The HI Tully-Fisher Relation of Early-Type Galaxies

We study the HI K-band Tully-Fisher relation and the baryonic Tully-Fisher relation for a sample of 16 early-type galaxies, taken from the ATLAS3D sample, which all have very regular HI disks extending well beyond the optical body (> 5 R_eff). We use the kinematics of these disks to estimate the circular velocity at large radii for these galaxies. We find that the Tully-Fisher relation for our early-type galaxies is offset by about 0.5-0.7 magnitudes from the relation for spiral galaxies. The residuals with respect to the spiral Tully-Fisher relation correlate with estimates of the stellar mass-to-light ratio, suggesting that the offset between the relations is mainly driven by differences in stellar populations. We also observe a small offset between our Tully-Fisher relation with the relation derived for the ATLAS3D sample based on CO data representing the galaxies' inner regions (< 1 R_eff). This indicates that the circular velocities at large radii are systematically 10% lower than those near 0.5-1 R_eff, in line with recent determinations of the shape of the mass profile of early-type galaxies. The baryonic Tully-Fisher relation of our sample is distinctly tighter than the standard one, in particular when using mass-to-light ratios based on dynamical models of the stellar kinematics. We find that the early-type galaxies fall on the spiral baryonic Tully-Fisher relation if one assumes M/L_K = 0.54 M_sun/L_sun for the stellar populations of the spirals, a value similar to that found by recent studies of the dynamics of spiral galaxies. Such a mass-to-light ratio for spiral galaxies would imply that their disks are 60-70% of maximal. Our analysis increases the range of galaxy morphologies for which the baryonic Tully-Fisher relations holds, strengthening previous claims that it is a more fundamental scaling relation than the classical Tully-Fisher relation.Comment: Accepted for publication in Astronomy & Astrophysic

The Bluedisks project, a study of unusually H I-rich galaxies - I. H I sizes and morphology

<p>We introduce the 'Bluedisk' project, a large programme at the Westerbork Synthesis Radio Telescope that has mapped the H i in a sample of 23 nearby galaxies with unusually high H i mass fractions, along with a similar-sized sample of control galaxies. This paper presents the sample selection, observational set-up, data reduction strategy and a first analysis of the sizes and structural properties of the H i discs. We find that the H i-rich galaxies lie on the same H i mass versus H i size relation as normal spiral galaxies, extending it to total H i masses of 2 x 10(10) M-circle dot and radii R1 of similar to 100 kpc. The H i-rich galaxies have significantly larger values of H i-to-optical size ratio and more clumpy H i discs than those of normal spirals. There is no evidence that the discs of H i-rich galaxies are more disturbed. In fact, the centre of the H i distribution corresponds more closely with the centre of the optical light in the H i-rich galaxies than in the controls. All these results argue against a scenario in which new gas has been brought in by mergers. It is possible that they may be more consistent with cooling from a surrounding quasi-static halo of warm/hot gas.</p>

The Bluedisks project, a study of unusually H i-rich galaxies – I. H i sizes and morphology

<p>We introduce the 'Bluedisk' project, a large programme at the Westerbork Synthesis Radio Telescope that has mapped the H i in a sample of 23 nearby galaxies with unusually high H i mass fractions, along with a similar-sized sample of control galaxies. This paper presents the sample selection, observational set-up, data reduction strategy and a first analysis of the sizes and structural properties of the H i discs. We find that the H i-rich galaxies lie on the same H i mass versus H i size relation as normal spiral galaxies, extending it to total H i masses of 2 x 10(10) M-circle dot and radii R1 of similar to 100 kpc. The H i-rich galaxies have significantly larger values of H i-to-optical size ratio and more clumpy H i discs than those of normal spirals. There is no evidence that the discs of H i-rich galaxies are more disturbed. In fact, the centre of the H i distribution corresponds more closely with the centre of the optical light in the H i-rich galaxies than in the controls. All these results argue against a scenario in which new gas has been brought in by mergers. It is possible that they may be more consistent with cooling from a surrounding quasi-static halo of warm/hot gas.</p>

Percutaneous coronary intervention versus coronary artery bypass grafting in patients with three-vessel or left main coronary artery disease: 10-year follow-up of the multicentre randomised controlled SYNTAX trial

Background: The Synergy between PCI with Taxus and Cardiac Surgery (SYNTAX) trial was a non-inferiority trial that compared percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) using first-generation paclitaxel-eluting stents with coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) in patients with de-novo three-vessel and left main coronary artery disease, and reported results up to 5 years. We now report 10-year all-cause death results. Methods: The SYNTAX Extended Survival (SYNTAXES) study is an investigator-driven extension of follow-up of a multicentre, randomised controlled trial done in 85 hospitals across 18 North American and European countries. Patients with de-novo three-vessel and left main coronary artery disease were randomly assigned (1:1) to the PCI group or CABG group. Patients with a history of PCI or CABG, acute myocardial infarction, or an indication for concomitant cardiac surgery were excluded. The primary endpoint of the SYNTAXES study was 10-year all-cause death, which was assessed according to the intention-to-treat principle. Prespecified subgroup analyses were performed according to the presence or absence of left main coronary artery disease and diabetes, and according to coronary complexity defined by core laboratory SYNTAX score tertiles. This study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03417050. Findings: From March, 2005, to April, 2007, 1800 patients were randomly assigned to the PCI (n=903) or CABG (n=897) group. Vital status information at 10 years was complete for 841 (93%) patients in the PCI group and 848 (95%) patients in the CABG group. At 10 years, 244 (27%) patients had died after PCI and 211 (24%) after CABG (hazard ratio 1·17 [95% CI 0·97–1·41], p=0·092). Among patients with three-vessel disease, 151 (28%) of 546 had died after PCI versus 113 (21%) of 549 after CABG (hazard ratio 1·41 [95% CI 1·10–1·80]), and among patients with left main coronary artery disease, 93 (26%) of 357 had died after PCI versus 98 (28%) of 348 after CABG (0·90 [0·68–1·20], pinteraction=0·019). There was no treatment-by-subgroup interaction with diabetes (pinteraction=0·66) and no linear trend across SYNTAX score tertiles (ptrend=0·30). Interpretation: At 10 years, no significant difference existed in all-cause death between PCI using first-generation paclitaxel-eluting stents and CABG. However, CABG provided a significant survival benefit in patients with three-vessel disease, but not in patients with left main coronary artery disease. Funding: German Foundation of Heart Research (SYNTAXES study, 5–10-year follow-up) and Boston Scientific Corporation (SYNTAX study, 0–5-year follow-up).</p

Identification of heart rate-associated loci and their effects on cardiac conduction and rhythm disorders

<p>Elevated resting heart rate is associated with greater risk of cardiovascular disease and mortality. In a 2-stage meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies in up to 181,171 individuals, we identified 14 new loci associated with heart rate and confirmed associations with all 7 previously established loci. Experimental downregulation of gene expression in Drosophila melanogaster and Danio rerio identified 20 genes at 11 loci that are relevant for heart rate regulation and highlight a role for genes involved in signal transmission, embryonic cardiac development and the pathophysiology of dilated cardiomyopathy, congenital heart failure and/or sudden cardiac death. In addition, genetic susceptibility to increased heart rate is associated with altered cardiac conduction and reduced risk of sick sinus syndrome, and both heart rate-increasing and heart rate-decreasing variants associate with risk of atrial fibrillation. Our findings provide fresh insights into the mechanisms regulating heart rate and identify new therapeutic targets.</p>