The Euro-Mediterranean challenge : democratisation or good governance?

The EU’s Mediterranean initiatives have their strong and weak points. For that reason some recently proposed policy directions are worthy of close scrutiny. The first, which however will not be analysed at length here, concerns the interface between the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership (EMP) and the new Neighbourhood Policy as well as the Strategic Partnership with the countries of the Middle East which was announced last June. Has the EMP been devoured by the Neighbourhood Policy so that in fact we are living in the post-EMP stage already? Many are confounded by this uncertainty and the EU needs to clarify the position as soon as possible in order to ensure greater transparency of goals and perhaps improved decisiveness in action. The second issue which shall be analysed at more length here is that as a result of modest policy achievements in the Mediterranean region, that have often been judged to fall short of projected targets, the EU seems to be constantly groping for useful conceptual tools that would extricate its initiatives from the morass of ineffectiveness. Prescriptions are often discarded as quickly as they are prepared. Rather heroically last year the Commission was proposing mainstreaming human rights in its policies towards the Mediterranean region in an aggressive manner. Recent Commission proposals seem to suggest that the EU ought to pursue good governance first. Does this entail that democratic reforms and main-streaming democracy have taken a back seat in the Commission’s approach to the Mediterranean? What is the position of the member states? What the Commission seems to be suggesting is that the EU should first pursue good governance and democracy may or may not follow afterwards.peer-reviewe

Additional file 3: of Randomized phase II trial of autologous dendritic cell vaccines versus autologous tumor cell vaccines in metastatic melanoma: 5-year follow up and additional analyses

Figure S1. Consort diagram for MACVAC trial. (DOC 31 kb

Additional file 2: of Randomized phase II trial of autologous dendritic cell vaccines versus autologous tumor cell vaccines in metastatic melanoma: 5-year follow up and additional analyses

Table S2. Relationship between stage at time of tumor collection for cell line and disease status at the time of randomization. (DOCX 13 kb

Additional file 1: of Randomized phase II trial of autologous dendritic cell vaccines versus autologous tumor cell vaccines in metastatic melanoma: 5-year follow up and additional analyses

Table S1. Success rate for cell cultures started from metastatic melanoma samples obtained during 2006–2011 (era of MACVAC trial). (DOCX 14 kb

Differentiation of hNPs into neuronal subtypes after 3 weeks of maturation.

<p>A) Cells were immunopositive for ChAT, demonstrating that the majority of hNPs have the potential to become cholinergic neurons. B) 5HT expression was detected in a subset of cells, demonstrating that hNPs have the potential to become serotonergic neurons. C) GABA_A receptor α1 expression was detected in a subset of cells, demonstrating the ability to become GABA-responsive neurons. D) TH expression was detected in a subset of cells, demonstrating the ability to become dopaminergic neurons. E) DARPP32 expression was detected in a subset of cells, demonstrating the ability to become striatal interneurons. F) Few GFAP positive cells were identified in matured cultures.</p

Differentiation of hESCs into neuronal progenitor cells.

<p>A) Neurospheres at day 14 of differentiation. B) After plating of neurospheres, neuroepithelial cells displayed a typical morphology by days 16–18 of differentiation. C) Musashi-1immunolabeling of cells. D) Nestin (red) and TUJ1 (green) immunolabeling of cells demonstrated a high percentage of co-localization. E) Ki67 immunolabeling revealed that a portion of hNPs are mitotic. F) Doublecortin immunolabeling revealed a high percentage of new neurons.</p

RNA expression of matured cultures is consistent with a neuronal lineage.

<p>A) Several neurogenic genes were up-regulated after 3 weeks of maturation, as compared to undifferentiated hNPs. B) S100A6 and SOX8 genes, which are often expressed in glial cells, were down-regulated in the matured cultures, as compared to undifferentiated hNPs.</p

Differentiation of hNPs into neurons after 3 weeks of maturation.

<p>A) hNP-derivates displayed a highly branched morphology, consistent with a neuronal phenotype. B) Immunolabeling with TUJ1 (green) and GFAP (red) revealed a high purity neuronal culture with few astrocytes. C) Cells were immunopositive for Tau, a microtubule associated protein, consistent with neuronal differentiation. D) Cells were immunopositive for MAP2, a microtubule associated protein, consistent with neuronal differentiation.</p

Culture manipulation altered the percentage of neuronal subtype derivates.

<p>In RA free conditions with the addition of factors (A), DARPP32 expression was detected in a subset of cells (B), demonstrating the ability to become GABA-responsive neurons. In RA free conditions with the addition of factors (C), 5-HT expression was detected in a subset of cells (D), demonstrating the ability to become serotonergic neurons. In RA free conditions with the addition of BDNF, ChAT expression was detected in a subset of cells (E), demonstrating the ability to become cholinergic neurons. F) In RA free conditions with the addition of BDNF, 5-HT and ChAT colocalize. G) Alteration of growth factors in RA-free conditions changes ChAT expression. In RA free conditions with the addition of FGF2 (H), TH expression was detected in a subset of cells (I), demonstrating the ability to become dopaminergic neurons. J) In RA-containing conditions, few or no TH positive cells were present.</p

Differentiation of hNPs 3 months after transplantation to spinal cord injury sites.

<p>A) Human nuclei-positive cells (green) expressed TUJ1 (red), consistent with a neuronal phenotype. B) Human nuclei-positive cells (green) expressed doublecortin (red), consistent with a young neuronal phenotype. C) Human nuclei-positive cells (green) expressed p75 (red), consistent with young motor, sensory and sympathetic neurons. D) Human nuclei-positive cells (green) expressed GAD 65–67 (red), consistent with an interneuronal phenotype. E) Human nuclei-positive cells (brown) expressed ChAT (gray), consistent with a cholinergic phenotype (nuclear counterstain in purple). F) Human specific NCAM (green) and synaptophysin (red) immunolabeling suggests integration of transplanted cells with the host environment.</p