Optimized sand tube irrigation combined with nitrogen application improves jujube yield as well as water and nitrogen use efficiencies in an arid desert region of Northwest China.

Efficient water-saving irrigation techniques and appropriate nitrogen (N) application are keys to solving the problems of water scarcity and irrational fertilization in jujube cultivation. In this study, first, the effects of sand tube irrigation (STI) on surface and subsurface wetted characteristics were investigated using in-situ infiltration tests in a jujube garden. Compared with surface drip irrigation (SD), STI reduced surface wetted area by 57.4% and wetted perimeter of the surface wetted circle by 37.1% and increased subsurface maximum infiltration distance of wetting front by 64.9%. At the optimal sand tube depth of 20 cm, surface wetted area of the surface wetted circle decreased by 65.4% and maximum infiltration distance of the wetting front increased by 70.9%, compared with SD. Two-year field experiments then investigated the effects of STI and SD on soil water storage, jujube leaf chlorophyll, net photosynthetic rate, actual water consumption, fruit yield, and water (WUE) and N (NUE) use efficiencies at four levels of N (pure nitrogen: N1, 0; N2, 286 kg ha-1; N3, 381 kg ha-1; N4, 476 kg ha-1) at the same irrigation amount (45 mm irrigation-1, total of 8). Compared with SD, STI increased soil water storage 18.0% (2021) and 15.6% (2022) during the entire growth period and also chlorophyll content, nitrogen balance index, and net photosynthetic rate, with both increasing and then decreasing with increasing N. Compared with SD, STI increased yields by 39.1% and 36.5% and WUE by 44.3% and 39.7% in 2021 and 2022, respectively. Nitrogen use efficiency was 2.5 (2021) and 1.6 (2022) times higher with STI than with SD. STI combined with N3 had the highest yield, WUE, NUE, and net income and is thus recommended as the optimal water-N combination. In conclusion, STI combined with appropriate N application can be an effective water-saving irrigation technology alternative to SD in jujube cultivation in arid areas.

Patient mistreatment, social sharing of negative events and emotional exhaustion among Chinese nurses: the combined moderating effect of organizational support and trait resilience.

BACKGROUND: As a primary form of work-related violence in the healthcare sector, patient mistreatment negatively impacts nurses' well-being. To date, there has yet reached a definitive conclusion on the mediating mechanism and boundary conditions behind the influence of patient mistreatment on nurses' emotional exhaustion. METHODS: This study employed a convenience sampling method to recruit a sample of 1672 nurses from public hospitals in Western China. The data were collected through anonymous self-report questionnaires and analyzed using hierarchical regression and conditional processes to investigate a theoretical framework encompassing patient mistreatment, emotional exhaustion, social sharing of negative events, organizational support, and trait resilience. RESULTS: Patient mistreatment led to emotional exhaustion among nurses (ß = 0.625, p <.001), and social sharing of negative events mediated this positive relationship (effect = 0.073, SE = 0.013). The combined effects of organizational support and resilience moderated the mediating effect of the social sharing of negative events between patient mistreatment and emotional exhaustion (ß=-0.051, p <.05). Specifically, nurses with a high level of resilience would benefit from organizational support to alleviate emotional exhaustion caused by patient mistreatment. CONCLUSIONS: This study validated a significant positive association between patient mistreatment and emotional exhaustion, which aligns with previous research findings. Integrating conservation of resources theory and goal progress theory, we addressed previous contradictory findings on the impact of social sharing of negative events on emotional exhaustion. Social sharing of negative events served as a mediator between patient mistreatment and emotional exhaustion. Additionally, the moderating effect of organizational support on the relationship between social sharing of negative events and emotional exhaustion depended on individual trait of resilience.

A study of grief experience interviews with family members of patients with advanced malignant tumors based on noninvasive death index monitoring.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the grief experiences of family members of patients with advanced malignant tumors before and after death. METHODS: This study used both quantitative and qualitative research methods. A total of 10 people with family members with terminal malignant tumors were chosen and assessed five times according to a specific non-invasive mortality index and the Distress Thermometer scale. Additionally, the participants attended an in-depth interview. RESULTS: The grief experiences of the bereaved included their knowledge of and attitude towards death, the physical and mental conditions of the family members of patients in the terminal stage, the needs of family members, and the response to death and growth of those family members. CONCLUSIONS: The grief experience interviews of family members of patients with advanced malignant tumors are universal. It is suggested that the nursing staff should pay attention to the emotional experience of the bereaved after the death of the patient throughout the whole nursing process, including the continuous follow-up during the home period. It is hoped that the implementation of grief counseling methods in the later stage can help the bereaved to successfully go through the grieving period, prevent grief disorders, and help them return to society.

A qualitative study on the experiences and attributions for resigned nurses with career plateau.

OBJECTIVES: This study seeks to understand the experiences of nurses who resigned because of limited available career development opportunities and of the possible reasons for their resignation. METHODS: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with nine clinical nurses who experienced limitations in the development of their careers and consequently left their jobs to elicit their feelings and reasons for leaving. The content analysis was used to analyze the interview data. RESULTS: Two themes and four subthemes relating to the experiences and attributions of former nurses were identified. Nurses who experienced career plateau were disappointed with the current work and uncertainty about the future. The attribution of career plateau lies in unsatisfied personal needs and the absence of organizational support. CONCLUSIONS: Nurses had strong career plateau experiences before they left, and it caused a series of negative feelings in their practice. Establish a clear career development path and multi-dimensional support from the organization may be helpful to reduce the occurrence of career plateau, thus increasing the retention of nurses.

Effects of Rehmannia glutinosa polysaccharides on the proliferation and apoptosis of K562 cells.

Leukemia is one of the malignant tumors of hemopoietic system which is characterized by the block of hematopoietic cell differentiation and maturation, increased proliferation of undifferentiated cells and impairment of normal apoptosis process. The proliferating leukemia cells accumulated in bone marrow and other hemopoietic tissue, infiltrated other organs and tissues, so that the normal hematopoiesis will be inhibited. Chemotherapy is currently the most effective means of treatment of leukemia which has greatly improved survival rate, but it also induces undesirable adverse effects and high recurrence rate. Therefore, it is necessary to search for new drugs with low toxicity for the treatment of leukemia. Rehmannia glutinosa is a traditional Chinese medcine and polysaccharides of Rehmannia glutinosa (RPS) were reported to have the immune stimulatory effect and anti-tumor effect both in vivo and in vitro. After incubating K562 cells (a kind of chronic mylogenous leukemia cell model) with different concentration of RPS, we found that RPS could induce cells arrest in G0/G1 phase and apoptosis, meanwhile, the cell proliferation was also inhibited. Moreover, the expression of Bcl2 was downregulated, and the activity of Caspase3 was improved after incubating K562 cells with RPS for 48 h.

[Review on non-adaptivity of schistosomes and hosts].

The specificity of schistosomes to hosts and the compatibility of hosts to schistosomes are formed during the long evolution process of them, they are not only related closely to environment but also to other factors such as the heredity of schistosomes and hosts. This paper reviews the non-adaptivity of schistosomes and hosts from the respects of genetics, immunology, cytobiology, molecular biology, and physiology.

[XI Hong, XI Hong acupuncture school of thought and Xi Hong Fu].

XI Hong, a famous acupuncturist in the Southern Song Dynasty, has an important influence and status in history of Chinese acupuncture and moxibustion. After he moved to Linchuan, Jiangxi province, his descendants passed acupuncture from generation to generation. According to records, it was passed to 12 generations. After the tenth generation, it was also passed to apprentices besides descendants, such as accomplished acupuncturists CHEN Hong-gang, LIU Jin and others, forming XI Hong acupuncture school of thought. The poem of acupuncture and moxibustion XI Hong Fu is the representative work about XI Hong academic thought, which was additionally compiled or written by XI Hong's apprentices according to XI Hong academic thought. The poems are of characteristics in acupuncture application and association of acupoints. The academic thought and therapeutic methods of acupuncture in the poems still are widely used in modern clinical acupuncture practice.