• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Developmental Biology Conference
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• 2003.10a
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• pp.97-97
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• 2003

Embryonic stem (ES) cells, derived from preimplantation embryos, are able to differentiate into various types of cells consisting the whole body, or pluripotency. In addition to the plasticity, ES cells are expected to be different from terminally differentiated cells in very many ways, such as patterns of gene expressions, ability and response of the cells in confronting environmental stimulations, metabolism, and growth rate. As a model system to differentiate these two types of cells, human ES (hES, MB03) cells and terminally differentiated cells (HeLa), we examined the ability of these two types of cells in confronting a severe oxidative insult, that is $H_2 O_2$. Ratio of dying cells as determined by the relative amount of dye neutral red entrapped within the cells after the exposures. Cell death rates were not significantly different when either MB03 or HeLa were exposed up to 0.4 mM $H_2 O_2$. However, relative amount of dye entrapped within the cells sharply decreased down to 0.12% in HeLa cells when the cells were exposed to 0.8 mM $H_2 O_2$, while it was approximately 54% in MB03. Pretreatment of cells with BSO (GSH chelator) and measurement of GSH content results suggest that cellular GSH is the major defensive mechanism of hES cells. Induction of apoptosis in hES cell was confirmed by DNA laddering, induction of Bax, and chromatin condensation. In summary, hES cells 1) are extremely resistant to oxidative stress, 2) utilize GSH as a major defensive mechanism. and 3) experience apoptosis upon exposure to oxidative stress.

• The Journal of Korean Obstetrics and Gynecology
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• v.36 no.3
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• pp.114-128
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• 2023

Objectives: This study was conducted to reflect Korean Medicine doctors (KMD)' perception of lifestyle management in the process of developing a Korean Medicine (KM) Clinical Practice Guidelines (CPG) of female infertility. Methods: We sent four e-mails containing links to online questionnaires to 25,286 KMD belonging to the Association of Korean Medicine. The questionnaire consisted of sexual intercourse, weight, diet, exercise, drinking, smoking, caffeine intake, stress etc. KMD responded to self-administered questionnaires, and we analyzed 786 responds. Results: KMD put stress first among the infertile women's lifestyle management items, weight and sexual intercourse were next. Also KMD put stress first among the spouses' lifestyle management items, drinking and sexual intercourse were next. In relation to sexual intercourse, 'Recognizing the Fertile Window' was the most important. In relation to stress in the emotional domain, 'Depression' and 'Anxiety' were the most important, and in relation to stress in the relationship domain, 'Deteriorating of marital relationship' was the most important. Conclusions: We surveyed the status of KMD' awareness of infertility lifestyle management for patient education, and reflected it in the modification of the CPG for female infertility.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.341-350
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• 2003

Objective: The purpose of this study was to identify dietary factors related to infertility in Korean women through a case-control study. Methods: The case group was composed of 236 women who had been diagnosed as infertility in hospital. The control group of 181 healthy women with children were recruited from local immunization centers. Socio-economic status, medical history, dietary intakes using food frequency questionnaire and stress were surveyed by interview. Anthropometric measurements were made and the causes of infertility were identified through medical records. Fasting blood samples were taken from subgroup of the subjects. Results: The mean age of infertile and control groups was 31.1 and 32.4 years, respectively and the difference was statistically significant. The mean Body Mass Index of infertile women was not significantly different from control women, however, Waist/ Hip Ratio and Triceps Skinfolds Thickness were significantly lower in infertile women than in control women. The dietary intake status was generally satisfactory in both groups. The intakes of energy, protein, fat, carbohydrate, retinol, vitamin B2 and niacin were lower in infertile women than in control women. The infertile women also showed lower intakes of animal foods. No differences were found between two groups in serum concentrations of albumin, hemoglobin, Fe, TIBC, total cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, triglyceride, C3, IgA, IL-2, however, infertile women showed higher levels of Zn and IgG. The stress score was higher in infertile women. Conclusions: From the results of this study, dietary factors and nutritional status do not seem to be directly related to infertility. However, the intertile women have lower nutrient intake and lower body fat content than control women. Further researches are needed according to the causes of infertility for long term to establish the relationship between dietary factors and infertility.

• 대한생식의학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2000.06a
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• pp.9-9
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• 2000

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.43 no.2
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• pp.42-50
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• 2022

Objectives: The purpose of this study is to investigate the characteristics of female infertility patients who come to Korean medicine clinics and analyze the trends of Korean medicine treatment methods and the effects of female infertility by registry data. Methods: We are recruiting study participants from Korean medicine hospitals and clinics. If female infertility patients come, we will ask them to register for this study. After enrollment, we will collect demographic information, treatment methods, pregnancy results, adverse events, and treatment costs. Result: First, we will analyze the characteristics of patients, the status of the use of Korean medicine treatment interventions, the cost status of Korean medicine infertility treatment, and the delivery characteristics of pregnant women after Korean medicine treatment. Second, we will analyze the effectiveness of Korean medicine treatment. The primary outcome is clinical pregnancy rate, and secondary outcomes are 12-week pregnancy maintenance rate, degree of dysmenorrhea and premenstrual syndrome, stress level, and health-related quality of life score. Discussion: This study is the first observational multi-center study in Korea for female infertility. By establishing the registry, we are creating a resource that contains patient-reported outcome measures for female infertility. The registry is expected to provide valuable data for developing Korean medicine Clinical practice guidelines for female infertility.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.141-155
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• 1995

The objective of this study was to develop a scale to measure stress in infertile couples and to test its reliability and validity. Prior to item generation, a basic decision was made to conceptualize stress in infertile couples as including two dimensions and four subdimensions. The dimensions were, intrapersonal stress including cognitive and affective stress, and interpersonal stress including marital and social stress. Initially 95 items were generated from the inter-view data of 31 primary or secondary infertile women and from a literature review. These items were analyzed through the Index of Content Validity(CVI) and 69 items were selected which met 70% or more of the CVI. This preliminary Infertility Stress Scale were analyzed for reliability and construct validity. Item analysis and factor analysis were applied for construct validity. Forty items were selected through item analysis. This procedure was based on the inter-item correlation matrix, a corrected average inter-item correlation coefficient(.30~.70), a corrected item to total correlation coefficient (.03 or more) and information about the alpha estimate if this item was dropped from the scale. The result of the initial factor analysis including varimax rotation produced eight factors. Five items deleted because of factor complexity(indiscriminate factor loadings). The secondary factor analysis including varimax rotation produced seven factors that coincided with the conceptual framework posed for the scale developed. The seven factors were labeled as ‘meaning of children’,‘worthiness’,‘tenacious linking’,‘marital satisfaction’,‘sexual satisfaction’,‘familial adjustment’ and ‘social adjustment’. The alpha coefficient relating to internal consistency was .93 for reliability The results of this study suggest that the measurement derived from the Infertility Stress Scale is useful in assessing the stress of infertile couples.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• v.41 no.3
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• pp.108-114
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• 2014

Male factors account for 20%-50% of cases of infertility and in 25% of cases, the etiology of male infertility is unknown. Effective treatments are well-established for hypogonadotropic hypogonadism, male accessory gland infection, retrograde ejaculation, and positive antisperm antibody. However, the appropriate treatment for idiopathic male infertility is unclear. Empirical medical treatment (EMT) has been used in men with idiopathic infertility and can be divided into two categories based on the mode of action: hormonal treatment and antioxidant supplementation. Hormonal medications consist of gonadotropins, androgens, estrogen receptor blockers, and aromatase inhibitors. Antioxidants such as vitamins, zinc, and carnitines have also been widely used to reduce oxidative stress-induced spermatozoa damage. Although scientifically acceptable evidence of EMT is limited because of the lack of large, randomized, controlled studies, recent systematic reviews with meta-analyses have shown that the administration of gonadotropins, anti-estrogens, and oral antioxidants results in a significant increase in the live birth rate compared with control treatments. Therefore, all physicians who treat infertility should bear in mind that EMT can improve semen parameters and subsequent fertility potential through natural intercourse.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• v.45 no.2
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• pp.57-66
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• 2018

It has been estimated that approximately 15% of reproductive-age couples suffer from infertility. Male factors contribute to almost half of infertility cases, and in many patients the underlying cause of oligoasthenoteratozoospermia is unknown. Accumulating evidence suggests that oxidative stress plays a role as a contributing factor to male infertility, and reactive oxygen species have been shown to impair sperm function and motility and to damage sperm membrane and DNA. Therefore, this review explored the evidence provided by studies published from 2002 to 2017 on the impact of oral antioxidants (vitamin C, vitamin E, L-carnitine, coenzyme Q10, zinc, selenium, and pentoxifylline) on seminal fluid parameters in men with idiopathic oligoasthenoteratozoospermia. Most of the studies were randomized controlled studies that investigated the effect of single or combined antioxidants and reported improvements in at least one semen parameter. The most noteworthy effect that was found was that the use of multiple antioxidants increased sperm motility and concentration. Nonetheless, there is a lack of agreement on the dose, the duration of treatment, and whether individual or combined oral antioxidants should be used. Therefore, the current review provides evidence supporting the use of oral antioxidants in the treatment of infertile men with idiopathic oligoasthenoteratozoospermia.

• Women's Health Nursing
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.141-150
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• 2020

Purpose: High-quality nursing care must be provided for women with infertility, and their nursing needs must be identified. Although scales have been developed to assess infertility-related stress, quality of life, and psychosocial status, there is a lack of scales that assess the nursing needs of women with infertility. The purpose of this study was to develop a needs assessment scale for nursing care in women with infertility and to verify its reliability and validity. Methods: The 250 subjects in this study were women with infertility recruited from four hospitals. The scale was developed following the framework of DeVellis, through a literature review, in-depth interviews, development of preliminary items, verification of content validity, development of secondary items, verification of construct validity, and extraction of the final items. Date were analyzed using item analysis, factor analysis, confirmatory factor analysis, Pearson correlation coefficients, and Cronbach's alpha. Reliability was tested using Cronbach's alpha, and validity was evaluated using item analysis, exploratory factor analysis, and criterion validity. Results: The final version of the nursing needs assessment scale for woman with infertility consisted of 18 items. Four factors (physical and psychological nursing needs, needs for information regarding treatment, needs for infertility-related understanding and concern, and supportive needs) explained 66.0% of the total variance. Cronbach's alpha was .92 for the overall instrument and ranged from .88 to .91 for the subscales. Conclusion: These results suggest that this needs assessment scale for nursing care in women with infertility demonstrated acceptable validity and reliability and contained items suitable for assessing the level of nursing care needed by women with infertility.

• Journal of Veterinary Clinics
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.381-388
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• 1999

These investigations were performed to determine the causes of the reproductive disorders of the sows in a pig farm which was located at the distance 36m away from the detonation spot. The reproductive problems of the sows such as abortion and infertility occurred after consecutive detonation and use of heavy equipments to build 6 piers of the bridge for the expressway between Jinju and Taeieon during the period from July 1997 to October 1998. 1. The management condition of the farm, microorganism in the feed, inbreeding, hematological conditions, and viral agent causing abortion were not proved as the factors of the occurrence of abortion and infertility in the pig farm. 2. Theoretical concussion values according to the average amount of explosive per detonation were 1.16 kine for minimum amount (3.6 kg) and 3.45 kine for maximum amount(12.5 kg) of explosive, and the theoretical sound values were accordingly 92.29 decibel for minimum amount and 101.76 decibel for maximum amount of explosive, respectively, in the case of 36m distance between the detonation spot and pig farm. The frequency of detonation in a day was 7 times with interval of 15 minutes. 3. The occurence of infertility in the farm was 57.3% during the period of construction from July 1997 to August 1998. 4. In comparison of body weight of piglets between the damaged and not damaged farms, growth of piglets at the damaged farm was shown to be delayed over 30 days than those of not-damaged farm. In conclusion, abortion of 40 sows, delivery of whole still births of 22 sows, and infertility of 122 sows in the pig farm were assumed to be caused by the concussion or sound stress after consecutive detonation and use of heavy equipments.