No abstract available.
Vulva*

OBJECTIVE: Recently, telomerase activity was found in normal physiologically regenerating cells as well as cancer cells or germ cells. Human endometrium is also physiologically regenerating tissues and undergoes regular and dynamic changes during the menstrual cycle. So the authors examined normal human endometrial tissues for telomerase activity according to menstrual cycle. METHOD: In the current study, 66 normal human endometrial tissues were analyzed for telomerase activity by a radioisotope polimerase chain reaction-based telomeric repeat amplification protocol assay. RESULTS: Of 27 proliferative phase endometrial samples, 22(81%) expressed telomerase activity, whereas 10 of 23(43%) secretory phase sample, 2 of 10(10%) postmenopausal sample, 1 of 6(17%) pregnant endometrial sample did(P<0.05). 4 of 27(15%) endometrial samples in the proliferative phase expressed high telomerase activity after 100-fold dilution of extract, whereas 1 of 23(4%) from secretory phase, none of the 10 postmenopausal and 6 pregnant endometrial samples did. The highest activity was observed in late proliferative phase. CONCLUSION: This study indicates that normal endometrium expresses telomerase, the activity of which changes dramatically and regularly during the course of the menstrual cycle.
Endometrium* ; Female ; Germ Cells ; Humans ; Menstrual Cycle* ; Telomerase*

Cell growth rate and the secretion of ectopin hormones such as human chorionic gonadotropin(hCG), free beta-subunit and beta core fragment of hCG, were measured in the culture media with various serum concentrations from ovarian carcinoma cell lines, Bixler and Bix2NMB. The concentrations of fetal bovine serum contained in the culture media that showed the most active cell growth and hormone secretion were investigated to decide the best optimal serum concentration as one of the appropriate culture conditions in the experiment using cell culture. Ovarian concer cells were not able to proliferate in the media without serum. Cells proliferated more actively in higher concentration of serum. They secreted more hormone according to the increment of confluency as long as they secreted hormone. These findings suggest that serum is essential for surviving and cellular activity of cancer cells. The selection of the optimal serum concentration of culture media is very important to get appropriate data from the experiments which use cell culture technique. It is considered that we must have the knowledge on the most efficient concentration of serum in the culture media or on the exact percentage of serum in the media that matched to that of in vivo.
Cell Culture Techniques ; Cell Line ; Chorion ; Chorionic Gonadotropin* ; Culture Media* ; Humans* ; Ovarian Neoplasms*

No abstract available.
Liver Diseases* ; Liver* ; Pregnancy*

To evaluate the effects of pregnancy-induced hypertension (PIH) to the iron status of fetuses, umbilical cord blood of 35 newborn borne by PIH mothers and of 37 normal term infants delivered at Yeungnam University Hospital from September 1, 1993 to September 30, 1994, were studied. The serum hemoglobin concentration of women with PIH was significantly higher than normal full-term pregnant women. There was no significant difference in serum hemoglobin concetration between women with PIH and normal full-term pregnant women and their newborn infants. There was no significant difference in serum hemoglobin concentration between infants iof women with PIH and normal full-term infants. The serum iron concentration of newborn infants of women with PIH was higher and the serum ferritin concentration of newborn infants of women with PIH was lower than normal full-term infants, but there were no significant difference between the two groups. The serum total iron-binding capactity and unsaturated iron-binding capacity of infants of women with PIH were significantly higher than normal full-term infants. The newborn infants of PIH women seemed that they might have occult depletion of iron store and need meticulous follow up during early neonatal period.
Female ; Ferritins ; Fetal Blood ; Fetus ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Hypertension* ; Hypertension, Pregnancy-Induced ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn* ; Iron ; Mothers* ; Pregnancy ; Pregnant Women

The World Association for Sexology (WAS) will adopt a Declaration of Sexual Right as basic and fundamental human lights August this year in Hong Kong. Two years ago WAS has been developing a declaration of Sexual Rights in order to further promote sexual health and protect the sexual rights of everyone. Undoubtedly sexuality is one of the most intriguing subject in the area of human behavior abd psychology, and has been so since antiquity. The influence of sexual factors of human on all aspects of the society has been immense. The varieties of marriage, from traditional to the open marriage model are presented in front of our sight. The influences of women's movement in Korea, which has produced sexual, psychological, economic, political, familial and social changes look so small and the changes are not that much in America. But the profound effects of the woman's movement affect on Korean society being realized as man's view of woman and woman's view of herself undergo constant change and revaluation. With increased sexual awareness on the part of the public owing to mass media, for example AH-U-SEONG aired in TV and with increased emphasis on sexual matters in daily life, more and more physicians are being asked to deal with and manage sex-related problems in thei daily practice. Yet, despite the obvious need for informed sexual counseling, doctors are often uncomfortable about sexual matters and many physicians have no special expertise in this area. So physicians concerned in sexology especially such as gynecologists, urologists, psychiatrists and endocrinologists must realize well about sex-related knowledge which is needed for counseling the patient as medical consumer and gap between reality and ideality in sexual diagnosis and treatment. Establishment of management system for the people who have sexual problems is strongly needed to promote sexual health and protect the sexual rights of everyone and for the Sexual Rights as basic and fundamental human rights.
Americas ; Counseling ; Diagnosis ; Female* ; Hong Kong ; Human Rights ; Humans ; Korea* ; Marriage ; Mass Media ; Psychiatry ; Psychology ; Reproductive Health ; Sexology* ; Sexuality ; Social Change

No abstract available.
Humans ; Mothers*

No abstract available.
Twins, Conjoined*

No abstract available.
Twins, Conjoined*

OBJECTIVE: To determine clitoral size of Korean newborn and androgen hormone levels in clitomegalic newborn. METHODS: The clitoral sizes of 236 Korean female newborn and mother were measured from January in 2000 to March in 2001. Androgen hormone levels were obtained in 11 infants with clitomegaly in order to evaluate the relationship between clitoral hypertrophy and androgen levels. RESULTS: The mean clitoral size of the 236 newborn was 3.82+/-1.47 mm in length and 2.95+/-1.79 mm in width. The mean clitoral size of the 236 postpartum women was 15.8+/-1.03 mm in length and 3.27+/-1.12 mm in width. In the premature infants the clitoral length and width were 4.45+/-1.79 mm and 3.53+/-1.51 mm respectively. In the normal birth weight infants they were 3.70+/-0.75 mm and 2.02+/-0.84 mm respectively. In clitomegalic infants the clitoral size was 5.8+/-0.7 mm in length and 3.7+/-0.4 mm in width. The serum testosterone level was 1.620+/-0.015 nmol/L and dihydrotestoteronesulfate (DHEAS) level 8.44+/-0.01 nmol/L. CONCLUSION: There was no significant correlation between gestational age and clitoral size, but significant negative correlation was found between birth weight and clitoral size. In 11 clito-magalic infants serum androgen was normal level. Also, there was no different clitoral size between clitomagalic infant mothers and normal infant mothers. These RESULTS: suggest that there would be no significant correlation between infantile clitomegaly and androgen level.
Birth Weight ; Female* ; Gestational Age ; Humans ; Hypertrophy* ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn* ; Infant, Premature ; Mothers ; Postpartum Period ; Testosterone