• Reproductive and Developmental Biology
• /
• v.32 no.2
• /
• pp.97-104
• /
• 2008

Plasminogen activators (PAs) are serine protease that cleave plasminogen to form the active protease plasmin. PA/plasmin system playa role in mammalian fertilization and motility and acrosome reaction of sperm. The present study was undertaken to identify PAs in porcine gametes and investigate a possible role of plasminogen in in vitro fertilization in the pig. When boar spermatozoa were preincubated in a fertilization medium (mTBM) for 0, 2, 4 or 6 h, the activity of tPA-PAI ($110{\sim}117\;kDa$), tPA ($62{\sim}70\;kDa$), and uPA ($34{\sim}38\;kDa$) was observed in the sperm incubation medium and sperm sample. PA activities in the sperm incubation medium significantly (p<0.05) increased according to increasing incubation times, while PA activities in sperm significantly (p<0.05) decreased at the same times. In addition, the rate of acrosome reaction in spermatozoa increased by increasing culture times. When oocytes were separated from porcine cumulus-oocytes complexes at 0, 22 or 44 h of maturation culture, no PA activities were observed in cumulus free-oocyte just after aspiration from follicles. However, the activity of tPA-PAI ($108{\sim}113\;kDa$) and tPA ($75{\sim}83\;kDa$) was observed at 22 h of in vitro culture and significantly (p<0.05) increased as the duration of the culture increased. On the other hand, when porcine oocytes were activated by sperm penetration or calcium ionophore, plasminogen significantly (p<0.05) increased ZP dissolution time (sec) in activated oocytes by sperm penetration. These results suggest that supplementation of plasminogen to fertilization medium may playa positive role in the improvement of in vitro fertilization ability in the pig.

• The Journal of Korean Physical Therapy
• /
• v.13 no.3
• /
• pp.727-734
• /
• 2001

The purpose of this study was to obtain the information of the home treatment state for children with delayed development and to identify stress and coping pattern in mothers of the children. Data were collected from 211 mothers of delayed developmental children(DDC) by means of structured questionnaires. The results of this study were that in the home treatment mothers had technical insufficiencies to treat their children. so they had a difficulties in treating their children at home. But the home treatment were effective and mothers were assisted by their family and others in their treatment. The mothers had stress by anxiety of prognosis. hurts, responsibility, technical insufficiencies and negligent in housework. And acquisition of home treatment technique, the existence of assistant, and emotion in treatment also influenced on stress in the mother. The coping pattern in the stress were regular medical examination. communication with medical team and other mothers with DDC, faith of recovery and treatment. confidence in home treatment, family coorperation. and leisure time without concern for treatment. The younger mother received the more help from other mothers with DDC. And the mothers with severe, complex DDC had the more help from faith of recovery. Regular medical examination and faith of recovery were helpful coping pattern in mothers who had no treatment skill. Confidence in family coorperation and leisure time without concern for treatment were particularly helpful in mothers whose treatment duration is longer, and home treatment was not effective.

• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine
• /
• v.36 no.1
• /
• pp.74-79
• /
• 2002

In addition to the well-established use of positron emission tomography (PET) in clinical oncology, novel roles for PET are rapidly emerging in the field of gene therapy. Methods for controlled gene delivery to living bodies, made available through advances in molecular biology, are currently being employed in animals for research purposes and in humans to treat diseases such as cancer. Although gene therapy is still in its early developmental stage, it is perceived that many serious illnesses could be treated successfully by the use of therapeutic gene delivery. A major challenge for the widespread use of human gene therapy is to achieve a controlled and effective delivery of foreign genes to target cells and subsequently, adequate levels of expression. As such, the availability of noninvasive imaging methods to accurately assess the location, duration, and level of transgene expression is critical for optimizing gene therapy strategies. Current endeavors to achieve this goal include methods that utilize magnetic resonance imaging, optical imaging, and nuclear imaging techniques. As for PET, reporter systems that utilize genes encoding enzymes that accumulate positron labeled substrates and those transcribing surface receptors that bind specific positron labeled ligands have been successfully developed. More recent advances in this area include improved reporter gene constructs and radiotracers, introduction of potential strategies to monitor endogenous gene expression, and human pilot studies evaluating the distribution and safety of reporter PET tracers. The remarkably rapid progress occurring in gene imaging technology indicates its importance and wide range of application. As such, gene imaging is likely to become a major and exciting new area for future application of PET technology.

• Korean journal of applied entomology
• /
• v.38 no.1
• /
• pp.29-33
• /
• 1999

Orius strgicollis Poppius is an endemic natural enemy of thrips recently found. To estimatethe optimum temperature for rearing in laboratory, development and oviposition of 0. strigicollis wasstudied at 15, 20, 25 and 30$^{\circ}$C with a 16L : 8D photoperiod and 60-80% RH. Cotton aphid, Aphisgossipyii, was supplied as prey. Total number of eggs laid per female ranged from 39.1 to 68.5 with thehighest at 25$^{\circ}$C. Adult longevity decreased as temperature increased, and the reverse was true for eggsurvivorship. Survivorship of larvae was 26.7,43.3, 76.7 and 46.7% at 15, 20, 25 and 30$^{\circ}$C, respectively.Duration of eggs and larvae at tested temperatures ranged from 3.4 days to 18.9 days and from 9.4 days to45.6 days, respectively. A linear regression model could describe development of the predator as afunction of temperature (R2=0.949-0.997). The lower developmental threshold temperatures for egg,larvae, and total immature stage were estimated to be 12.4, 11.4, and 11.6"C, respectively.6"C, respectively.vely.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Crop Science Conference
• /
• 2017.06a
• /
• pp.189-189
• /
• 2017

Salinity is one of the major abiotic stresses that severely affect crop production throughout the world; especially rice plant which is generally categorized as a typical glycophyte as it cannot grow in the presence of salinity. Phenotypic resistance of salinity is expressed as the ability to survive and grow in a salinity condition. Salinity resistance has, at least implicitly, been treated as a single trait. Physiological studies of rice suggest that a range of characteristics (such as low shoot sodium concentration, compartmentation of salt in older rather than younger leaves, high potassium concentration, high $K^+/Na^+$ ratio, high biomass and plant vigour) would increase the ability of the plant to cope with salinity. Criteria for evaluating and screening salinity tolerance in crop plants vary depending on the level and duration of salt stress and the plant developmental stage. Plant growth responses to salinity vary with plant life cycle; critical stages sensitive to salinity are germination, seedling establishment and flowering. We have established a standard protocol to evaluate large rice germplasms for overall performance based on specific physiological traits for salt tolerance at seedling stage. This protocol will help in identifying germplasms which can perform better in the presence of different salinity treatments based on single trait and also combination of different physiological traits. The salt tolerant germplasm can be taken forward into developing better varieties by conventional breeding and exploring genes for salt tolerance.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
• /
• v.37 no.2
• /
• pp.124-128
• /
• 2005

Objective: Congenital bilateral perisylvian syndrome(CBPS) has been defined as a characteristic malformative perisylvian polymicrogyria(PMG) in patients with clinical symptoms of pseudobulbar palsy and epileptic seizures. For the present study, we investigate clinicopathologic features of CBPS associated with timing of lesion formation. Methods: Clinicopathologic features of CBPS from 6 patients with surgical resection of the cerebral lesions due to medically intractable seizures were studied. Results: Seizure onset ranged from 1 to 10years (average 6.7years) of age, and average duration of seizure was 23years. All had complex partial seizures, and two patients had additional tonic clonic seizures. Magnetic resonance (MR) images showed polymicrogyria, atropic gyri with gliosis. In the histopathologic examination, the cortical lesions revealed features of ulegyria; atrophic and sclerotic gyri, laminar loss of neurons, extensive lobular gliosis throughout the gray and white matter, neuronoglial nodule formation, and many amyloid bodies. Unlayered or four-layered PMG was not identified. Conclusion: Above data suggest that CBPS might be caused by ulegyria resulting from developmental cortical defect during early fetal stage or acquired hypoxic/ischemic injury in prenatal or postnatal life.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
• /
• v.53 no.4
• /
• pp.598-602
• /
• 2010

Transient hyperammonemia in a newborn is an overwhelming disease manifested by hyperammonemic coma. The majority of affected newborns are premature and have mild respiratory syndrome. The diagnosis may be difficult to determine. This metabolic disorder is primarily characterized by severe hyperammonemia in the postnatal period, coma, absence of abnormal organic aciduria and normal activity of the enzymes of the urea cycle. Hyperammonemic coma may develop within 2-3 days of life, although its etiology is unknown. Laboratory studies reveal marked hyperammonemia (>$4,000{\mu}mol/L$). The degree of neurologic impairment and developmental delay in this disorder depends on the duration of hyperammonemic coma. Moreover, the infant may succumb to the disease if treatment is not started immediately and continued vigorously. Hyperammonemic coma as a medical emergency requires dialysis therapy. Here, we report a case of severe transient hyperammonemia in a preterm infant (35 week of gestation) presented with respiratory distress, seizure, and deep coma within 48 hours and required ventilatory assistance and marked elevated plasma ammonia levels. He survived with aggressive therapy including peritoneal dialysis, and was followed 2 years later without sequelae.

• Reproductive and Developmental Biology
• /
• v.35 no.2
• /
• pp.159-165
• /
• 2011

To explore the role of histone deactylase (HDAC) activation in an in vivo model of hypertrophy, we studied the effects of Trichostatin A (TSA). TSA subjected to thoracic aortic banding (TAB)-induced pressure stress in mice. In histological observations, TAB in treated mice showed a significant hypertrophic response, whereas the sham operation remained nearly normal structure with partially blunted hypertrophy. TSA treatment had no effect (measured as HW/BW) on sham-operated animals. TAB animals treated with vehicle manifested a robust ~50% hypertrophic response (p<0.05 vs sham). TAB mice treated with 2 mg/kg/day TSA manifested a blunted growth responses, which was significantly diminished (p<0.05) compared with vehicle-treated TAB mice. TAB mice treated with a lower dose of TSA (0.5 mg/kg/day) manifested a similar blunting of hypertrophic growth (~25% increase in heart mass). Furthermore, to determine activity duration of TSA in vitro, 1 nM TSA was added to H9c2 cells. Histone acetylation was initiated at 4 hr after treatment, and it was peak up to 18 hr, then followed by significantly reduced to 30 hr. We also analyzed the expression of p53 following TSA treatment, wherein p53 expression was elevated at 4 hr, and it was maintained to 24 hr after treatment. ERK was activated at 8 hr, and maintained till 30 hr after treatment suggesting an intracellular signaling interaction between TSA and p53 expression Taken together, it is suggested that HDAC activation is required for pressure-overload growth of the heart. Eventually, these data suggest that histone acetylation may be a novel target for therapeutic intervention in pressure-overloaded cardiac hypertrophy.

• Reproductive and Developmental Biology
• /
• v.35 no.4
• /
• pp.435-439
• /
• 2011

Sildenafil citrate (SIL) a phosphodiesterase 5 inhibitor (PDE5I) has been used for long time as a first line oral drug for erectile dysfunction. Though it has beneficial effects on erectile organ it also has some adverse effects in other cells and/or tissues related to reproductive system when exposed to longer duration. The objective of the present study is to evaluate the long term effect of SIL on sperm parameters in Wistar albino rat. The animals are divided into two groups, for group I - rats were treated with saline (vehicle alone) and group - II oral administration of 5 mg/kg b.w. of SIL was administrated orally once in a day for 120 days. At the end of the trial period animals were sacrificed and epididymal sperm were subjected to various analysis. Results showed significant reduction in sperm count, motility, viability and morphologically intact sperm in long term PDE5I exposed animals when compared to control. Acrosomal status and fertility test also showed significant reduction in long term PDE5I exposed animals. The present study clearly indicated that long term SIL has shown to induce alteration in sperm quality and quantity, leading to decline in fertility rate. Indicate that SIL impinge on spermatogenesis as well as epididymal function. Understanding the molecular down-stream events involved in long-term exposure to PDE5 inhibitor can be valuable to supervise on related infertility issues and to suggest corrective measures.

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