alpha}s$ staining in the root sheath and dermal papilla in hair follicle of mice skins. The results indicated that the $Gn{\alpha}s$ gene was expressed in both white and black skin tissues, and the expression level of $Gn{\alpha}s$ in the two types of color was different. Therefore, $Gn{\alpha}s$ may be involved in the coat color formation in mice.

• Korean Journal of Animal Reproduction
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.119-127
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• 1995

These studies were carried out to examine the estradiol-17$\beta$ levelsin plasma and ovarian tissues, as well as the contents of collagen and catecholamines in the uterus, and to determine the effects of GnRH administrations of uterine involution in postpartum Korean native goats. Plasma concentrations of estradiol-17$\beta$ were 63.81$\pm$8.00 pg/ml at day 1 of kidding, declined to 36.78$\pm$22.90 ng/ml at day 24 and decreased progressively to 27.81$\pm$17.06 and 12.46$\pm$8.13 pg/ml at days 30 and 36 postpartum, respectively. In ovarian tissues, the concentrations of estaiol-17$\beta$ were increased just before parturition and decreased immediately after parturition. The plasma estradiol-17$\beta$ levels were slightly higher on days 12 and then decreased gradually after parturition. The concentraitons of estradiol-17$\beta$ in the ovaries of postpartum goats were increased at day 36 after treatments with GnRH. The total hydroxyproline contents in the uterus was slightly higher prior to parturition and decreased gradually with the postpartum intervals after parturition. Hydroxyproline concentraitons in the uterus were decreased at days 24 and 36 postpartum after treatments with GnRH. The norepinephrine concentrations in myometrium from the pregnant and postpartum goats were correspondingly low both immediately before and after partuition. Norepinephrine concentrations in the pregnant horn of the uterus were increased from days 12 to 36 of postpartum and those levels of the non-pregnant horn were also increased from days 24 to 36 postpartum. Slightly higher concentrations were present in the non-pregnant horn in comparison to the pregnant horn but these differences were not significant. Postpartum, the uterine norepinephrine concentration was slightly increased at day 36 after treatments with GnRH. Dopamine concentrations were greater than those of norepinephrine. The concentrations of dopamine in the uterus of pregnant goats was not significantly different from that in the postpartum animals. Dopamine concentraitons of pregnant horn in postpartum goats were increased at day 24 after treatments with GnRH.

• Development and Reproduction
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.35-41
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• 2010

Mammalian reproduction is regulated by a feedback circuit of the key reproductive hormones such as GnRH, gonadotropin and sex steroids on the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis. In particular, the onset of female puberty is triggered by gain of a pulsatile pattern and increment of GnRH secretion from hypothalamus. Previous studies including our own clearly demonstrated that genistein (GS), a phytoestrogenic isoflavone, altered the timing of puberty onset in female rats. However, the brain-specific actions of GS in female rats has not been explored yet. The present study was performed to examine the changes in the activities of GnRH neurons and their neural circuits by GS in female rats. Concerning the drug delivery route, intracerebroventricular (ICV) injection technique was employed to eliminate the unwanted actions on the extrabrain tissues which can be occurred if the testing drug is systemically administered. Adult female rats (PND 100, 210-230 g BW) were anaesthetized, treated with single dose of GS ($3.4{\mu}g$/animal), and sacrificed at 3 hrs post-injection. To determine the transcriptional changes of reproductive hormone-related genes in hypothalamus, total RNAs were extracted and applied to the semi-quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). ICV infusion of GS significantly raised the transcriptional activities of enhanced at puberty1 (EAP-1, p<0.05), glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD67, p<0.01) which are known to modulate GnRH secretion in the hypothalamus. However, GS infusion could not change the mRNA level of nitric oxide synthase 2 (NOS-2). GS administration significantly increased the mRNA levels of KiSS-1 (p<0.001), GPR54 (p<0.001), and GnRH (p<0.01) in the hypothalami, but decreased the mRNA levels of LH-$\beta$ (p<0.01) and FSH-$\beta$ (p<0.05) in the pituitaries. Taken together, the present study indicated that the acute exposure to GS could directly activate the hypothalamic GnRH modulating system, suggesting the GS's disrupting effects such as the early onset of puberty in immature female rats might be derived from premature activation of key reproduction related genes in hypothalamus-pituitary neuroendocrine circuit.

• Korean Journal of Animal Reproduction
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.79-84
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• 1989

This study was carried out to investigate the effect of LH-RH and Gn-RH treatment in Holstein cows with ovarian quiescence and follicular cystic ovaries. The cows with ovarian quiescence and follicular cystic ovaries injected intramuscularly with 100$\mu\textrm{g}$, 200$\mu\textrm{g}$ and 400$\mu\textrm{g}$ of LH-RH and 200$\mu\textrm{g}$ and 400$\mu\textrm{g}$ of Gn-RH respectively. The cows was diagnosed by repeated rectal palpation. The plasma progesterone and estradiol-17$\beta$ concentrations were assayed by radioimmunoassay methods. The resutls of this study were summarized as follows : 1. Ovulations were induced after treatment of LH-RH and Gn-RH. The concentrations of progesterone reached small peak level at luteal phase and estradiol-17$\beta$ reached obvious peak level with the development and maturation of the follicle during the periods of degeneration of the corpus luteum, and normal ovarian cycle activity started subsequently. 2. The cows with ovarian quiescence and follicular cystic ovaries were induced ovulation at 38.9$\pm$5.3 hrs. after treatment of LH-RH in 66.7% cows and at 52.7$\pm$7.9 hrs after treatment of Gn-RH in 60.0% cows respectively. 3. The good ovarian responses were indicated in treatment with 200$\mu\textrm{g}$ to 400$\mu\textrm{g}$ of LH-RH than those treated with 100$\mu\textrm{g}$ in cows with ovarian quiescence, and did not show difference of ovarian responses between treatments with 200$\mu\textrm{g}$ to 400$\mu\textrm{g}$ of Gn-RH in cows with follicular cystic ovaries.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.21-33
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• 1993

This balance study was performed to investigate nutritional effects of guar gum and calcium supplement for 8 weeks. 36 male rate of Sprague-Dawley strain weighing 50g were blocked into six groups : 5CN, 5GN, 5CS, 5GS, FFN, 10GN. Food intake, body weight gains, FER, PER, bioavailabity of energy, protein, fat, Ca and P, and Ca & P content of femur and kidney was measured. The results obtained in this study were summarized as follows: (1) Feed intake, weight gains, FER, PER and bioavailabilities of protein and P and the contents of Ca & P in femur of 5GB were significantly higher than 5CN and 5CS (p<0.05) but was not significant different with those 5GN. Fat bioavailabilities of 5GS was significantly lower than 5CN and 5GN (p<0.05) but was not significant different with those of 5CS. Ca contents of kidney of 5GS was significantly higher than 5CN and 5GN(p<0.05) but was not significant different with those of 5SC. (2) According to guar gum levels feed intake. FER and PER were not sifgnificantly different among groups but body weight gains, bioavailabilities of energy, protein, fat and Ca, Ca & P content of femur was significantly decreased (p<0.05). Bioavailabilities of P was significantly increased according to the guar gum levels (p<0.05). Ca contents in Kidney of 10GN was significantly higher those of 5GN(p<0.05) but P contents in kidney was not significant difference by guar gum levels. Therefore 5% supplemental guar gum in diet of obese man and diebetics could be recommended. But it should be careful in using 10% guar gum in diet.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• v.40 no.2
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• pp.83-89
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• 2013

Objective: To investigate outcomes of stimulated IVF cycles in which GnRH antagonist was omitted on the ovulation triggering day. Methods: A total of 86 women who underwent controlled ovarian hyperstimulation with recombinant FSH and GnRH antagonist flexible multiple-dose protocols were recruited and prospectively randomized into the conventional group (group A) or cessation group (group B). The GnRH antagonist, 0.25 mg/day of cetrorelix, was started when the leading follicle reached 14 mm in diameter and was continuously administered until the hCG triggering day (group A, 43 cycles) or until the day before hCG administration (group B, 43 cycles). The maturity of oocytes, fertilization rate, embryo quality, and implantation and clinical pregnancy rates were evaluated. Results: The duration of ovarian stimulation, total dose of gonadotropins, serum estradiol levels on hCG administration day, and number of oocytes retrieved were not significantly different between the two groups. The total dose of GnRH antagonist was significantly lower in group B than group A ($2.5{\pm}0.9$ vs. $3.2{\pm}0.8$ ampoules, p<0.05). There was no premature luteinization in any of the subjects. The proportion of mature oocytes and fertilization rate were not significantly different in group B than group A (70.7% vs. 66.7%; 71.1% vs. 66.4%, respectively). There were no significant differences in the implantation or clinical pregnancy rates. Conclusion: Our prospective randomized study suggested that cessation of GnRH antagonist on the hCG administration day during a flexible multiple-dose protocol could reduce the total dose of GnRH antagonist without compromising its effects on pregnancy rates.

• Journal of Veterinary Clinics
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• v.26 no.6
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• pp.647-649
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• 2009

An orchiopexy was performed in an 18-month old adult English bulldog with bilateral cryptorchidism. One month postoperatively, the dog was twice-treated with GnRH (50 ug/kg) at an interval of 2 weeks. Semen was collected and evaluated before and after surgery. Fertility was determined by artificial insemination. No spermatozoa were observed before orchiopexy and 2 months postoperatively. However, 6 live sperm were detected 4 months postoperatively and normal sperm characteristics (except sperm concentration) were present 7 months postoperatively. A female bulldog, inseminated with the semen from the bulldog 8 months postoperatively, delivered 6 offsprings. Spermatogenesis and spermatozoa with fertilizing capacity were recovered by postpubertal orchiopexy and GnRH therapy in a bilateral cryptorchid dog.