• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.5-14
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• 2003

Objective: Present study was aimed to verify the effect of granulocyte macrophage-colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF) in the preimplantation development of mouse embryos and the involvement of the mitogen activated protein kiase (MAPK) in the GM-CSF signaling. Methods: Two-cell embryos were cultured for 96 h in the presence or absence of GM-CSF (0, 0.4, 2, 10 ng/ml) and PD98059, a MEK inhibitor (10 ${\mu}M$). Morphological development, cell number per blastocyst, and apoptotic nuclei, were eamined. MAPK activity of embryonic immunoprecipitate by MAPK (ERK1/2) antibody was measured by in vitro phosphorylation of myelin basic protein. Results: At post hCG 122 h the embryonic development among the experimental groups was significantly different (p=0.018). The rate of blastocyst development and cell number per embryo were the highest in 2 ng/ml GM-CSF treatment group. The percent of apoptotic cells of the GM-CSF-treated embryos was the lowest among the group. In blastocysts, GM-CSF treatment transiently increased MAPK activity. PD098059 attenuated the effect of GM-CSF on the morphological development, increase in cell number per blastocyst, down regulation of apoptosis, and upregulation of MAPK activity, suggesting that activation of MAPK cascade possibly mediated the embryotropic effect of GM-CSF. Conclusion: This result suggested that GM-CSF potentiated the development of preimplantation mouse embryos by activation of MAPK.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.39-51
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• 1986

This experiment has been done to evaluate the relationship between the follicular atresia and the protein patterns on electrophoreais of the follicular fluids in porcine ovary. The protein concentration of the follicular fluids was lower than that of serum, and gradually decreased as the follicle siae became larger. The number of protein bands of follicular fluid on electrophoresis was less than that of serum, and gradually increased as follicle size became larger. Three specific bands were detected on disc PAGE and one band(M W. 75,000) on SDS PAGE in the follicular fluids, while not in serum. One band (A) at ${\beta}$-globulin region on disc PAGE became heavier, as follicles became atretic. Two bands less than(M. W. 20,000) were detected only in the large follicular fluid. Another band(M. W. 43,000) was not detected in necrotic group, whereas all other groups showed it. It could be concluded that the component and composition of the proteins follicular fluids changes according to the follicular size during atresia. Therefore detection of the changing pattern of proteins in the follicular fluid can be used as a basic criterion for the identification of follicular atretic stage.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• v.46 no.3
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• pp.107-111
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• 2019

Objective: Spermatogenesis is a complex process that is regulated by a number of genes, some of which are involved in folate-dependent 1-carbon metabolism. Methionine synthase (encoded by MTR) is a key enzyme participating in this pathway. This study aimed to investigate the relationship of the MTR 2756A > G polymorphism with idiopathic male fertility in the Iranian population. Methods: The participants of this study included 100 men with idiopathic infertility and 100 healthy men as the control group. Genotyping of MTR 2756A > G was performed using the polymerase chain reaction and restriction fragment length polymorphism technique. The obtained data were analyzed using SPSS ver. 20.0 with a level of confidence of p< 0.05. Results: The frequencies of the A and G alleles at this locus were 77% and 23% in infertile patients and 84% and 16% in the control group, respectively. The frequencies of the GG, GA, and AA genotypes were 5%, 36%, and 59% in the infertile patients versus 3%, 27%, and 70% in the control group, respectively. No significant difference was observed in any genetic models. Conclusion: In general, the findings of this study suggest that the MTR 2756A > G single-nucleotide polymorphism is not a predisposing factor for idiopathic infertility in men.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.27 no.10
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• pp.1499-1512
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• 2014

The purposes of this study are to assess pig farmers' preference for highly pathogenic porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) vaccine, and estimate the cost and benefit of PRRS vaccination in Vietnam. This study employed an integrated epidemiological and economic analysis which combined susceptible-infectious-recovered (SIR) model, choice experiment (CE) and cost-benefit analysis (CBA) together. The result of SIR model showed the basic reproduction number ($R_0$) of PRRS transmission in this study is 1.3, consequently, the optimal vaccination percentage is 26%. The results of CE in this study indicate that Vietnam pig farmers are showing a high preference for the PRRS vaccine. However, their mean willingness to pay is lower than the potential cost of PRRS vaccine. It can be considered to be one of the reasons that the PRRS vaccination ratio is still low in Vietnam. The results of CBA specified from the whole society's point of view (Social perspective), the benefits of PRRS vaccination are 2.3 to 4.5 times larger than the costs. To support policy making for increasing the PRRS vaccination proportion, this study indicates two ways to increase the vaccination proportion: i) decrease vaccine price by providing a subsidy, ii) provide compensation of culling only for PRRS vaccinated pigs.

• Reproductive and Developmental Biology
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.103-109
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• 2010

Functional regulation of a specific tissue or organ is controlled by a number of ways, including local cell-cell interaction. Of several forms of cell-cell junctional complexes, gap junctions are caught a great attention due to a formation of direct linkage between neighboring cells. Gap junctions are consisted of connexin (Cx) isoforms. In the present study, we evaluated expressional profiling of Cx isoforms in the rat initial segment (IS) of the male reproductive tract at different postnatal ages. The presence and expression of 13 Cx isoform mRNAs were determined by semi-quantitative real-time PCR analyses. A total of 8 Cx isoform mRNAs were detected in the IS of the male rats during postnatal development. The highest level of Cx30.3 mRNA was found at 5 months of age, while abundance of Cx31 mRNA was the highest at 1 year of age. Expression of Cx31.1 gene was relatively consistent during the postnatal development. Fluctuation of Cx32 and 37 gene expression was observed during the postnatal period. Significant elevation of Cx40 mRNA abundance was detected at 25 days of age and older ages. Expression patterns of Cx43 and 45 genes were similar with the highest level at 2 weeks of age, followed by gradual decreases at older ages. These results indicate differential regulation on expression of Cx isoforms in the rat IS during postnatal development. A complicated regulation of gene expression of Cx isoforms in the IS at different postnatal ages is suggested.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.99-104
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• 2006

Present study was performed to investigate the host-parasite relationship of the Korean Trichinella isolate (KTI). In the experiment to observe the infectivity of KTI to several kinds of animals, the reproductive capacity index (RCT) was highest in cats, and that in mice, hamsters and rats was followe4 in descending order. However, birds, i.e. wild goose and chicken, did not infect with KTI. The number of larvae per a gram of muscle (LPG: 377) was highest in the tongue of cats experimentally infected with KTI larvae. LPG in the diaphragm, anterior leg, back, posterior leg and abdominal muscles were 313, 246, 234, 225 and 170 respectively. Muscle larvae recovered at 55 days after infection were revealed the highest infectivity (RCI: 137.2) in mice. RCI was comparatively low in the mice infected with less than 25 day-old and more than 300 day-old larvae. In the experiment to observe the susceptibility of KTI by the mouse strain, ICR (RCI: 137.2), C57BL/6 (RCI: 108.8), DBA/2 (RCI: 107.1), C3H (RCI: 98.7), BALB/c (RCI: 96.9), FVB (RCI: 96.1) and B6C3F1 (RCI: 85.3) were very susceptible. However, BDF1 (RCI: 57.7) and CBA (RCI. 57.1) were revealed the moderate susceptibility, and B6CBAF1 (RCI: 23.1) was shown the lowest. The infection sites of adults were posteriorly transferred in the small intestine of experimental mice according to the infection periods of muscle larvae. The infection characteristics of KTI observed in this study may be useful as the basic data in the advanced studies, furthermore in the study of other Trichinella isolates.

• The Korean Journal of Community Living Science
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.629-636
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• 2014

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) as flame-retardant additives have been used in a wide array of products, including building materials, electronics, furnishings, motor vehicles, airplanes, plastics, polyurethane foams, and textiles. They are structurally similar to PCBs and other polyhalogenated compounds. PBDEs are found in a variety of foods, and 95% of all human exposure to POPs comes from food. The major food sources are fish/seafood and dairy products. A number of studies have reported high levels of PBDEs in animals, increasing the public's concern over PBDE levels in animals. This study evaluates the relationship between the level of PBDEs according to piglet diseases. Salmonella spp. and Streptococcus are bacterial diseases. Porcine respiratory reproductive syndrome (PRRS) is a viral disease. The concentration of PBDEs in the piglet liver from viral diseases was higher than that from bacterial diseases. BDE-47 and BDE-99 were detected in most samples. More PBDEs were detected in the piglet liver from PRRS of North American type than from that of European type.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.199-207
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• 2001

Objective: The present study was undertaken to examine the effects of magnesium ion in the culture medium on the development of mouse fertilized oocytes either before or after pronuclear formation, and to investigate whether the effect of magnesium ion is related with the redistributional change of mitochondria. Methods : Fertilized oocytes obtained from the oviducts of mice at 15 hr after hCG injection before pronuclear formation (pre-PN) or 21 hr after hCG injection after pronuclear formation (post-PN) were used. The embryos were cultured for 3 days with basic T6 medium-magnesium free and various concentrations of magnesium ion, 0.0, 0.5, 1.0, 2.0, 4.0 or 8.0 mM, respectively. After culture, the developmental stages of embryos and the number of nuclei were evaluated. To observe the effects of magnesium ion on the mitochondrial distribution, fertilized oocytes were collected at 21 hr after hCG injection and cultured for 6 hr with various concentration of magnesium ion. As a control, fertilized oocytes with pronuclei at 27 hr after hCG injection were used. Results: The concentration of magnesium ion to accelerate the in vitro development of mouse fertilized oocytes appeared to be at 2.0 mM for the pre-PN and the post-PN stage embryos. In the mitochondrial redistribution patterns, the embryos cultured in 2.0 mM concentration of magnesium ion showed the highest percentage (22.6%) of distinct perinuclear clustering pattern comparing to other experimental group. Conclusion: The effect of magnesium ion may be related to the cytoplasmic redistribution of mitochondria. This relationship seems to connect the developmental competence of preimplantation mouse embryos in vitro. These results can suggest that higher concentration of magnesium ion (2.0 mM) than those of conventional culture medium ($0.2{\sim}1.2\;mM$) is more suitable for in vitro culture of preimplantation mouse embryos.

• Journal of Wetlands Research
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.27-34
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• 2018

Reproductive phenology and physiological responses of Epilobium hirsutum L. to moisture content and nutrient content of soil were analysed in order to obtain basic data for effective conservation and restoration. Epilobium hirsutum L. is a perennial plant. But Epilobium hirsutum L. grew reproductively in all moisture and nutrient gradients. Flower bud, flowers and peduncle were respectively ripened in earlier under highest moisture condition and highest nutrient condition. And, number of flowers and peduncle were more quickly increased under highest moisture condition and highest nutrient condition. Chlorophyll content was high under highest moisture condition and higher middle moisture condition. However, we found no significant difference of chlorophyll content regard to nutrient gradients. There was no difference in minimum chlorophyll fluorescence among all moisture and nutrient gradients. The photochemical efficiency values of PS II were 0.75 in all moisture gradients, and it was 0.78 in highest nutrient gradient. The chlorophyll content of Epilobium hirsutum L. increased as the moisture content increased, and the Fv/Fm value increased as the organic matter increased. Our results showed that high moisture and nutrient content of soil advance their breeding season and promote reproductive growth. It might be important basic informations for the maintenance of population and the management of habitat of Epilobium hirsutum L. an endangered plant species.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
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• v.44 no.2
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• pp.191-200
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• 2002

This study was conducted to estimate the effects of environmental factors on certain reproductive traits in Korean cattle on the basis of data from Korean Cattle Improvement Areas which were surveyed from 1986 to 1995. Results obtained were summarized as follows ; 1. Least square means of the reproductive traits estimated were 466.11${\pm}$5.72 days for age at 1st service, 480.10${\pm}$6.15 days for age at 1st conception, 742.79${\pm}$7.48 days for age at 1st calving, 64.97${\pm}$1.42 days for days at 1st service postpartum, 72.06${\pm}$1.73 days for days open, 355.93${\pm}$1.92days for calving interval, 285.38${\pm}$0.42 days for gestation length and 1.21${\pm}$0.02 days for number of services for conception, respectively. 2. The ranges of the least squares means for the districts were 447.62${\pm}$5.94-490.72${\pm}$5.94 days for age at 1st service, 464.27${\pm}$6.38-505.20${\pm}$6.39 days for age at 1st conception, 721.91${\pm}$7.85-772.75${\pm}$7.80 days for age at 1st calving, 62.27${\pm}$1.55-68.97${\pm}$1.74days for days at 1st service postpartum, 69.74${\pm}$1.97-74.36${\pm}$2.27days for days open, 352.71${\pm}$2.18-359.64${\pm}$2.09 days for calving interval, 284.52${\pm}$0.42-286.04${\pm}$0.47days for gestation length and 1.11${\pm}$0.02-1.30${\pm}$0.02 days for number of services for conception, respectively. 3. Age at 1st service was latest in the cows with Basic Register and tended to be earlier for the more advanced registers. The number of services per conception tended to increase for the more advanced registers. 4. Days at 1st service postpartum was longest in the 2nd parity and tended to be shorter with the advancement of parity. The number of services per conception tended to decrease with the advancement of parity. 5. As the calving year advances from 1987 to 1995, days at 1st service postpartum, days open and calving interval tended to be longer, and number of service per conception tended to increase. 6. Days at 1st service postpartum, days open and calving interval were shorter in the cows that calved in spring and summer than in the cows that calved in fall and winter. The number of services per conception was larger in the cows that cocalved in fall and winter than the cows that calved in spring and summer.