Greek MPs pro European but weary of European institutions

Syriza, a radical left party critical of the functioning of the EU institutions, won the Greek parliamentary elections of 25 January 2015 and formed a government coalition with the smaller right-wing eurosceptic party of Independent Greeks (ANEL). Does this mean that Greek political elites are hostile to the EU? The answer to this question is obviously affected by the context of the Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) and loan agreements signed in 2010 and 2012 between Greece and its creditors, when Greece was on the brink of default. The ways in which Greek MPs perceive the EU were the topic of our attitudinal survey research, supported by the Hellenic Observatory, among Greek MPs. Our survey was conducted in April – October 2014 and involved face-to-face interviews with 74 MPs (25 per cent of the total) who were randomly sampled and came from all Greek parties except for the communist party (the KKE traditionally refuses interviews). The survey is topical, as before the elections the Syriza and ANEL parties had taken a strong anti-Memorandum stand which they will try to implement as government partners, while the centre-right New Democracy (ND) and the centre-left Panhellenic Socialist Movement (PASOK), which were together in power in 2011-2014, had followed pro-Memorandum policies

What Greek political elites think about Europe and the crisis?: an exploratory analysis

In this paper the views of a sample of 74 Greek Members of Parliament (MPs) on European integration and the handling of the economic crisis by the EU are discussed and interpreted. The survey of MPs, which was conducted in 2014, is a replication of a comparable study conducted in 2007. Greek MPs continue to be attached to Europe, but evaluate negatively EU’s institutions’ role during the economic crisis. Overall, three groups of parliamentarians, namely pro-government MPs, parliamentarians self-placed at the centre of the left-right spectrum and more experienced MPs, tended to have more pro-European views and attitudes than MPs of the opposition, left-wing MPs and less experienced MPs. The dominant dimension of conflict for Greek political elites is the issue of the Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs). The SYRIZA-ANEL government that was formed after the January 2015 elections was not a surprise given the close proximity of these two parties on their stance towards the MoUs and the EU

Mucosal and lacrimal flaps for endonasal dacryocystorhinostomy (DCR):a systematic review

Background: Historically dacryocystorhinostomy (DCR) has been performed externally with very good outcomes. Current literature shows comparable success rates between endonasal and external approaches. A common reason for the failure of a DCR is the re-closure of the nasolacrimal stoma by granulation tissue and synechiae.Objective of review: A systematic review and critical evaluation of the evidence relating to the preservation of nasal mucosal flaps in DCR surgery.Type of review and evaluation method: A systematic review using the consort guidance for review of randomised control trials.Search strategy: A search of the following evidence-based medicine databases was performed: Cochrane database of systematic reviews (DSR), Database of abstracts of reviews of effectiveness (DARE), Cochrane central register of controlled trials (CCTR), Ovid, Medline, EMBASE, PubMed. The search was limited to English language articles and the following key words were used: Endonasal, Endoscopic, Dacryocystorhinostomy, DCR, Mucosal Flaps, between years 1970 and 2015.Results: The best available evidence was level 1B, comprising 2 randomised control trials and 3 comparative studies included in the review. The main outcome measures used were lacrimal irrigation and absence of epiphora. Two of the studies demonstrated a statistically significant benefit of mucosal sparing either with nasal mucosal flaps or lacrimal flaps. More debridement was needed and granulation tissue was also seen in the groups without mucosal preservation. There was no difference in surgical complications between a mucosal and non-mucosal sparing technique.Conclusions: The overall quality of current evidence is poor, there does however appear to be a trend towards improved outcomes and reduced granulation in groups where nasal mucosal and lacrimal flaps were preserved, but this is not clear-cut. There was no evidence of increased complication rates with mucosal sparing techniques. We recommend that until further good quality research is available we should be performing a mucosal sparing technique when performing DCR routinely.</p

Uninformed partisans? The redistributive preferences of young Greeks

Το παρόν άρθρο αποσκοπεί στην εξήγηση των (υποκειμενικών) αναδιανεμητικών προτιμήσεων των νέων, μιας ομάδας της οποίας οι προτιμήσεις δεν έχουν τύχει μεγάλης προσοχής, παραδόξως. Διερευνώνται οι προτιμήσεις έναντι ευθέως αναδιανεμητικών πολιτικών και θεσμών της αγοράς εργασίας. Εφαρμόζεται μια ερευνητική στρατηγική δύο σταδίων, με σκοπό να εντοπιστεί η επίδραση της πληροφόρησης και των προσωπικών οικονομικών προοπτικών, της ιδεολογίας και των πολιτικών στάσεων, σε δείγμα 533 φοιτητών. Η πληροφόρηση, δηλαδή η άρση, εν προκειμένω, του διαφανούς πέπλου άγνοιας των φοιτητών, δεν επηρεάζει τις προτιμήσεις τους. Οι τελευταίες διαμορφώνονται μέσω δύο μηχανισμών: του ιδεολογικοπολιτικού και του πολιτικοοικονομικού. Ο δεύτερος επηρεάζει την ένταση και όχι το περιεχόμενο των προτιμήσεωνThis paper adds to the literature on subjective redistributive preferences. Ιt aims at explaining the preferences of young people, a theme which has, paradoxically, been underresearched. The paper explores specific preferences over a range of redistributive policies and labour market institutions. A two-stage research strategy is employed to trace the impact of information, as well as the influence of self-interest, personal economic prospects, ideology, and political attitudes on redistributive preferences in a sample of 533 students. The provision of information – that is, lifting the porous veil of ignorance facing young persons – has virtually no effect on preferences. Two mechanisms are uncovered: an ideological-political and a political-economic one. The latter explains the intensity of redistributive preferences, but not their content and direction

Europe at the Epicenter of National Politics: The Attitudes of Greek Political Elites Towards the European Union and the Economic Crisis

This article presents new research on the Europeanness of Greek political elites under the economic crisis. It registers the views of a sample of 74 Greek Members of Parliament (MPs) on European integration and the handling of the economic crisis by the European Union (EU). The ENEC survey, which was conducted in 2014, shows that Greek MPs continue to be attached to Europe, but evaluate negatively the role of EU’s institutions during the economic crisis. They mostly view European integration positively, but are skeptical about the representativeness of EU organs. There is a discernible set of “core attitudes” which constitute the Europeanness of Greek MPs, but there is also a set of issues on which MPs are clearly divided. The dominant dimension of conflict within Greek political elites is the issue of economic austerity packages, i.e., the Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs), as since 2010 EU’s management of the crisis has become the epicenter of Greece’s domestic politics. The two party, SYRIZA-ANEL coalition government that was formed after the January 2015 elections was not a surprise given the close proximity of these two parties on their stance towards the MoUs and the EU

Endonasal versus external dacryocystorhinostomy for nasolacrimal duct obstruction

BACKGROUND: A dacryocystorhinostomy (DCR) procedure aims to restore drainage of tears by bypassing a blockage in the nasolacrimal duct, through the creation of a bony ostium that allows communication between the lacrimal sac and the nasal cavity. It can be performed using endonasal or external approaches. The comparative success rates of these two approaches have not yet been established and this review aims to evaluate the relevant up-to-date research.OBJECTIVES: The primary aim of this review is to compare the success rates of endonasal DCR with that of external DCR. The secondary aim is to compare the complication rates between the two procedures.SEARCH METHODS: We searched CENTRAL (which contains the Cochrane Eyes and Vision Group Trials Register) (2016, Issue 8), Ovid MEDLINE, Ovid MEDLINE In-Process and Other Non-Indexed Citations, Ovid MEDLINE Daily, Ovid OLDMEDLINE (January 1946 to 22 August 2016), Embase (January 1980 to 22 August 2016), Latin American and Caribbean Health Sciences Literature Database (LILACS) (January 1982 to 22 August 2016), Web of Science Conference Proceedings Citation Index- Science (CPCI-S) (January 1990 to 22 August 2016), the ISRCTN registry (www.isrctn.com/editAdvancedSearch), ClinicalTrials.gov (www.clinicaltrials.gov) and the World Health Organization (WHO) International Clinical Trials Registry Platform (ICTRP) (www.who.int/ictrp/search/en). We did not use any date or language restrictions in the electronic searches for trials. We last searched the electronic databases on 22 August 2016. We requested or examined relevant conference proceedings for appropriate trials.SELECTION CRITERIA: We included all randomised controlled trials (RCTs) comparing endonasal and external DCRs.DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Two review authors independently assessed studies for eligibility and extracted data on reported outcomes. We attempted to contact investigators to clarify the methodological quality of the studies. We graded the certainty of the evidence using GRADE.MAIN RESULTS: We included two trials in this review. One trial from Finland compared laser-assisted endonasal DCR with external DCR, and one trial from India compared mechanical endonasal DCR (using punch forceps) with external DCR. The trials were poorly reported and it was difficult to judge the extent to which bias had been avoided.Anatomic success was defined as the demonstration of a patent lacrimal passage on syringing, or endoscopic visualisation of fluorescein dye at the nasal opening of the anastomoses after a period of at least six months following surgery. Subjective success was defined as the resolution of symptoms of watering following surgery after a period of at least six months. Both included trials used anatomic patency demonstrated by irrigation as a measure of anatomic success. Different effects were seen in these two trials (I(2) = 76%). People receiving laser-assisted endonasal DCR were less likely to have a successful operation compared with external DCR (63% versus 91%; risk ratio (RR) 0.69, 95% confidence intervals (CI) 0.52 to 0.92; 64 participants). There was little or no difference in success comparing mechanical endonasal DCR and external DCR (90% in both groups; RR 1.00, CI 0.81 to 1.23; 40 participants). We judged this evidence on success to be very low-certainty, downgrading for risk of bias, imprecision and inconsistency. The trial from Finland also assessed subjective improvement in symptoms following surgery. Resolution of symptoms of watering in outdoor conditions was reported by 84% of the participants in the external DCR group and 59% of those in the laser-assisted endonasal DCR group (RR 0.70, CI 0.51 to 0.97; 64 participants, low-certainty evidence).There were no cases of intraoperative bleeding in any participant in the trial that compared laser-assisted endonasal DCR to external DCR. This was in contrast to the trial comparing mechanical endonasal DCR to external DCR in which 45% of participants in both groups experienced intraoperative bleeding (RR 1.00, 95% CI 0.50 to 1.98; 40 participants). We judged this evidence on intraoperative bleeding to be very low-certainty, downgrading for risk of bias, imprecision and inconsistency.There were only two cases of postoperative bleeding, both in the external DCR group (RR 0.33, 95% CI 0.04 to 3.10; participants = 104; studies = 2). There were only two cases of wound infection/gaping, again both in the external DCR group (RR 0.20, CI 0.01 to 3.92; participants = 40; studies = 1). We judged this evidence on complications to be very low-certainty, downgrading one level for risk of bias and two levels for imprecision due to the very low number of cases.AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: There is uncertainty as to the relative effects of endonasal and external DCR. Differences in effect seen in the two trials included in this review may be due to variations in the endonasal technique, but may also be due to other differences between the trials. Future larger RCTs are required to further assess the success and complication rates of endonasal and external DCR. Different techniques of endonasal DCR should also be assessed, as the choice of endonasal technique can influence the outcome. Strict outcome criteria should be adopted to assess functional and anatomical outcomes with a minimal follow-up of six months.</p

Endoscopic Dacryocystorhinostomy: Creation of a Large Marsupialized Lacrimal Sac

This retrospective study describes and evaluates the effectiveness of a modified technique of conventional endoscopic dacryocystorhinostomy (DCR) that minimizes the obstruction of a neo-ostium by creating an enlarged marsupialized lacrimal sac using mucosal flaps. Forty-two patients who had undergone 46 endoscopic DCR at a tertiary medical center, from 2002 to 2004, for correction of lacrimal system obstruction were investigated. The surgical technique involves elevation of a nasal mucosal flap, full sac exposure using a power drill, and shaping of the mucosal flap to cover denuded bone and juxtapose exposed sac mucosa. Postoperative symptoms and endoscopic findings of the neo-ostium were evaluated. Mean duration of follow-up was 5.9 months. An eighty-three percent primary success rate was observed, without any serious complications. Obstruction of the neo-ostium with granulation tissue was observed in eight cases, among which six underwent revision with success in all cases. Overall, 44 (96%) of 46 cases experienced surgical successes. Endoscopic DCR, a procedure in which a large marsupialized lacrimal sac is created from mucosal flaps, yields a very satisfactory success rate with straightforward and highly successful revision available for those in whom the primary procedure yields a substandard result