• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.46 no.4
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• pp.368-375
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• 2020

Objectives: Some animal studies have reported that methyl mercury causes developmental toxicities such as placental and fetal weight loss, but the mechanism is still unclear. This study aimed to investigate the developmental toxicities of methyl mercury, focusing on placental endocrine function and fetal growth retardation in rats. Methods: Positively same-time-mated female Sprague-Dawley rats were purchased on gestational day (GD) eight and treated with 0, 5, 10 and 20 ppm of methyl mercury (n=5) dissolved in tap water from GD eight through 19. During treatment, the drinking water (methyl mercury) intake and body weight of each pregnant rat was measured daily. On day 19, caesarean sections were performed and blood samples were collected. Developmental data such as placental and fetal weights, fetus numbers, and placental efficiency (fetal weight/placental weight) were also collected. Placental prolactin-growth hormone (PRL-GH) family, such as placental lactogen (PL) -Iv, II, and prolactin-like protein (PLP) -B, levels in serum were analyzed by ELISA. Also, placental tissues were assigned to histochemistry. Results: The mean cumulative methyl mercury exposure for the 5, 10, and 20 ppm groups were 2.37, 4.63, and 9.66 mg, respectively. The mean daily exposure of the 5, 10, and 20 ppm groups were 0.24, 0.47, and 0.97 mg, respectively. Maternal body weight increased in accordance with GD. There was no significant difference in weight gain among the experimental groups. Histopathologic changes were not observed in placental tissues among the experimental groups. However, mean placental and fetal weights were lower in the 10 and 20 ppm exposed groups compared to the control. Placental efficiency was also lower in the 10 and 20 ppm exposed groups compared to the control. Serum PL-Iv and II levels were lower in the 10 and 20 ppm exposed groups than the control, in accordance with the changing pattern of placental and fetal weights and placental efficiency. Conclusion: The inhibitory effects of methyl mercury on the serum levels of placental PRL-GH family such as PL-Iv and II may be secondary leads to the reduction of placental efficiency and fetal growth retardation in rats.

• Journal of Oriental Neuropsychiatry
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.25-34
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• 2005

Background and Objectives There was no clinical data except literary study on mutual correlation with autistic disorder in Western medical diagnosis and five kinds of flaccidity in infants(五軟), five kinds of retardation(五遲) in Oriental medical diagnosis. This study was performed to investigate the correlation of five kinds of flaccidity in infants(五軟), five kinds of retardation(五遲) to the children with autistic disorder and to set the time table for clinical diagnosis of developmental retardation by making a comparative study of normal developmental children so we can treat the children with autistic disorder in good time. Method We made the comparative study of interview sheets recorded by parents of total 163 children who were diagnosed as autistic disorder who visited HaeMa Oriental Medical Clinic with interview sheets recorded by parents of generally accepted normal developmental children(263) and then we took statistics. Results : 1. There was significant correlation with speech and walking among five kinds of flaccidity in infants(五軟), five kinds of retardation(五遲) in autistic disorder statistically and clinically in comparison with normal children. 2. There wasn't significant correlation with growth time of tooth among five kinds of flaccidity in infants(五軟), five kinds of retardation(五遲) on diagnosis of autistic disorder in comparison with normal children. 3. There was significant correlation with retardation of times going to toilet by oneself (it does not consist in five kinds of flaccidity in infants(五軟), five kinds of retardation(五遲).) in both of autistic disorder. Conclusion Autistic disorder was significantly correlated with the faculty of speech(語遲), retardation in walking out(行遲) of five kinds of flaccidity in infants(五軟), five kinds of retardation(五遲). We need to concrete the index of diagnosis, because it is so difficult to measure times and register retardation in tooth eruption(齒遲), retardation in hair-growing(髮遲), debility of neck and nape(頭項軟), flaccidity of extremities(手軟) and flaccidity of muscle(肌肉軟). And we can also use times going to toilet by oneself as one of diagnostic criteria because of its significant correlation. It is required to make early diagnosis of five kinds of flaccidity in infants(五軟), five kinds of retardation(五遲) using these criteria, and to treat them early by oriental medicine.

• Child Health Nursing Research
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.51-57
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• 2007

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to look for physical growth and developmental retardation of the disabled children in registered educational institutions. Method: The participants in this study were 103 children. The data was collected from January to September 2006. Body weight, height and head circumference were measured and the Denver II developmental screening tool was used to measure personal-social development. Results: For 40.8% of the children body weight was less than the average for Korean children of the same age, for 49.5% height was lower than average and for 44.7% head circumference was lower. For 84.5% of the children there was a delay in personal-social development, for 87.4% a delay in fine motor-adaptive development, for 80.6% a delay in speech development and for 81.6% a delay in gross motor development. Conclusion: Based on the findings of this study, it is necessary to develop an individual developmental programs for these children based on their growth and development status.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.49 no.10
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• pp.1019-1025
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• 2006

Motor delay, when present, is usually the first concern brought by the parents of children with developmental delay. Cerebral palsy that is the most common motor delay, is a nonspecific, descriptive term pertaining to disordered motor function that is evident in early infancy and is characterized by changes in muscle tone, muscle weakness, involuntary movements, ataxia, or a combination of these abnormalities. A wide range of causative disorders and risk factors have been identified for cerebral palsy, and broadly classified into 5 groups; perinatal brain injury, brain injury related to prematurity, developmental abnormalities, prenatal risk factors, and postnatal brain injury. Delay in attaining developmental milestones is the most distinctive presenting complaint in children with cerebral palsy. A detailed history and thorough physical and neurologic examinations are crucial in the diagnostic process. The clinician should be cautious about diagnostic pronouncement unless the findings are unequivocal. Several serial examinations and history review are necessary. All children with cerebral palsy should undergo a neuroimaging study, preferably MRI, because an abnormality is documented on head MRI(89%) and CT(77%). The high incidence rates for mental retardation, epilepsy, ophthalmologic defects, speech and language disorders and hearing impairment make it imperative that all children with cerebral palsy be screened for mental retardation, ophthalmologic and hearing impairments, and speech and language disorders; nutrition, growth, and swallowing also should be closely monitored.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.46 no.5
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• pp.510-513
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• 2003

Duplication of chromosome 7q has been reported as either partial or complete. Partial 7q duplication was first described by Carpentier in 1972. Pure partial duplication of the long arm of chromosome 7 is extremely rare and only 16 cases with a pure partial duplication of different 7q segment have been described in the literature. Pure partial duplication of the long arm of chromosome 7 is characterized by growth and developmental retardation, muscular hypotonia, distinct craniofacial dysmorphic features, a short neck and skeletal abnormalities. A 3 month-old male was referred to our department of Pediatrics because of dyspnea, hypotonia and delayed development. He shows growth and developmental delay, hypertelorism, a depressed nasal bridge, low set ears, a short neck and muscular hypotonia. Karyotype revealed 46, XY, dup(7)(q36q33) by GTC-banding. We report a case of a partial inverted duplication of chromosome 7q.

• Journal of Genetic Medicine
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.60-63
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• 2021

Gabriel-de Vries syndrome, caused by the mutation of YY1, is a newly defined genetic syndrome characterized by developmental delay, facial dysmorphism, and intrauterine growth retardation. A 7-month-old girl presented developmental delay and subtle facial dysmorphism including facial asymmetry, micrognathia, and low-set ears. Whole exome sequencing identified a de novo heterozygous missense variant in the YY1 (c.1220A>G; p.His407Arg) gene. Here, we examined the clinical and genetic characteristics of an infant with a novel likely pathogenic variant of YY1. This case expands the phenotypic spectrum of Gabriel-de Vries syndrome.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.31 no.4 s.85
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• pp.254-259
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• 2005

Permethrin, a synthetic pyrethroid insecticide, has been widely used to protect domestic animals and the public health, as well as in agriculture against a variety of pests, which provides potential for environmental exposure. Permethrin is classified as possible human carcinogen and endocrine disrupting chemical by many international authorities. However, its developmental effects have been rarely studied. This study investigated the effects of permethrin during embryo-genesis. Developmental toxicity of permethrin was evaluated using short-term in vitro battery system. Gestation day 9.5 rat embryos (organogenesis) were cultured with permethrin (0.1,0.4 and 0.8 mg/ml) for 48 hours using whole embryo culture system. All the treatments exhibited significant decreases in the total morphological score. Permethrin induced significant growth retardation and the developmental abnormality at doses of 0.4 and 0.8 mg/ml. Moreover, the DNA and protein contents of embryos decreased in dose-dependent manner. These observations suggest that permethrin contributes to toxicity on embryonic developments in rats.

• Reproductive and Developmental Biology
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.81-88
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• 2010

Our objective of current study was to investigate the development of bone and heart in association with diabetes mellitus (DM). DM was induced by administering an intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin (STZ; 60 mg/kg) to 4-week-old Sprague-Dawley rats. Body weight and blood glucose were monitored, and rats were sacrificed after 2 or 5 weeks. The left ventricle (LV), including the interventricular septum, was weighed, and body weight and tibial bone length were assessed. Young diabetic rats showed reduced growth in terms of tibial length and body weight compared to controls. Moreover, diabetic males showed more significant growth suppression and reduced LV size than diabetic females. Morphometric analysis of tibiae from diabetic rats revealed suppressed bone growth at 2 and 5 weeks, with no difference between genders. STZ-induced diabetes decreased bone growth and retarded pre-pubertal heart development. As a result, diabetes may increase cardiovascular risk factors and lead to eventual heart failure. Therefore, new therapeutic approaches are required for diabetic children exhibiting growth retardation. Heart growth factor, exercise, and cardiopulmonary physical therapy may be required to promote heart development and physiological function.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Inherited Metabolic disease
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.55-62
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• 2017

Gaucher disease (GD) is an autosomal recessive lysosomal storage disorder caused by beta-glucosidase deficiency. An 18 month-old male with hepatosplenomegaly, anemia, thrombocytopenia, and growth retardation referred to our hospital. The patient showed neurological symptoms, such as supranuclear gaze palsy and developmental delay. Bone marrow biopsy performed to rule out malignancy and the results revealed no malignant cell; however, abnormal histiocytes suggesting storage disease was noted. Based on hepatosplenomegaly, bicytopenia and unexplained neurologic manifestations, enzyme activity and genetic analysis were conducted emergently with a strong suspicion of GD. Beta-glucosidase activity in leukocyte was decreased. GBA sequencing to confirm the diagnosis revealed compound heterozygous pathogenic variants (i.e., c.754T>A, c.887G>A), both previously reported as the cause of neuronopathic GD. Under the diagnosis of type 3 GD, the patient immediately received enzyme replacement therapy (ERT). After 17 months of ERT, the size of spleen decreased, and hemoglobin and platelet count returned to normal. In addition, the activity of chitotriosidase and angiotensin converting enzyme decreased. However, myoclonic movement and generalized seizure occurred at the age of 19 months and antiepileptic drug was started. Other neurological deterioration including supranuclear gaze palsy and developmental delay also persisted. A new therapy to overcome neurologic problems should be developed for patients with type 3 GD.

• Development and Reproduction
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.167-180
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• 2015

Arsenic is a toxic metalloid that exists ubiquitously in the environment, and affects global health problems due to its carcinogenicity. In most populations, the main source of arsenic exposure is the drinking water. In drinking water, chronic exposure to arsenic is associated with increased risks of various cancers including those of skin, lung, bladder, and liver, as well as numerous other non-cancer diseases including gastrointestinal and cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and neurologic and cognitive problems. Recent emerging evidences suggest that arsenic exposure affects the reproductive and developmental toxicity. Prenatal exposure to inorganic arsenic causes adverse pregnancy outcomes and children's health problems. Some epidemiological studies have reported that arsenic exposure induces premature delivery, spontaneous abortion, and stillbirth. In animal studies, inorganic arsenic also causes fetal malformation, growth retardation, and fetal death. These toxic effects depend on dose, route and gestation periods of arsenic exposure. In males, inorganic arsenic causes reproductive dysfunctions including reductions of the testis weights, accessory sex organs weights, and epididymal sperm counts. In addition, inorganic arsenic exposure also induces alterations of spermatogenesis, reductions of testosterone and gonadotrophins, and disruptions of steroidogenesis. However, the reproductive and developmental problems following arsenic exposure are poorly understood, and the molecular mechanism of arsenic-induced reproductive toxicity remains unclear. Thus, we further investigated several possible mechanisms underlying arsenic-induced reproductive toxicity.