François Hollande can recover only if he spells out a more ambitious vision and delivers on reforms

One year on from his election to the French Presidency, François Hollande now faces criticism from all corners over his handling of the economy and apparent failures to address France’s structural weaknesses. Renaud Thillaye writes that while some of these criticisms are misplaced, Hollande must nevertheless work hard to spell out a clear vision of how France can match growth with social justice, while reconciling necessary structural reforms with the values of the left

The key focus for the EU should be on producing results for its citizens, not institutional reform and procedural changes

The results of the European Parliament elections have prompted a number of European politicians to call for a reform process aimed at enhancing democracy and solving existing issues within the EU’s institutional framework. Renaud Thillaye writes that while ‘reform’ may be the mantra of the day, what European voters really want are tangible results, such as improved economic performance and stronger social policies. He argues that any EU-level reform effort is unlikely to alter public opinion and that only by achieving real results for citizens can support for the integration process be secured

What voting patterns in the European Parliament say about UK political parties’ stance on Europe

Renaud Thillaye analyses how British MEPs voted during the 2009-14 European Parliament. He finds that each of the four parties (Conservatives, LibDems, Labour and UKIP) had a distinctive attitude in the European Parliament and varying degrees of success. The LibDems are reliable partners, Labour’s attitude has been more intricate and ambiguous, the Conservatives can be seen as reluctant, and UKIP, unsurprisingly, stands out as ‘dismissive’. The analysis confirms the difficulty for political parties of reconciling engagement at EU level and domestic politics

The outer limiting membrane (OLM) revisited: clinical implications

PURPOSE: The outer limiting membrane (OLM) is considered to play a role in maintaining the structure of the retina through mechanical strength. However, the observation of junction proteins located at the OLM and its barrier permeability properties may suggest that the OLM may be part of the retinal barrier. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Normal and diabetic rat, monkey, and human retinas were used to analyze junction proteins at the OLM. Proteome analyses were performed using immunohistochemistry on sections and flat-mounted retinas and western blotting on protein extracts obtained from laser microdissection of the photoreceptor layers. Semi-thin and ultrastructure analyses were also reported. RESULTS: In the rat retina, in the subapical region zonula occludens-1 (ZO-1), junction adhesion molecule (JAM), an atypical protein kinase C, is present and the OLM shows dense labeling of occludin, JAM, and ZO-1. The presence of occludin has been confirmed using western blot analysis of the microdissected OLM region. In diabetic rats, occludin expression is decreased and glial cells junctions are dissociated. In the monkey retina, occludin, JAM, and ZO-1 are also found in the OLM. Junction proteins have a specific distribution around cone photoreceptors and Müller glia. Ultrastructural analyses suggest that structures like tight junctions may exist between retinal glial Müller cells and photoreceptors. CONCLUSIONS: In the OLM, heterotypic junctions contain proteins from both adherent and tight junctions. Their structure suggests that tight junctions may exist in the OLM. Occludin is present in the OLM of the rat and monkey retina and it is decreased in diabetes. The OLM should be considered as part of the retinal barrier that can be disrupted in pathological conditions contributing to fluid accumulation in the macula

Choroidal mast cells in retinal pathology: a potential target for intervention.

Mast cells are important in the initiation of ocular inflammation, but the consequences of mast cell degranulation on ocular pathology remain uncharacterized. We induced mast cell degranulation by local subconjunctival injection of compound 48/80. Initial degranulation of mast cells was observed in the choroid 15 minutes after the injection and increased up to 3 hours after injection. Clinical signs of anterior segment inflammation paralleled mast cell degranulation. With the use of optical coherence tomography, dilation of choroidal vessels and serous retinal detachments (SRDs) were observed and confirmed by histology. Subconjunctival injection of disodium cromoglycate significantly reduced the rate of SRDs, demonstrating the involvement of mast cell degranulation in posterior segment disorders. The infiltration of polymorphonuclear and macrophage cells was associated with increased ocular media concentrations of tumor necrosis factor-α, CXCL1, IL-6, IL-5, chemokine ligand 2, and IL-1β. Analysis of the amounts of vascular endothelial growth factor and IL-18 showed an opposite evolution of vascular endothelial growth factor compared with IL-18 concentrations, suggesting that they regulate each other's production. These findings suggest that the local degranulation of ocular mast cells provoked acute ocular inflammation, dilation, increased vascular permeability of choroidal vessels, and SRDs. The involvement of mast cells in retinal diseases should be further investigated. The pharmacologic inhibition of mast cell degranulation may be a potential target for intervention

Book review: The passage to Europe: how a continent became a union

"The Passage to Europe: How a Continent Became a Union." Luuk van Middelaar. Yale University Press. May 2013. --- Given the current economic crisis and questions about the legitimacy of the European Union, what is the future of European integration? As the EU faces its most serious economic and political test, Luuk Van Middelaar’s account of its history asks us to reconsider the forces that underpin the EU, hold it together and drive it forward. Renaud Thillaye finds that this timely book reinforces the notion that we can accept the current uncertainty about the future of the EU, while remaining confident about its purpose

EU leaders must overcome their short-term thinking and reassert what the EU stands for

As the EU’s leaders gather in Brussels today to negotiate the EU budget for 2014-2020, Renaud Thillaye argues that a shared and positive vision for the EU is sorely lacking among European leaders. He writes that the more balanced and resilient growth model pursued by the Europe 2020 strategy provides the basis of such a vision beyond deficit reduction targets. This long term perspective is particularly crucial in the Eurozone

EU leaders need to confront the political dilemmas of theEurozone crisis

Alongside economic issues, there is also a political dimension to the Eurozone crisis. Renaud Thillaye emphasises the importance of this political debate and highlights the key questions which must be addressed by European policymakers as part of any solution. The potential for the crisis to deepen socio-economic divergences between member states, and the future relationship between Eurozone countries and the rest of the EU-27 must be addressed. The EU must also be reconciled with democratic politics and European citizens’ often weak sense of identification, if it is to remain legitimate

Despite a historic fall in spending, last week’s budget deal will help to increase the EU’s effectiveness

At last week’s European Council summit, the EU’s leaders agreed to a real terms spending cut to the EU budget for the first time. Despite this, Patrick Diamond and Renaud Thillaye argue that not only could the overall amount of money spent at EU level be higher in the next seven years, but that a great deal will also depend on the national actors’ capacity to draw on co-financing opportunities. Far from being a disaster for the European centre-left, this budget contains some important aspects, such as the Youth Unemployment Initiative