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Abstract Background Post graduate master’s degree qualifications are increasingly required to advance allied health profession careers in education, clinical practice, leadership, and research. Successful awards are dependent on completion of a research dissertation project. Despite the high volume of experience gained and research undertaken at this level, the benefits and impact are not well understood. Our study aimed to evaluate the perceived impact and legacy of master’s degree training and research on allied health profession practice and research activity. Methods A cross-sectional online survey design was used to collect data from allied health professionals working in the United Kingdom who had completed a postgraduate master’s degree. Participants were recruited voluntarily using social media and clinical interest group advertisement. Data was collected between October and December 2022 and was analysed using descriptive statistics and narrative content analysis. Informed consent was gained, and the study was approved by the university research ethics committee. Results Eighty-four responses were received from nine allied health professions with paramedics and physiotherapists forming the majority (57%) of respondents. Primary motivation for completion of the master’s degree was for clinical career progression (n = 44, 52.4%) and formation of the research dissertation question was predominantly sourced from individual ideas (n = 58, 69%). Formal research output was low with 27.4% (n = 23) of projects published in peer reviewed journal and a third of projects reporting no output or dissemination at all. Perceived impact was rated highest in individual learning outcomes, such as improving confidence and capability in clinical practice and research skills. Ongoing research engagement and activity was high with over two thirds (n = 57, 67.9%) involved in formal research projects. Conclusion The focus of master's degree level research was largely self-generated with the highest perceived impact on individual outcomes rather than broader clinical service and organisation influence. Formal output from master’s research was low, but ongoing research engagement and activity was high suggesting master’s degree training is an under-recognised source for AHP research capacity building. Future research should investigate the potential benefits of better coordinated and prioritised research at master’s degree level on professional and organisational impact.

ABSTRACT Chicken meat is contaminated with Salmonella from the gut of infected chickens during slaughter. Eradication of Salmonella from broiler chickens through hygiene measures and/or vaccination is not cost-effective; complementary approaches are required. A mature gut microbiota obstructs Salmonella infection in chickens, and deliberate fortification of colonization resistance through prebiotic feed formulations would benefit public health and poultry production. Prebiotic galactooligosaccharides hastens Salmonella clearance from the gut of infected chickens. To better understand the role of galactooligosaccharides in colonization resistance, broiler chickens were raised on a wheat-soybean meal-based feed, with or without galactooligosaccharides for the first 24 days of life. Chickens were orally challenged with Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis at 20 days and the effect of supplementary galactooligosaccharides characterized by profiling Salmonella colonization, gut microbiota, innate immune response, and cecal short-chain fatty acid concentrations. Exposure to dietary galactooligosaccharides shortened the time to clear S. Enteritidis from the ceca. Differential abundance analysis of the cecal microbiota associated Salmonella challenge with a bacterial taxon belonging to the Acidaminococcaceae family (P < 0.005). Increased cecal concentrations of the short-chain fatty acids propionate and valerate were measured in Salmonella-challenged chickens sustained on either control or galactooligosaccharide-supplemented feed relative to mock-challenged controls; but far greater concentrations were detected in chickens fed a galactooligosaccharide-supplemented diet in early life. The abundance of the Acidaminococcaceae taxon exhibited a positive correlation with the cecal concentrations of propionate (ρ = 0.724, P = 0.008) and valerate (ρ = 0.71, P = 0.013). The absence of cecal pro-inflammatory transcriptional responses suggest that the rapid Salmonella clearance observed for the galactooligosaccharide-supplemented diet was not linked to innate immune function.IMPORTANCEWork presented here identifies bacterial taxa responsible for colonization resistance to Salmonella in broiler chickens. Deliberate cultivation of these taxa with prebiotic galactooligosaccharide has potential as a straight-forward, safe, and cost-effective intervention against Salmonella. We hypothesize that catabolism of galactooligosaccharide and its breakdown products by indigenous microorganisms colonizing the chicken gut produce excess levels of propionate. In the absence of gross inflammation, propionate is inimical to Salmonella and hastens intestinal clearance.

Abstract Background Clinical academic allied health professionals can positively impact patient care, organisational performance, and local research culture. Despite a previous national drive to increase these roles, they remain low in number with no clear strategy for growth. Reported barriers to this growth cite organisational and economic factors with little recognition of the challenges posed to individuals. There is a lack of research to help allied health professionals understand the personal challenges of clinical academic training and practice. The aim of this study is to explore the character traits and behaviours of clinical academic allied health professionals to understand the individual attributes and strategies taken to pursue a career in this field. Methods A semi-structured interview study design was used to collect data from aspiring and established clinical academic allied health professionals. Participants were recruited voluntarily through social media advertisement (aspiring) and purposively through direct email invitation (established). Participants were asked about their experience of pursuing a clinical academic career. The interviews were conducted virtually using Zoom and were audio recorded. The data were transcribed verbatim prior to reflexive thematic analysis. Informed consent was gained prior to data collection and the study was approved by the university’s research ethics committee. Results Twenty participants from six allied health professions were interviewed. We developed five themes: risk and reward, don’t wait to be invited, shifting motivations, research is a team sport, and staying the course. Clinical academic allied health professionals demonstrated traits including inquisitiveness, intuition, motivation, and resilience. The source of their motivation was rooted in improving clinical services, conducting research, and personal achievement. Conclusion Clinical academic allied health professionals describe personal traits of high inquisitiveness, opportunism, motivation, and determination in pursuing their career ambitions. The tolerance of rejection, failure, and risk was considered important and viewed as an essential source for learning and professional development. Future research should concentrate on ways to reduce the over-reliance on individual strength of character to succeed in this field and explore programmes to increase the preparedness and support for clinical academics from these professions.

Background Using data from a national cohort study and focus groups, the Women-Centred HIV Care (WCHC) Model was developed to inform care delivery for women living with HIV. Methods Through an evidence-based, integrated knowledge translation approach, we developed 2 toolkits based on the WCHC Model for service providers and women living with HIV in English and French (Canada's national languages). To disseminate, we distributed printed advertising materials, hosted 3 national webinars and conducted 2 virtual capacity-building training series. Results A total of 315 individuals attended the webinars, and the average WCHC knowledge increased by 29% (SD 4.3%). In total, 131 service providers engaged in 22 virtual capacity-building training sessions with 21 clinical cases discussed. Learners self-reported increased confidence in 15/15 abilities, including the ability to provide WCHC. As of December 2023, the toolkits were downloaded 7766 times. Conclusions We successfully developed WCHC toolkits and shared them with diverse clinical and community audiences through various dissemination methods.

Abstract Allied health professional research capacity and culture has been the focus of growing research interest of late. The recent study by Comer et al. represents the largest survey of allied health research capacity and culture to date. We congratulate the authors on this work and would like to raise some discussion points in relation to their study. The authors have interpreted their research capacity and culture survey results using cut-off values to indicate a degree of adequacy in relation to perceived research success and/or skill level. To our knowledge, the constructs of the research capacity and culture tool have not been validated to an extent that would enable such an inference to be made. Comer et al. describe perceived individual research success and/or skill as adequate, but the rating of skills in areas necessary for the conduct of original research, such as writing research protocols, ethics submissions, securing funding, and writing for publication range from median scores one to three, which is considered ‘less than adequate’ on the interpretation scale used by the authors. The survey results for the individual and organisational domains reported in Comer et al. are comparable to other similar studies. However, they uniquely conclude research success and/or skill to be adequate in both domains, which is contrary to the interpretation of the other studies. The interpretation of allied health professional research success and skill offered by Cromer et al. differs from studies with similar results and is contrary to previous reports of insufficient research capacity in terms of research trained and active practitioners within these professions in the UK.

The pathogenesis of antibodies in severe alcoholic hepatitis (SAH) remains unknown. We analyzed immunoglobulins (Ig) in explanted livers from SAH patients (n=45) undergoing liver transplantation and tissues from corresponding healthy donors (HD, n=10) and found massive deposition of IgG and IgA isotype antibodies associated with complement fragment C3d and C4d staining in ballooned hepatocytes in SAH livers. Ig extracted from SAH livers, but not patient serum exhibited hepatocyte killing efficacy. Employing human and Escherichia coli K12 proteome arrays, we profiled the antibodies extracted from explanted SAH, livers with other diseases, and HD livers. Compared with their counterparts extracted from livers with other diseases and HD, antibodies of IgG and IgA isotypes were highly accumulated in SAH and recognized a unique set of human proteins and E. coli antigens. Further, both Ig- and E. coli-captured Ig from SAH livers recognized common autoantigens enriched in several cellular components including cytosol and cytoplasm (IgG and IgA), nucleus, mitochondrion, and focal adhesion (IgG). Except IgM from primary biliary cholangitis livers, no common autoantigen was recognized by Ig- and E. coli-captured Ig from livers with other diseases. These findings demonstrate the presence of cross-reacting anti-bacterial IgG and IgA autoantibodies in SAH livers.

Background. Many centers have removed 6-mo pretransplant alcohol abstinence requirements to provide early liver transplant (ELT) for individuals with severe alcohol-associated liver disease (ALD), but the practice remains controversial. Using data collected from a nationally distributed survey, this study examines the practices and attitudes of transplant centers in the United States regarding ELT. Methods. A 20-item survey designed to assess center practices and provider attitudes was distributed to 225 medical and surgical directors from 143 liver transplant centers via email. Results. Surveys were completed by 28.9% (n = 65) of directors and 39% (n = 56) of transplant centers. All responding centers reported evaluating patients for ELT. Circumstances for considering ELT included

Presque tous les cas de cancer du col (CC) sont causés par une infection persistante au virus du papillome humain (VPH). Le cancer du col est le deuxième carcinome en importance chez les femmes; malgré tout, les taux de dépistage pour le Canada en 2017 ont raté l’objectif par 19 %. On a, par exemple, observé des taux aussi bas que 57,6 % dans les quartiers défavorisés de l’Ontario, comparativement à 70 % dans les quartiers aisés. Des obstacles complexes et multifactoriels nuisent à la participation des femmes au dépistage du cancer du col (DCC). Les écueils les plus courants sont directement liés aux disparités dans les déterminants de santé, notamment l’appartenance à une minorité ethnique, le faible statut socio-économique, une moins grande éducation, et la difficulté d’accès aux soins de santé. Les infirmières praticiennes (IP) peuvent aplanir ces obstacles en prodiguant des soins d’avant-garde, fondés sur la recherche, respectueux de la culture et attentifs aux besoins des femmes tout en établissant des liens de confiance avec les patientes, jouant ainsi un rôle plus vaste dans la prévention de la maladie. L’objectif de la présente revue de littérature est de résumer les contraintes au DCC et le rôle que peuvent jouer les IP canadiennes pour les alléger.Mots-clés : cancer du col, dépistage du cancer, infirmière praticienne, obstacles

Nearly all cases of cervical cancer (CC) are caused by persistent infection by human papillomavirus (HPV) and nurse practitioners (NPs) can play a greater role in preventing the disease. CC remains the second most prevalent carcinoma among women and in 2017, Canada’s screening rates were off target by 19 percent. Complex, multifactorial barriers affect women’s participation in cervical cancer screening (CCS). The most common barriers to screening are directly linked to disparities within determinants of health, including: belonging to a minority ethnic group, low socioeconomic status, lack of education, and lack of access to healthcare. NPs can reduce these barriers by providing innovative, evidence-based, culturally competent female-friendly care while building trusting relationships with patients. The objective of this literature review is to summarize barriers to CCS and what role the Canadian NP has in reducing them.Keywords: cervical cancer, cancer screening, nurse practitioner, barriers