• Reproductive and Developmental Biology
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.301-305
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• 2006

The aim of this study was to investigate whether addition of porcine epididymal fluid (pEF) into culture medium during in vitro maturation influences the nuclear maturation of porcine germinal vesicle (GV) oocytes. Porcine cumulus-oocyte complexes (COCs) from follicles were cultured in tissue culture medium 199 (TCM 199) containing pEF. After 48hr of culture, oocytes were examined for evidence of GV breakdown, metaphase I, anaphase-telophase I, and metaphase II. The proportion of oocytes reaching at metaphase II (M II) stage was significantly (p<0.05) increased in oocytes cultured in the media supplemented with 10% pEF during in vitro maturation than in those without pEF regardless of cumulus presence or absence (54.6% vs 22.5%, 51.7% vs 24.2%). The supplementation of pEF during maturation of oocyte enhanced oocytes maturation in a dose-dependent manner in vitro. Also significant differences (p<0.05) in the percentage of MII oocytes were observed according to exposure period in pEF. Present study suggests that pEF contains a enhancing component(s) for nuclear maturation of porcine immature oocytes in vitro.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.31 no.6
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• pp.812-819
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• 2018

Objective: An experiment was conducted to identify and characterize the circular RNA expression and metabolic characteristics in the liver of Jinhua pigs and Landrace pigs. Methods: Three Jinhua pigs and three Landrace pigs respectively at 70-day were slaughtered to collect the liver tissue samples. Immediately after slaughter, blood samples were taken to detect serum biochemical indicators. Total RNA extracted from liver tissue samples were used to prepare the library and then sequence on HiSeq 2500. Bioinformatic methods were employed to analyze sequence data to identify the circRNAs and predict the potential roles of differentially expressed circRNAs between the two breeds. Results: Significant differences in physiological and biochemical traits were observed between growing Jinhua and Landrace pigs. We identified 84,864 circRNA candidates in two breeds and 366 circRNAs were detected as significantly differentially expressed. Their host genes are involved in lipid biosynthetic and metabolic processes according to the gene ontology analysis and associated with metabolic pathways. Conclusion: Our research represents the first description of circRNA profiles in the porcine liver from two divergent phenotype pigs. The predicted miRNA-circRNA interaction provides important basis for miRNA-circRNA relationships in the porcine liver. These data expand the repertories of porcine circRNA and are conducive to understanding the possible molecular mechanisms involved in miRNA and circRNA. Our study provides basic data for further research of the biological functions of circRNAs in the porcine liver.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.18 no.10
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• pp.551-558
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• 2017

To study and validate tissue-specific promoters and vectors, it is important to develop cell culture systems that retain the tissue and species specificity. Such systems are attractive alternatives to transgenic animal models. This study established a line of porcine mammary gland epithelial cells (PMECs) from a primary culture based on the cellular morphology and mRNA levels of porcine beta-casein (CSN2). The selected PMECs were stained with the cytokeratin antibody, and were shown to express milk protein genes (CSN2, lactoferrin, and whey acidic protein). In addition, to confirm the acini structure of PMEC932-7 in 3D culture, live cells were stained with SYTO-13 dye, which binds to nucleic acid. The acini of these PMECs on matrigel were formed by the aggregation of peripheral cells and featured a hollow lumens. The system was demonstrated by testing the effects of the culture conditions to cell culture including cell density and matrigel methods of the PMECs. These results suggest that PMECs possess the genetic and structural features of mammary epithelial cells.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.281-288
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• 1987

A total and consecutive 163 patients underwent cardiac valve replacement using the Hancock porcine xenograft cardiac valves from 1 976 to 1984. Of 198 substitute valves, 177 were the Hancock valves. One hundred twenty-nine patients[79.1%] had single valve replacement: MVR 118, AVR 8 and TVR 3; 33[20.3%] had double valve replacement: MVR+AVR 27 and MVR+TVR 6; and a single case had triple valve replacement. Other surgical procedures were added in 34 patients. The operative mortality rate within 30 days of surgery was 6.1%, and it was, however, 4.2%, with single MVR. Late mortality rate was 6.7% or 1.95%/patient-year of a linealized mortality rate. Early survivors of 153 patients were followed up for a total of 565.1 patient-years [a mean of 44.3*27.1 months]. The linealized annual complication rates were: 1.95% emboli/patient-year, 0.89% bleeding/patient-year 1.24% endocarditis/patient-year, and 4.25% overall failure/patient-year. Primary tissue failure occurred at a rate of 1.59%/patient-year. The actuarial survival rates including operative mortality were 87.0*4.1% and 77.3*6.6% at 5 and 11 years after surgery respectively. The probability of freedom from thromboembolic complication of 89.2*3.4% at 5 years after surgery lasted unchanged upto 11 years. The probability of freedom from overall valve failure was 81.3*4.5% at postoperative 5 years, and it dropped down to 26.2*19.4% at 11 years, although the latter was statistically insignificant because of a small number of patients entering into the years approaching the follow-up end. However, the probability of freedom from the primary tissue failure was 81.3*10.6% at postoperative 9 years, which coincides closely with the speculated rate of tissue degeneration of about 20% in 10 years. These clinical results confirm the low thrombogenicity of the Hancock porcine valve and the reasonable failure rate of tissue degeneration.

• Reproductive and Developmental Biology
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.235-240
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• 2004

In vitro maturation of denuded porcine immature oocytes can be enhanced by co-incubation with spermatozoa even before fertilization. This study was to determine whether the addition of spermatozoa into the culture medium could influence the nuclear maturation of porcine cumulus-enclosed germinal vesicle (GV) oocytes. Cumulus-oocyte complexes (COCs) were collected from follicles of 3- to 5-mm diameter. Porcine COCs were cultured in tissue culture medium containing spermatozoa. After 48 h culture, oocytes were examined for evidence of GV breakdown, metaphase I, anaphase-telophase I, and metaphase II. The proportion of oocytes reaching at metaphase II was significantly (P < 0.05) increased in the oocytes cultured in media containing spermatozoa compared to those in media without spermatozoa (52.3% vs 12.5%). No difference in the percentage of metaphase II was observed among the different periods of spermatozoa exposure and among the spermatozoa from different species. The proportion of oocytes reaching metaphase II was significantly different between high and low concentrations of spermatozoa. The present study suggests that manunalian spermatozoa contain a substance(s) that improves nuclear in vitro maturation of porcine cumulus-enclosed GV oocytes. Enhancing effect of spermatozoa for in vitro maturation of oocytes is a highly dose-dependent.

• Journal of Embryo Transfer
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.105-109
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• 2017

Autophagy is an intracellular degradation and recycling system. Oocyte maturation is dynamic process, in which various proteins should be synthesized and degraded. In our previous study, we reported the loci of autophagosome and dynamics of autophagic activity in porcine oocytes during in vitro maturation. In this study, we verified loci of autophagosome in porcine follicular cumulus-oocyte complex by detection of microtubule-associated protein 1A/1B-light chain 3 (LC3) which is the reliable marker of autophagosome. Porcine ovary including various sizes of follicles was fixed within 1 hour after collection from slaughterhouse. After fixation, immunohistochemistry was conducted on sliced ovary tissue containing various sizes of follicles by using LC3 antibody. As a result, LC3 signal was clearly detected in both cumulus and oocytes of various sizes of follicles. We also found ring shaped signal which represent autophagosome near oocyte membrane. Most of the signals in oocytes were localized nearby cellular membrane while evenly dispersed in cumulus cells. Therefore, this result suggests that autophagy occurs in porcine COCs (cumulus-oocyte complexes) at follicular stage.

• Journal of Animal Reproduction and Biotechnology
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.106-112
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• 2022

Cryopreservation of porcine ovarian tissue by vitrification method is a promising approach to preserve genetic materials for future use. However, information is not enough and technology still remains in a challenge stage in pig. Therefore, the objective of present study was to determine possibility of vitrification method to cryopreserve porcine ovarian tissue and to confirm an occurrence of cryoinjuries. Briefly, cryoinjuries and apoptosis patterns in vitrified-warmed ovarian tissue were examined by histological evaluation and TUNEL assay respectively. In results, a damaged morphology of oocytes was detected among groups and the rate was significantly (p < 0.05) lower in vitrification group (25.8%) than freezing control group (67.7%), while fresh control group (6.6%) showed significantly (p < 0.05) lower than both groups. In addition, cryoinjury that form a wave pattern of tissues around follicles was found in the frozen control group, but not in the fresh control group as well as in the vitrification group. Apoptotic cells in follicle was observed only in freezing control group while no apoptotic cell was found in both fresh control and vitrification. Similarly, apoptotic patterns of tissues not in follicle were comparable between fresh control and vitrification groups while freezing control group showed increased tendency. Conclusively, it was confirmed that vitrification method has a prevention effect against cryoinjury and this method could be an alternative approach for cryopreservation of genetic material in pigs. Further study is needed to examine the viability of oocytes derived from vitrified-warmed ovarian tissue.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.60 no.3
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• pp.155-161
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• 2020

From 2006 to 2009, 50 pigs suspected of enteritis associated with porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV-2) (EAPC) were collected. Gross and histopathologic examinations and immunohistochemistry (IHC) were performed on the small intestine of 50 pigs. The pigs with EAPC were concentrated in grower pigs (68%), and diarrhea (84%) was the most common clinical sign. Grossly, the walls of the small intestine were thickened, and mesenteric lymph nodes were enlarged. The histopathologic features in the small intestine with EAPC were characterized by lymphoid depletion, histiocytic infiltration, and formation of basophilic grape-like inclusion bodies and multinucleated giant cells in gut-associated lymphatic tissue (GALT) and lamina propria. According to IHC, PCV-2 antigens were more intense and distributed widely in GALT (98%) than lamina propria (82%) of the small intestine. Co-infection with other enteric pathogens was detected in 26 pigs (52%). Twenty-four pigs (48%) were confirmed to be a PCV-2 single infection. Collectively, infected PCV-2 in the small intestine may induce an immunosuppressive status of individuals and then allow secondary co-infections in the digestive system. This study shows that PCV-2 can induce diarrhea and enteric lesions in pigs without a co-infection of other enteric pathogens.

• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.18-22
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• 2009

Laser has been widely used in various fields of medicine. Recently, noninvasive low-level laser therapeutic medical devices have been introduced in market. However, low-level laser cannot deliver enough photon density to expect positive therapeutic results in deep tissue layer due to the light scattering property in tissue. In order to overcome the limitation, this study was aimed to develop a negative pressure applied low-level laser probe to optimize laser transmission pattern and therefore, to improve photon density in soft tissue. In order to evaluate the possibility of clinical application of the developed laser probe, ex-vivo experiments were performed with porcine skin samples and laser transmissions were quantitatively measured as a function of tissue compression. The laser probe has an air suction hole to apply negative pressure to skin, a transparent plastic body to observe variations of tissue, and a small metallic optical fiber guide to support the optical fiber when negative pressure was applied. By applying negative pressure to the laser probe, the porcine skin under the metallic optical fiber guide is compressed down and, at the same time, low-level laser is emitted into the skin. Finally, the diffusion images of laser in the sample were acquired by a CCD camera and analyzed. Compared to the peak intensity without the compression, the peak intensity of laser increased about $2{\sim}2.5$ times and FWHM decreased about $1.67{\sim}2.85$ times. In addition, the laser peak intensity was positively and linearly increased as a function of compression. In conclusion, we verified that the developed low-level laser probe can control the photon density in tissue by applying compression, and therefore, its potential for clinical applications.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.26 no.9
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• pp.667-676
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• 1993

Boprosthetic cardiac valves fail from biological and metabolic as well as mechanical reasons, and the limited durability is the main factor of marked withdrawal in their clinical use. Starting the use of bioprosthetic valves in 1976, up to the end of 1992, the consecutive 178 patients have undergone re-replacement of glutaraldehyde-treated xenograft valves for primary tissue failure [PTF]among the patients who had initial valve replacement at Seoul national University Hospital. The explanted valves were 69 porcine aortic [51 Hancock, 12 Angell-Shiley and 6 Carentier-Edwards] and 141 bovine pericardial [129 standard-profile and 12 low-profile ionescu-Shiley] valwes, with an overall incidence of PTF of 15.2%. The operative mortality rate of re-replacement was 5.1%. Calcific degeneration and tissue damage in relation to calcification were the most frequent modes of PTF on gross examinatin of the explanted valves resulting hemodynamically in valvular regurgitation. The number of Hancocg porcine and the standard-profile Ionescu-Shiley valves in valves in mitral position failed more often from tissue damage [tears, holes, and loss or destruction of cuspal tissue] than calcification [68.3% vs. 39.0%, p<0.01] with resultant regurgitation in 61%, the Ionescu-Shiley valves in the same position in 53%. The tendency of more calcification than tissue damage[71.3% vs. 33.3%, p<0.001]with stenosis in 53%. The tendency of more calcification and immobility of cusps in the latter group was partly explainable by the inclusion of patients of pediatric age. Observation made in this study suggest : many of bioprosthetic valves would fail from calcification and tissue damage : some fail prematurely because of mechanical stress probably owing to the valve design in construction ; andeven those valves escaped early damage would be subject to calcify in the prolonged follow-up period. In conclusion, at the present time, the clinical use of bioprostheticxenograft valves seems to be quite limited until further improvement in biocompatibility and refinement in valve design in manufacture are achieved.