What role for health in the new Commission? EPC Policy Brief 4 February 2020

The Juncker Presidency came to an end two months ago, giving experts the chance to analyse the achievements of EU action in the field of health over the past five years and speculate on what Europe’s health policy will look like in the future. Despite little space for manoeuvre, the past European Commission mandate did gain some significant wins. Nevertheless, more efforts are needed if Europe is to tackle the unprecedented challenges affecting people’s health, such as demographic changes, environmental degradation and the rapidly changing world of work

The future of work: Towards a progressive agenda for all. EPC Issue Paper 9 DECEMBER 2019

Europe’s labour markets and the world of work in general are being transformed by the megatrends of globalisation, the fragmentation of the production and value chain, demographic ageing, new societal aspirations and the digitalisation of the economy. This Issue Paper presents the findings and policy recommendations of “The future of work – Towards a progressive agenda for all”, a European Policy Centre research project. Its main objectives were to expand public knowledge about these profound changes and to reverse the negative narrative often associated with this topic. It aimed to show how human decisions and the right policies can mitigate upcoming disruptions and provide European and national policymakers with a comprehensive toolkit for a progressive agenda for the new world of work

Digital health: How can the EU help make the most out of it? EPC Policy Brief, 25 January 2018

Our society is in the midst of a vast and pervasive data revolution. Enormous amounts of data are produced and exchanged daily and people are increasingly using all sort of digital tools in almost any aspects of their life. Health is no exception. A 2013 survey shows that 75% of European hospitals have some type of electronic health records (EHR) system in place.1 In 2014, six out of ten Europeans have searched for health information on the Internet2 and the download of health and well-being applications in 2016 has reached 3 billion globally.

The missing link in the EU’s plan on digital health: citizens’ empowerment and endorsement. EPC Commentary 8 May 2018

On 25 April, the European Commission presented its long-overdue communication on the digital transformatio

Reexamining Food Labels: A Proposal for Labeling Environmental Information on Food Products

Since at least 1938, Congress has been concerned with informing the public as consumers about the food products they purchase. During 1938, Congress passed the Food, Drug & Cosmetic Act which required that manufacturers of processed, packaged foods provide information on the labels including the name of the food, its ingredients, the net quantity, and the name and address of the manufacturer. In 1990, at the urging of the FDA, Congress added to this list of required information standard nutrition facts. It is time again to reassess the information that is required on food labels. Recent technology, such as genetic engineering, and recent health scares, such as mad cow's disease, require a reexamination of what information is provided to the public about the food they eat. Even without food scares, consumers have an underlying right-to-know about the true ingredients in their food products. Consumers, as citizens, also have a right to know more about food production methods, so that they can vote with their dollars for the businesses who produce their food in ways that accord with their environmental or ethical values. Environmental labeling requirements may also promote fair competition between producers, as all producers will be asked to provide uniform labeling. Producers will no longer be able to hide the negative aspects of their food production methods that are required to be disclosed under this labeling proposal. In the end, these labeling requirements may help meet the social objective of improving food production practices and the environment. This paper has sought to propose the types of information that should be required on the food label. At a minimum, consumers should be told whether their food product was genetically modified, whether the food contains environmental or chemical contaminants, and how the food was produced. While more research would need to be completed to ensure that the food label was accurate, complete, and comprehensible, this paper has attempted to present one potential framework for such a label. Hopefully in the near future, consumers may be able to benefit from an increased transparency on their grocer's shelves

Pathology associated with larval Eustrongylides sp. (Nematoda: Dioctophymatoidea) infection in Galaxias maculatus (Actinopterygii: Galaxiidae) from Patagonia, Argentina

Helminth infections within tissues tend to be subjected to a host response that can include encapsulation and melanization to isolate the parasite. The effectiveness of this response depends on the host species. During a survey of parasites of the native fish, Galaxias maculatus, we found conspicuous, strongly melanized exterior cysts located in the caudal peduncle of the fish. Dissection of these cysts exposed larval nematodes whose morphometrical features allowed their identification as Eustrongylides sp. Species of this genus are distributed worldwide. Galaxias maculatus was previously reported as second intermediate host to Eustrongylides sp. larvae, and the aquatic bird Podiceps major was cited as definitive host of Eustrongylides tubifex in Andean Patagonian lakes. The site of infection in the fish, and the host´s response are unique among infections by larvae of Eustrongylides sp. in fishes, so the objective of this study was to describe the histological injury caused by larvae of the genus Eustrongylides parasitizing G. maculatus. Samples of fish were taken near the shore of Gutiérrez lake, in northwestern Patagonia. Some larval morphometric features were described to confirm the identity of larvae to generic level. Histopathological analysis (tissues sectioned at 5?7 μm, stained with Hematoxylin and Eosin, and Masson´s Trichrome) of the caudal peduncle revealed almost complete disappearance of the epaxial musculature due to compressive atrophy and a chronic inflammatory response, associated mainly with a dense fibrotic capsule and an intense melanic deposit. This is the first description of the histopathology of an external cyst caused by Eustrongylides sp. larvae in fishes.Fil: Guagliardo, Silvia Elizabeth. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Departamento de Biología, Bioquímica y Farmacia; ArgentinaFil: Viozzi, Gustavo Pedro. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Patagonia Norte. Instituto de Investigaciones en Biodiversidad y Medioambiente. Universidad Nacional del Comahue. Centro Regional Universidad Bariloche. Instituto de Investigaciones en Biodiversidad y Medioambiente; ArgentinaFil: Brugni, Norma Leonor. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Patagonia Norte. Instituto de Investigaciones en Biodiversidad y Medioambiente. Universidad Nacional del Comahue. Centro Regional Universidad Bariloche. Instituto de Investigaciones en Biodiversidad y Medioambiente; Argentin

Spatial accessibility of primary care: concepts, methods and challenges

Primary care is recognized as the most important form of healthcare for maintaining population health because it is relatively inexpensive, can be more easily delivered than specialty and inpatient care, and if properly distributed it is most effective in preventing disease progression on a large scale. Recent advances in the field of health geography have greatly improved our understanding of the role played by geographic distribution of health services in population health maintenance. However, most of this knowledge has accrued for hospital and specialty services and services in rural areas. Much less is known about the effect of distance to and supply of primary care on primary care utilization, particularly in the U.S. For several reasons the shortage of information is particularly acute for urban areas, where the majority of people live. First, explicit definitions and conceptualizations of healthcare access have not been widely used to guide research. An additional barrier to progress has been an overwhelming concern about affordability of care, which has garnered the majority of attention and research resources. Also, the most popular measures of spatial accessibility to care – travel impedance to nearest provider and supply level within bordered areas – lose validity in congested urban areas. Better measures are needed. Fortunately, some advances are occurring on the methodological front. These can improve our knowledge of all types of healthcare geography in all settings, including primary care in urban areas. This paper explains basic concepts and measurements of access, provides some historical background, outlines the major questions concerning geographic accessibility of primary care, describes recent developments in GIS and spatial analysis, and presents examples of promising work