Shaping The Future: Developing Principles for Policy Recommendations for Responsible Innovation in Virtual Worlds

As Extended Reality (XR) technologies continue to evolve at a rapid pace, they hold the promise of transforming the way we interact both with digital information and the physical world. Whilst Augmented Reality (AR), Virtual Reality (VR), and Mixed Reality (MR) technologies offer unbridled opportunities for social connections, productivity, and play, these rapid technological advancements also pose critical challenges to ethics, privacy, accessibility, and safety. At present, there is little policy documentation that directly addresses the novel affordances posed by XR technologies, leading to a ‘policy void’ in this space. Having clear and effective policy frameworks prior to the widespread adoption of technology encourages and enables responsible and ethical innovation of XR technologies. This workshop is therefore dedicated to developing forward-thinking principles to guide policy recommendations that address potential future vulnerabilities posed by the widespread adoption of XR technologies whilst simultaneously encouraging the responsible innovation of new advancements within XR. To ensure these policy recommendations promote responsible innovation, the workshop will assemble multidisciplinary academics, industry developers and international policymakers. Our goal is to ensure that all perspectives are considered such that we can collaboratively chart a responsible and sustainable course for the XR landscape

Shaping the Future:Developing Principles for Policy Recommendations for Responsible Innovation in Virtual Worlds

As Extended Reality (XR) technologies continue to evolve at a rapid pace, they hold the promise of transforming the way we interact both with digital information and the physical world. Whilst Augmented Reality (AR), Virtual Reality (VR), and Mixed Reality (MR) technologies offer unbridled opportunities for social connections, productivity, and play, these rapid technological advancements also pose critical challenges to ethics, privacy, accessibility, and safety. At present, there is little policy documentation that directly addresses the novel affordances posed by XR technologies, leading to a 'policy void' in this space. Having clear and effective policy frameworks prior to the widespread adoption of technology encourages and enables responsible and ethical innovation of XR technologies. This workshop is therefore dedicated to developing forward-thinking principles to guide policy recommendations that address potential future vulnerabilities posed by the widespread adoption of XR technologies whilst simultaneously encouraging the responsible innovation of new advancements within XR. To ensure these policy recommendations promote responsible innovation, the workshop will assemble multidisciplinary academics, industry developers and international policymakers. Our goal is to ensure that all perspectives are considered such that we can collaboratively chart a responsible and sustainable course for the XR landscape.</p

Shaping the Future:Developing Principles for Policy Recommendations for Responsible Innovation in Virtual Worlds

As Extended Reality (XR) technologies continue to evolve at a rapid pace, they hold the promise of transforming the way we interact both with digital information and the physical world. Whilst Augmented Reality (AR), Virtual Reality (VR), and Mixed Reality (MR) technologies offer unbridled opportunities for social connections, productivity, and play, these rapid technological advancements also pose critical challenges to ethics, privacy, accessibility, and safety. At present, there is little policy documentation that directly addresses the novel affordances posed by XR technologies, leading to a 'policy void' in this space. Having clear and effective policy frameworks prior to the widespread adoption of technology encourages and enables responsible and ethical innovation of XR technologies. This workshop is therefore dedicated to developing forward-thinking principles to guide policy recommendations that address potential future vulnerabilities posed by the widespread adoption of XR technologies whilst simultaneously encouraging the responsible innovation of new advancements within XR. To ensure these policy recommendations promote responsible innovation, the workshop will assemble multidisciplinary academics, industry developers and international policymakers. Our goal is to ensure that all perspectives are considered such that we can collaboratively chart a responsible and sustainable course for the XR landscape.</p

Emollients for preventing atopic eczema: Cost‐effectiveness analysis of the BEEP trial

BackgroundRecent discoveries have led to the suggestion that enhancing skin barrier from birth might prevent eczema and food allergy. ObjectiveTo determine the cost‐effectiveness of daily all‐over‐body application of emollient during the first year of life for preventing atopic eczema in high‐risk children at 2 years from a health service perspective. We also considered a 5‐year time horizon as a sensitivity analysis. MethodsA within‐trial economic evaluation using data on health resource use and quality of life captured as part of the BEEP trial alongside the trial data. Parents/carers of 1394 infants born to families at high risk of atopic disease were randomised 1:1 to the emollient group, which were advised to apply emollient (Doublebase Gel or Diprobase Cream) to their child at least once daily to the whole body during the first year of life or usual care. Both groups received advice on general skin care. The main economic outcomes were incremental cost‐effectiveness ratio (ICER), defined as incremental cost per percentage decrease in risk of eczema in the primary cost‐effectiveness analysis. Secondary analysis, undertaken as a cost‐utility analysis, reports incremental cost per Quality‐Adjusted Life Year (QALY) where child utility was elicited using the proxy CHU‐9D at 2 years. ResultsAt 2 years, the adjusted incremental cost was £87.45 (95% CI −54.31, 229.27) per participant, whilst the adjusted proportion without eczema was 0.0164 (95% CI −0.0329, 0.0656). The ICER was £5337 per percentage decrease in risk of eczema. Adjusted incremental QALYs were very slightly improved in the emollient group, 0.0010 (95% CI −0.0069, 0.0089). At 5 years, adjusted incremental costs were lower for the emollient group, −£106.89 (95% CI −354.66, 140.88) and the proportion without eczema was −0.0329 (95% CI −0.0659, 0.0002). The 5‐year ICER was £3201 per percentage decrease in risk of eczema. However, when inpatient costs due to wheezing were excluded, incremental costs were lower and incremental effects greater in the usual care group. ConclusionsIn line with effectiveness endpoints, advice given in the BEEP trial to apply daily emollient during infancy for eczema prevention in high‐risk children does not appear cost‐effective

One health, une seule santé

One Health, « Une seule santé », est une stratégie mondiale visant à développer les collaborations interdisciplinaires pour la santé humaine, animale et environnementale. Elle promeut une approche intégrée, systémique et unifiée de la santé aux échelles locale, nationale et mondiale, afin de mieux affronter les maladies émergentes à risque pandémique, mais aussi s'adapter aux impacts environnementaux présents et futurs. Bien que ce mouvement s’étende, la littérature en français reste rare. Traduit de l’anglais, coordonné par d’éminents épidémiologistes et s'appuyant sur un large panel d' approches scientifiques rarement réunies autour de la santé, cet ouvrage retrace les origines du concept et présente un contenu pratique sur les outils méthodologiques, la collecte de données, les techniques de surveillance et les plans d’étude. Il combine recherche et pratique en un seul volume et constitue un ouvrage de référence unique pour la santé mondiale

Food and environmental parasitology in Canada:A network for the facilitation of collaborative research

Parasitic diseases are of considerable public health significance in Canada, particularly in rural and remote areas. Food- and water-borne parasites contribute significantly to the overall number of parasitic infections reported in Canada. While data on the incidence of some of these diseases are available, knowledge of the true burden of infection by the causative agents in Canadians is somewhat limited. A number of centers of expertise in Canada study various aspects of parasitology, but few formal societies or networks of parasitologists currently exist in Canada, and previously none focused specifically on food or environmental transmission. The recently established Food and Environmental Parasitology Network (FEPN) brings together Canadian researchers, regulators and public health officials with an active involvement in issues related to these increasingly important fields. The major objectives of the Network include identifying research gaps, facilitating discussion and collaborative research, developing standardized methods, generating data for risk assessments, policies, and guidelines, and providing expert advice and testing in support of outbreak investigations and surveillance studies. Issues considered by the FEPN include contaminated foods and infected food animals, potable and non-potable water, Northern and Aboriginal issues, zoonotic transmission, and epidemiology

Mammographic surveillance in women younger than 50 years who have a family history of breast cancer: tumour characteristics and projected effect on mortality in the prospective, single-arm, FH01 study.

BACKGROUND: Evidence supports a reduction in mortality from breast cancer with mammographic screening in the general population of women aged 40-49 years, but the effect of family history is not clear. We aimed to establish whether screening affects the disease stage and projected mortality of women younger than 50 years who have a clinically significant family history of breast cancer. METHODS: In the single-arm FH01 study, women at intermediate familial risk who were younger than 50 years were enrolled from 76 centres in the UK, and received yearly mammography. Women with BRCA mutations were not explicitly excluded, but would be rare in this group. To compare the FH01 cohort with women not receiving screening, two external comparison groups were used: the control group of the UK Age Trial (106,971 women aged 40-42 years at recruitment, from the general population [ie, average risk], followed up for 10 years), and a Dutch study of women with a family history of breast cancer (cancer cases aged 25-77 years, diagnosed 1980-2004). Study endpoints were size, node status, and histological grade of invasive tumours, and estimated mortality calculated from the Nottingham prognostic index (NPI) score, and adjusted for differences in underlying risk between the FH01 cohort and the control group of the UK Age Trial. This study is registered with the National Research Register, number N0484114809. FINDINGS: 6710 women were enrolled between Jan 16, 2003, and Feb 28, 2007, and received yearly mammography for a mean of 4 years (SD 2) up until Nov 30, 2009; surveillance and reporting of cancers is still underway. 136 women were diagnosed with breast cancer: 105 (77%) at screening, 28 (21%) symptomatically in the interval between screening events, and three (2%) symptomatically after failing to attend their latest mammogram. Invasive tumours in the FH01 study were significantly smaller (p=0·0094), less likely to be node positive (p=0·0083), and of more favourable grade (p=0·0072) than were those in the control group of the UK Age Trial, and were significantly less likely to be node positive than were tumours in the Dutch study (p=0·012). Mean NPI score was significantly lower in the FH01 cohort than in the control group of the UK Age Trial (p=0·00079) or the Dutch study (p<0·0001). After adjustment for underlying risk, predicted 10-year mortality was significantly lower in the FH01 cohort (1·10%) than in the control group of the UK Age Trial (1·38%), with relative risk of 0·80 (95% CI 0·66-0·96; p=0·022). INTERPRETATION: Yearly mammography in women with a medium familial risk of breast cancer is likely to be effective in prevention of deaths from breast cancer