La condicionalidad UE en la lucha contra la corrupción en la administración pública rumana
This paper analyses the European Union pressure in the fight against corruption in the Romanian public administration, using as basis of analysis the evaluations of the European Commission until 2007 and the reports of the post-accession stage, issued in the period 2007-2012, under the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism.
Post-Accession Conditionality Support Instrument for Continuous Pressure?
The establishment of a Cooperation and Verification Mechanism for monitoring Bulgaria’s and Romania’s progress in the areas of judiciary and fight against corruption not only confirms the evolutionary nature of EU conditionality, but introduces a new feature, that of post-accession conditionality. More than three years after accession, neither Bulgaria nor Romania have managed to tackle the remaining issues and the scrupulous monitoring mechanism is still maintained. What are the main features and limitations of post-accession conditionality? Why does the effectiveness of EU conditionality deteriorate after accession? The article outlines a conceptual framework for comparative study of pre-accession and post-accession conditionality. On the basis of a stage-structured conditionality model, it discusses the transformations of the main elements of conditionality before and after accession and argues that the absence of accession advancement rewards combined with toothless explicit threats for sanctioning non-compliance produce very weak negative incentive structure which undermines the effectiveness of post-accession conditionality. The study, which draws on extensive interviews with senior EU officials and examination of key EU documents, highlights the growing application of differentiated and targeted conditionality and concludes with a reflection on the future of the mechanism and its implications for the ongoing enlargement of the Union with countries of the Western Balkans and Turkey.
Clinical and echocardiographic characteristics of cardiac blood cysts.
BACKGROUND
Cardiac blood cysts (BCs) are rare benign cardiac masses. This study aimed to summarize the clinical and echocardiographic characteristics and clinical outcomes of patients with BCs.


METHODS
This retrospective study enrolled patients diagnosed with BC between 2009 and 2021 at a single center in China. Their clinical and echocardiographic characteristics, management, and outcomes at follow-up are summarized.


RESULTS
The study population comprised 26 patients with BCs with a mean age of 40 ± 19 years (median, 42 years; range, 27-56 years). The cohort was predominantly male (16, 62%). Twenty-two (81%) patients were symptomatic: dyspnea or exertional dyspnea (11, 42%) and palpitations (6, 23%) were the most frequent symptoms. Most cysts appeared as single round, oval, or lobulated anechoic masses, measuring 4-30 mm (mean, 18 mm). Half of the BCs (13, 50%) were pedunculated and mobile, and the others swung with the movement of the valve. The mitral valve (13, 50%) was the most common site of occurrence, followed by the tricuspid valve (6, 23%), right atrium (4, 15%), and aortic valve (3, 12%). Contrast echocardiography, which was performed for two patients, revealed a closed cyst without bubbles. Five cases were complicated by left ventricular outflow tract obstruction and six by valve prolapse. Eighteen patients underwent surgery, and one received antiplatelet therapy. Cardiovascular or cerebrovascular events did not occur in any patient during the follow-up period.


CONCLUSION
Cardiac BCs are most commonly attached to the atrioventricular valve. Echocardiography is considered to be the most useful imaging modality for assessing BC. The management of patients with BC should be individualized based on the symptoms and associated complications.