HETDEX pilot survey for emission-line galaxies - I. Survey design, performance, and catalog

We present a catalog of emission-line galaxies selected solely by their emission-line fluxes using a wide-field integral field spectrograph. This work is partially motivated as a pilot survey for the upcoming Hobby-Eberly Telescope Dark Energy Experiment (HETDEX). We describe the observations, reductions, detections, redshift classifications, line fluxes, and counterpart information for 397 emission-line galaxies detected over 169 sq.arcmin with a 3500-5800 Ang. bandpass under 5 Ang. full-width-half-maximum (FWHM) spectral resolution. The survey's best sensitivity for unresolved objects under photometric conditions is between 4-20 E-17 erg/s/sq.cm depending on the wavelength, and Ly-alpha luminosities between 3-6 E42 erg/s are detectable. This survey method complements narrowband and color-selection techniques in the search for high redshift galaxies with its different selection properties and large volume probed. The four survey fields within the COSMOS, GOODS-N, MUNICS, and XMM-LSS areas are rich with existing, complementary data. We find 104 galaxies via their high redshift Ly-alpha emission at 1.9<z<3.8, and the majority of the remainder objects are low redshift [OII]3727 emitters at z<0.56. The classification between low and high redshift objects depends on rest frame equivalent width, as well as other indicators, where available. Based on matches to X-ray catalogs, the active galactic nuclei (AGN) fraction amongst the Ly-alpha emitters (LAEs) is 6%. We also analyze the survey's completeness and contamination properties through simulations. We find five high-z, highly-significant, resolved objects with full-width-half-maximum sizes >44 sq.arcsec which appear to be extended Ly-alpha nebulae. We also find three high-z objects with rest frame Ly-alpha equivalent widths above the level believed to be achievable with normal star formation, EW(rest)>240 Ang.Comment: 45 pages, 36 figures, 5 tables, submitted to ApJ

Predictors of recurrent stroke after percutaneous closure of patent foramen ovale

Aims: Closure of patent foramen ovale following presumed paradoxical embolic stroke remains controversial. The answer to the question as to whether cardiovascular risk factors (CVRF) impact on the recurrence of stroke in patients who have undergone PFO closure remains elusive so far. We aimed to investigate the potential impact of CVRF on the long-term rate of stroke/TIA recurrence in patients treated with an occluder following presumed paradoxical embolic stroke. Methods and results: 443 patients (mean age: 50.0 +/- 12.6 yrs, female: 206 [46.5%]) undergoing percutaneous PFO closure after presumed paradoxical embolic stroke were followed for a median time of 43.0 [inter-quartile range: 20.0-86.0] months. During the follow-up period a total of 22 (5.0%) strokes/TIAs and 17 (3.8%) deaths were observed. Cox regression analysis identified hypertension, age and the Essen stroke risk score as predictors of recurrent stroke/TIA. Conclusions: This study shows that, in patients with a prior presumed paradoxical embolic stroke, the risk for recurrent stroke/TIA after PFO closure is firmly linked to the presence of CVRF

Liberation of vessel-adherent myeloperoxidase reflects plaque burden in patients with stable coronary artery disease

Objective: Myeloperoxidase (MPO) has emerged as an important pathophysiological determinant of inflammatory vascular artery disease. It is appreciated that vessel immobilized, rather than circulating, MPO is critical for the progression of atherosclerotic lesions. The objective of this study was to investigate whether vessel-immobilized MPO is associated with the extent of coronary plaque burden. Methods: MPO plasma levels were determined by ELISA before and after heparin-release of vessel-bound MPO, to study the relation between vascular MPO deposition and densitometrically assessed coronary plaque burden in 77 patients with stable coronary artery disease. Results: Patients with a low increase in MPO plasma levels upon heparinization had a significantly smaller total plaque area and volume (12.1[IR: 6.2-19.4] mm(2) vs. 19.8[IR:11.3-31.5] mm(2), p < 0.01; 27.8 [IR: 12.3-44.8]mm(3) vs. 55.2[IR: 24.2-87.5] mm(3), p < 0.05). Multivariable linear regression revealed that Delta MPO was independently associated with plaque area, and that Delta MPO increased with the number of affected vessels. Selective sampling confirmed the predominant role of coronary MPO deposition. Conclusion: Our data demonstrate that heparin-induced mobilization of vessel-bound MPO is closely linked to coronary plaque burden and thus further corroborate the evidence for the intimate involvement of this enzyme in vascular pathophysiology, as well as the importance of inflammation in atherosclerosis. (C) 2013 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved