scholarly journals A Comparison of Rapid Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy Testing Methods on Autolyzed Bovine Brain Tissue

2005 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 99-102 ◽  
Author(s):  
Angus Wear ◽  
Kirstine Henderson ◽  
Kath Webster ◽  
Indu Patel
Keyword(s):  
Western Blot ◽  
Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy ◽  
Bovine Brain ◽  
Spongiform Encephalopathy ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Routine Testing ◽  
New Methods ◽  
Surveillance Programs ◽  
The Eu ◽  
Do So

In 1999, the European Union (EU) approved 3 rapid methods for the testing of bovine brain samples for the presence of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE). The evaluation that led to the approval did not include an analysis of autolyzed material. Member states of the EU have active surveillance programs for BSE, which target fallen stock as well as other categories of cattle. Autolysis is a common feature of fallen stock samples because there can be a considerable delay between death and collection of samples. Therefore, it is important to know whether these tests perform optimally on autolyzed samples. The Veterinary Laboratories Agency (VLA) selected 250 positive fallen stock samples. These had been detected during routine testing using the Prionics®-Check Western blot and confirmed as BSE cases by immunohistochemistry or electron microscopy. Samples were graded according to the degree of autolysis and then tested by the 3 methods: Prionics®-Check Western blot, Platelia test, and Enfer test. All 3 methods correctly classified the samples as positive BSE cases, therefore alleviating doubt about their ability to do so. Subsequent EU validation exercises, such as those conducted in 2002–2003, have included the testing of autolyzed material. It is important that all new methods be evaluated on autolyzed tissue before approval for official use.

14. Review of Legality:

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul Craig ◽  
Gráinne de Búrca
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Legal System ◽  
Judicial Review ◽  
Time Limit ◽  
Access To Justice ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Treaty Provision ◽  
The Eu ◽  
Academic Debate ◽  
Do So

All books in this flagship series contain carefully selected substantial extracts from key cases, legislation, and academic debate, providing able students with a stand-alone resource. The EU develops policy through regulations, directives, and decisions. Any developed legal system must have a mechanism for testing the legality of such measures. This chapter focuses on access to justice and review of legality by the EU Courts. There are a number of ways in which EU norms can be challenged, but the principal Treaty provision is Article 263 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (ex Article 230 EC). Five conditions must be satisfied before an act can successfully be challenged: (i) the relevant body must be amenable to judicial review; (ii) the act has to be of a kind that is open to challenge; (iii) the institution or person making the challenge must have standing to do so; (iv) there must be illegality of a type mentioned in Article 263(2); and (v) the challenge must be brought within the time limit indicated in Article 263(6).

scholarly journals The European Union as a demoicracy: Really a third way?

2016 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 210-234 ◽  
Author(s):  
Miriam Ronzoni
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Specific Form ◽  
Institutional Choice ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Third Way ◽  
Institutional Model ◽  
The Eu ◽  
Do So

Should the EU be a federal union or an intergovernmental forum? Recently, demoicrats have been arguing that there exists a third alternative. The EU should be conceived as a demoicracy, namely a ‘Union of peoples who govern together, but not as one’ (Nicolaïdis). The demoi of Europe recognise that they affect one another’s democratic health, and hence establish a union to guarantee their freedom qua demoi – which most demoicrats cash out as non-domination. This is more than intergovernmentalism, because the demoi govern together on these matters. However, if the union aims at protecting the freedom of the different European demoi, it cannot do so by replacing them with a ‘superdemos’, as federalists want. This paper argues that demoicracy does possess distinctive normative features; it claims, however, that an institutional choice between intergovernmentalism and federalism is necessary. Depending on how we interpret what the non-domination of demoi requires, demoicracy will either ground a specific way of practicing intergovernmentalism or a specific form of federalism. It cannot, however, ground an institutional model which is genuinely alternative to both.

scholarly journals Update – BSE in Europe

2001 ◽  
Vol 5 (51) ◽  
Author(s):  
G Bryant
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy ◽  
Spongiform Encephalopathy ◽  
The European Union

Austria (previously assessed as geographical BSE risk (GBR) category II) announced its first confirmed case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) on 6 December 2001. Therefore, since the report in last week’s issue of Eurosurveillance Weekly (1), Sweden is now the only country in the European Union not to have reported BSE.

scholarly journals The European Union–Azerbaijan high-level transport dialogue: A timely reaction to the structural changes?

2021 ◽  
pp. 187936652110545
Author(s):  
Shamkhal Abilov ◽  
Beyrak Hajiyev
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Structural Changes ◽  
The European Union ◽  
South Caucasus ◽  
Trade Routes ◽  
Transportation Projects ◽  
Rise Of China ◽  
High Level ◽  
The Eu ◽  
Do So

The European Union (EU) and Azerbaijan high-level transport dialogue is the continuation of the long period of cooperation between the EU and Azerbaijan in the area of transport since the early 1990s. The geopolitical and geo-economic maps of Eurasia, the South Caucasus, and the regions around have significantly changed since then thanks to rise of China, India, and other regional actors. These actors in their turn began to initiate competitive logistical and transportation projects to define terms and conditions of the making of Eurasian transport and trade routes. The ultimate goal is to have a share in controlling global flows passing through the strategic spots of Eurasian landmass. The EU’s recent transport dialogue with Azerbaijan reflects and is reaction to those changes that happened in the wider Europe, in Eurasia, and in the globe. This paper tries to place the EU and Azerbaijan transport dialogue to a broader picture to find out what changes conditioned and necessitated the upgraded dialogue between the EU and Azerbaijan. To do so, it traces the EU and Azerbaijan’s transport policies and cooperation since the early 1990s.

A model (BSurvE) for evaluating national surveillance programs for bovine spongiform encephalopathy

2007 ◽  
Vol 81 (4) ◽  
pp. 225-235 ◽  
Author(s):  
D.J. Prattley ◽  
R.S. Morris ◽  
R.M. Cannon ◽  
J.W. Wilesmith ◽  
M.A. Stevenson
Keyword(s):  
Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy ◽  
Spongiform Encephalopathy ◽  
National Surveillance ◽  
Surveillance Programs

scholarly journals Resistance of Domestic Cats to a US Sheep Scrapie Agent by Intracerebral Route

2002 ◽  
Vol 14 (5) ◽  
pp. 444-445 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amir N. Hamir ◽  
Wilber W. Clark ◽  
Diane L. Sutton ◽  
Janice M. Miller ◽  
Mick J. Stack ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Western Blot ◽  
Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy ◽  
Extended Period ◽  
Spongiform Encephalopathy ◽  
Neurologic Disease ◽  
Domestic Cats ◽  
Species Barrier ◽  
Scrapie Agent ◽  
Abnormal Form ◽  
Sheep Scrapie

Feline spongiform encephalopathy (FSE) is thought to have resulted from consumption of food contaminated with bovine spongiform encephalopathy and the latter is believed to result from the consumption of food contaminated with scrapie. However, no direct experimental documentation exists to indicate that the scrapie agent is capable of amplifying in cats, and, therefore, crossing the species barrier. During 1979, 6 cats ranging in age from 3.5 to 18 months were intracerebrally inoculated with sheep scrapie (inoculum G-639-PP) and were observed for an extended period. Inoculated cats did not develop neurologic disease, and microscopic lesions of spongiform encephalopathy were not evident. Immunohistochemistry and Western blot techniques failed to detect the abnormal form of prion protein (PrPres). These results indicate that the sheep scrapie agent (G-639-PP) used in this study was not capable of amplifying in cats and therefore was unable to cross the species barrier to produce FSE.

European Integration Through Preliminary Rulings? The Case of the Bulgarian Constitutional Court

2015 ◽  
Vol 16 (6) ◽  
pp. 1591-1622
Author(s):  
Mihail Vatsov
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Constitutional Court ◽  
Eu Law ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Special Issue ◽  
Constitutional Courts ◽  
Reference Procedure ◽  
Court Of Justice ◽  
The Eu ◽  
Do So

The preliminary reference procedure under Article 267 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) is instrumental for the so-called “judicial dialogue” within the European Union (EU). The goals of the preliminary reference procedure are to ensure the uniform interpretation and application of EU law and to contribute to the harmonious development of the law throughout the EU. It was through the preliminary reference procedure to the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) that the principles of direct effect and supremacy were developed. It took many years before the first request by a Constitutional Court was sent to the CJEU. So far, the Constitutional Courts of Belgium, Austria, Lithuania, Italy, Spain, France, Germany, and most recently Slovenia, have sent requests for preliminary rulings to the CJEU. By far the most active of these in sending requests has been the Belgian Court. The Portuguese Constitutional Court has indicated that it can request preliminary rulings from the CJEU but is yet to do so. In the other Member States (MS) with Constitutional Courts, references have not been sent yet, although worthy occasions in terms of EU-law-related cases have occurred, as also observed in various contributions in this special issue. These MSs include Bulgaria.

scholarly journals Performance analysis of rapid diagnostic tests on atypical bovine spongiform encephalopathy

2012 ◽  
Vol 24 (5) ◽  
pp. 976-980 ◽  
Author(s):  
John G. Gray ◽  
Sandor Dudas ◽  
Catherine Graham ◽  
Stefanie Czub
Keyword(s):  
Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy ◽  
Test Performance ◽  
Rapid Test ◽  
Rapid Diagnostic Tests ◽  
Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay ◽  
Spongiform Encephalopathy ◽  
Analytical Sensitivity ◽  
Atypical Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy ◽  
Surveillance Programs ◽  
Rapid Tests

The preferred method to determine the prevalence of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in a country is to use immunology-based rapid-tests. Though these tests are validated to detect C-type BSE disease–associated prion (PrPsc), test-specific properties may influence their ability to detect H- and/or L-type BSE PrPsc, where both are atypical from C-type PrPsc. Molecular characterization shows atypical BSE PrPsc to have a different sensitivity to proteinase activity and different affinities for certain prion-specific antibodies. It is important to understand how atypical BSE PrPsc may affect the performance of rapid-tests, which are typically dependant on the use of specific proteases and antibodies. The current study used experimentally generated C-, H-, and L-type BSE PrPsc to evaluate 3 tests used in various national BSE surveillance programs: an immunochromatographic assay, a standard sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (stndELISA), and a PrPsc-conformation–specific ELISA (confELISA). Although BSE PrPsc type had some effects on rapid-test performance, analytical sensitivity for atypical BSE PrPsc on all 3 platforms was not significantly compromised. When testing for atypical BSE PrPsc, the 3 tests were able to meet the same requirements that the European Food Safety Authority set when evaluating the tests for C-type BSE PrPsc.

scholarly journals Is there a decline in bovine spongiform encephalopathy cases born after reinforced feed bans? A modelling study in EU member states

2017 ◽  
Vol 145 (11) ◽  
pp. 2280-2286 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. E. ARNOLD ◽  
R. R. L. SIMONS ◽  
J. HOPE ◽  
N. GIBBENS ◽  
A. L. ADKIN
Keyword(s):  
Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy ◽  
Control Measures ◽  
Spongiform Encephalopathy ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Birth Cohorts ◽  
Member States ◽  
Eu Member States ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Rate Of Decline ◽  
Spontaneous Occurrence

SUMMARYOccasional cases of classical bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) still continue to occur within the European Union (EU) for animals born after reinforced feed bans (BARBs), which should in theory have eliminated all risk of infection. The study aimed to determine (i) whether a common rate of decline of BSE infection was evident across EU member states, i.e. to determine whether control measures have been equally effective in all member states, (ii) whether there was any evidence of spontaneous occurrence of BSE in the data and (iii) the expected date for the last BSE case in UK. It was found that there was no significant difference in the rate of decline of BSE prevalence between member states, with a common rate of decline of 33·9% per annum (95% CI 30·9–37%) in successive annual birth cohorts. Trend analysis indicated an ultimate decline to 0 prevalence, suggesting that spontaneous occurrence does not explain the majority of cases. Projecting forward the trends from the back-calculation model indicated that there was approximately a 50% probability of further cases in the UK, and should the current rate of decline continue, there remains the possibility of further occasional cases up until 2026.

Solidarity in EU Law

2016 ◽  
Vol 23 (6) ◽  
pp. 965-983 ◽  
Author(s):  
Esin Küçük
Keyword(s):  
Case Law ◽  
Reciprocal Relationship ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Normative Force ◽  
Eu Legislation ◽  
Court Of Justice ◽  
Self Interest ◽  
Integrated Concept ◽  
The Eu ◽  
Do So

Solidarity, although widely used in EU legislation and the early jurisprudence of the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU), lacks a clear meaning. It appears as an amorphous concept whose contours change depending on the legal areas and the actors involved, and which generates differing levels of commitment. This article explores the attributes common to the different expressions of solidarity as a binding legal obligation in order to develop European solidarity as an integrated concept. It examines the meaning and boundaries of solidarity by focusing on the reasons that generate solidarity obligations under the EU Treaties and by analysing the case law where the CJEU has drawn on solidarity or could have drawn on it, but decided not to do so. The article concludes that while different aspects of solidarity are embodied in EU legislation, the concept has normative force mainly when it is driven by self-interest in a reciprocal relationship. Although references have been made to its ethical underpinnings, in the absence of a reciprocal return, the normative premises of solidarity have remained weak.

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