Congenital mitral valve regurgitation in adult patients.

OBJECTIVE: Congenital mitral valve regurgitation (MVR) is a rare disease found in adults. We report on our 5-year surgical experience with congenital MVR in adults. METHODS: We reviewed the data for 48 consecutive patients (26 men), aged >18 years (median, 42 years; range, 18-78 years) who underwent operations for severe congenital MVR between June 2005 and May 2010. Patients with atrioventricular septal defect were excluded. RESULTS: Congenital MVR was preoperatively diagnosed in 28 cases (58%). The lesions consisted of annular dilation (100%), valvular cleft (58%), prolapsed leaflet (40%), papillary muscle abnormality (5%), commissure fusion (2%), and leaflet deficiency (2%). Mitral valve repair was performed in 42 cases (88%) by means of Carpentier techniques. The other 6 patients underwent mitral valve replacement; one of these patients died of ventricular fibrillation 2 days after surgery. There were no other hospital deaths or late mortality. At the last follow-up (median, 38 months; range, 2-50 months), all 47 patients were in New York Heart Association functional class I or II. Echocardiography evaluations for the 42 patients who underwent the repairs revealed that 32 (76%) of the patients had no or trivial MVR and 10 patients (24%) had mild MVR. No patient underwent reoperation. CONCLUSION: Congenital MVR is rare and often misdiagnosed in adults. Mitral valve repair is feasible in the majority of patients, with excellent immediate and medium-term results.

[A new species of the genus Phenylobacterium for the degradation of LAS (linear alkylbenzene sulfonate)].

A strain GZ6 that can biodegrade LAS (Linear Alkylbenzene Sulphonate) is identified. It is aerobic gram-negative rod or short-rod (0.5 to 0.8 by 1.0 to 2.0 Mm). It is mobile with a single polar flagellum. Optimum growth occurred at 30 degrees C and pH7.0. It is catalase positive, urease positive, and arginine decarboxylase positive. All the other physiological and biochemical tests performed were negative. It utilizes the xenobiotic compounds chloridazon, antipyrin and LAS as sole carbon sources. Most sugars, alcohols, and carboxylic acids are not utilized. It has Q-10 as the major quinone. The main cell fatty acids are Sum7, C16:0 and Sum4. The DNA G + C mol % content is 70.10. A phylogenic tree was constructed on the basis of 16S rDNA sequences. It showed that the previously known member of the genus Phenylobacterium, Phenylobacterium mobile DSM1986T, is the nearest neighbor to strain GZ6. The level of binary sequence similarity between them is 97.49%. And the DNA-DNA relatedness is 40%. These genetic analysis and their morphological difference show that they are different species of Phenylobacterium. A new species, Phenylobacterium mobile sp. nov., has been proposed.

Rhodococcus maanshanensis sp. nov., a novel actinomycete from soil.

A polyphasic study was undertaken to establish the taxonomic position of a soil isolate that had provisionally been assigned to the genus Rhodococcus. The organism showed a combination of phenotypic properties typical of rhodococci and formed a distinct phyletic line within the Rhodococcus erythropolis 165 rDNA subclade. The organism was readily distinguished from representatives of validly described species classified in this subclade on the basis of DNA-DNA relatedness and phenotypic data. Consequently, it is proposed that the organism be recognized as a novel species of Rhodococcus, Rhodococcus maanshanensis sp. nov. The type strain is strain M712(T) (= AS 4.1720(T) = JCM 11374(T)).