Publications by authors named "Keiichi Morita"

Understanding how biological communities assemble in the presence of rapid evolution is becoming an important topic in ecology. Previous studies demonstrated that community assembly can be affected by two types of eco-evolutionary dynamics: evolution-mediated priority effect (EPE) and ecological character displacement (ECD). In EPE, early-arriving species prevent colonization of late-arriving species via local adaptation (i.

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  • This study examined factors that predict how well head and neck cancer patients respond to nivolumab, an anti-PD-1 treatment, focusing on clinical, microenvironmental, and genomic aspects.
  • It analyzed 100 patients, revealing that responders typically had lower smoking and drinking habits, more immune-related side effects, and higher PD-L1 expression compared to non-responders.
  • Additionally, factors like age, previous treatment with cetuximab, and specific gene mutations affected the response to treatment, highlighting the complexity of immune responses in cancer therapy.
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Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) is an autosomal dominant nevus disease characterized by multiple manifestations, primarily café-au-lait macules and neurofibromas. Here, we present the case of an NF1 patient with 47,XYY mosaicism whose diagnosis was prompted by café-au-lait macules on the skin and mandibular neurofibromas. Targeted next-generation sequencing of the patient's blood sample revealed a novel frameshift mutation in NF1 (NM_000267.

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  • - This study evaluated the long-term outcomes of slide tracheoplasty in 33 patients with congenital tracheal stenosis (CTS) over more than 5 years, focusing on patient characteristics and postoperative progress.
  • - Results showed the average age of surgery was 8 months; while most patients improved in tracheal stenosis rates, some experienced growth issues and developmental delays, especially those with genetic abnormalities.
  • - The findings suggest that while slide tracheoplasty is generally successful for CTS, careful monitoring and support are necessary for patients facing additional health challenges.
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Purpose: Congenital tracheal stenosis (CTS) has been reported to occur in 50-65% of cases of left pulmonary artery sling (LPAS), but the exact incidence rate is unknown. This study aimed to determine the actual rate using bronchoscopy and to elucidate morphological features in computed tomography (CT) diagnosis.

Methods: We performed a single institutional retrospective review of all patients with LPAS between January 2010 and March 2022.

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Purpose: A tracheoesophageal fistula (TEF) associated with complete tracheal rings (CTR) is extremely rare. This study aimed to elucidate the clinical features of this combination.

Methods: Records of 39 patients diagnosed with TEF with or without CTR between January 2013 and February 2023 were retrospectively reviewed.

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Infantile fibrosarcoma (IFS) commonly harbors ETS variant transcription factor 6 ()-neurotrophic receptor tyrosine kinase 3 () fusion. However, the recent accessibility to clinical next-generation sequencing (NGS) has revealed negative spindle cell sarcomas resembling IFS morphologically, involving and . The present report describes a pediatric case of spindle cell sarcoma with resembling IFS morphologically.

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Aim: To assess mid-/long-term postoperative quality of life (QOL) of esophageal atresia (EA) patients.

Methods: Modified gastrointestinal quality-of-life index surveys were administered to postoperative EA patients who were at least 7 years old at evaluation to assess three topics about general lifestyle (GL), five topics about EA, and four topics about mental health (MH). For MH, caregivers were also interviewed, but separately.

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Aim: To assess mid-/long-term quality of life (QOL) of total colonic aganglionosis (TCA) patients.

Methods: Modified pre-existing QOL assessment tools for general lifestyle (GL), bowel function (BF), and mental health (MH) were administered to postoperative TCA patients from five institutions, who were at least 7 years old to compare Duhamel (with pouch) and Swenson/Soave (without pouch) techniques between children (Ch 7-12 years old), teenagers (Tn 13-19), and adults (Ad 20 and over). For MH, caregivers were also interviewed, but separately.

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Purpose: The severity of congenital tracheal stenosis (CTS) is commonly evaluated based on the degree of stenosis. However, it does not always reflect the clinical respiratory status. We applied computational fluid dynamics (CFD) to the assessment of CTS.

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Purpose: Although surgical outcomes have improved in patients with congenital tracheal stenosis (CTS), the management of such patients with complex cardiovascular anomalies (CVAs) remains a challenge. This study aimed to clarify the clinical features of this combination.

Methods: Medical records of 14 patients with complex CVAs who had undergone slide tracheoplasty for CTS between May 2016 and February 2022 were retrospectively reviewed.

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Congenital tracheal stenosis (CTS) with unilateral pulmonary agenesis (UPA) is characterized by the absence of one or both lungs in the hemithorax and is often associated with airway distortion. Some UPA patients have high mortality and morbidity even postoperatively, and it remains unclear whether surgery increases the energy flux needed to drive airflow. Here, we used pre- and postoperative patient-specific airway models to numerically investigate tracheal flow in patients with CTS, especially flow associated with right UPA (CTS-RUPA).

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Objective: To evaluate the relationship between the changes in condylar volume and maxillofacial skeletal morphology according to sex as well as the relationship between condylar volume reduction and skeletal relapse in patients who underwent orthognathic surgery.

Methods: Ninety-five patients were categorized into skeletal Class III, Class II, and facial asymmetry groups. Computed tomography scans taken preoperatively and at 1 year postoperatively were used for quantitative measurement.

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Article Synopsis
  • - This study investigated how CT imaging helps in surgical decisions for patients with pulmonary artery sling, congenital tracheal stenosis, and underdeveloped right lungs.
  • - A total of 38 patients were categorized based on lung development, with a focus on the severity of tracheal bending and left pulmonary artery length for surgery planning.
  • - Results showed that most patients underwent successful tracheoplasty, though those with severe tracheal bending often needed additional procedures, and important differences in pulmonary artery length were noted between groups.
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Background: Perioperative management of congenital tracheal stenosis (CTS) is challenging. In the present study, compared the effect of closed-pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) perioperative management by pediatric intensivists and open-PICU management by surgeons. Outcomes in terms of ventilator-free days (VFD) and length of postoperative PICU stay in children with CTS were evaluated.

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Fetal lung interstitial tumor (FLIT) is a rare primary lung mass in neonates. Classical incisions, such as posterolateral thoracotomy or median sternotomy, do not provide optimal exposure of the operative field for the resection of pediatric thoracic giant tumors. Herein, we report a rare case of a FLIT in a full-term male neonate, with complete resection achieved using a hemi-clamshell approach, which provided the required visualization of the operative field.

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