Spiritual care competency and its relationship with clinical self-efficacy in nursing students.

BACKGROUND: Spiritual care occupies a special place in holistic care and improving the quality of services provided to patients. The component of clinical self-efficacy is recognized as a prerequisite for clinical capacity and competency. The current study determined the level of spiritual care competency and its relationship with clinical self-efficacy in nursing students. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 194 nursing students studying in medical sciences universities in Yazd, Iran, who were selected by convenient sampling. Data collection tools were a spiritual care competency scale and nursing students' clinical self-efficacy questionnaire. The gleaned data were analyzed by SPSS20 using descriptive and inferential statistics. RESULTS: The mean scores of spiritual care competency and clinical self-efficacy of students were 70.29 ± 9.58 and 102.40 ± 21.57, respectively. The results of Pearson's correlation coefficient test showed that clinical self-efficacy had a positive significant correlation with spiritual care competency (p = 0.04, r = 0.14). The mean score of spiritual care competency was higher in female students (71.10 ± 9.81) than male students (67.50 ± 8.23) with a statistically significant difference (p < 0.05). The regression test results suggested that clinical self-efficacy can be considered as a predictor of spiritual care competency. CONCLUSION: The results revealed that spiritual care competency in nursing students was at an average level, and the higher the level of clinical self-efficacy is, the more developed the spiritual care competency will be. Thus, nursing educators and health system managers should pay special attention to improving the clinical self-efficacy of nursing students to develop their spiritual care competency.

Hydrochemical evaluation of groundwater quality and human health risk assessment of trace elements in the largest mining district of South Khorasan, Eastern Iran.

The groundwater resources of mining areas have been in a challenging condition in terms of metal pollution and human health. Therefore, this study investigated the concentration of cobalt (Co), molybdenum (Mo), selenium (Se), tin (Sn), and antimony (Sb) in groundwater samples (wells, qanats, and springs) in a heavily contaminated mining district, South Khorasan, Eastern Iran. Human health risk of the studied metals to target groups was assessed, and water quality of the studied groundwater was investigated in the study area. A total of 367 sampling sites (279 wells, 74 qanats, and 14 springs) in South Khorasan Province were selected to collect the groundwater samples from June to July 2020. Sampling was performed thrice for each sampling point, and hydrochemical parameters were evaluated using a portable multiparameter. Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) was used to detect the metal concentrations. Results showed an order of Se > Mo > Sn > Co > Sb, and hazard index (HI) demonstrated a warning condition for south of South Khorasan (drinking application), southwest of South Khorasan (Irrigation application), and east and center of South Khorasan (drinking-irrigation application). Hydrochemical parameters showed a classification of "Na + K type" and "Mixed Ca-Mg-Cl type" with an overall group of "Na-Cl-HCO3" for sampled waters. Ficklin-Caboi diagram depicted a classification of "near-neutral low metal," and Schoeller diagram classified studied groundwater as "good" for drinking and irrigation consumptions and "Na-Cl" type based on ion balance diagram. Based on the correlation analysis, positive relationships were recorded among EC, TDS, Cl-, Na+, sulfate, Ca2+, salt, total hardness, Mg2+, ammonia, and K+ measured in the water samples. In essence, arid regions of the world greatly rely upon groundwater resources for drinking and irrigation consumptions, and mining districts with a heavy load of active mines can be a serious threat to the groundwater quality and human health.

Serum and gene expression profile of cytokines following combination of yoga training and vitamin D supplementation in breast cancer survivors: a randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to examine the effect of the combination of yoga training with high vitamin D dose supplementation on the expression and systemic levels of inflammatory cytokines and psychophysical status of breast cancer survivors. METHODS: Thirty volunteered breast cancer survivors (48 ± 8 years) were randomly allocated to a high dose (4000 IU) of vitamin D supplementation (HD) group (n = 10), yoga with a high dose of vitamin D (YHD) group (n = 10), and yoga with a low dose (2000 IU) of vitamin D (YLD) group (n = 10). Participants performed the Hatha yoga style for 12 weeks, twice a week. Blood samples, quality of life (QoL) questionnaire, and physical performance tests were taken before and after the intervention. RESULTS: Body fat percentage (ηp2 = 0.36), handgrip strength (ηp2 = 0.41) and QoL indicators include global health (ηp2 = 0.54), functional scales (ηp2 = 0.49), and symptoms scales (ηp2 = 0.50) were significantly improved in the both YHD and YLD groups compared to the HD group (p < 0.05). Also, interleukin-10 (IL-10) levels were markedly increased in the Y-HVD group compared to the Y-LVD and HVD groups. Moreover, there were significant decreases in tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interleukin-6 levels in the Y-HVD group after the intervention. The anti-inflammatory index (IL-10/TNF-α) was significantly increased in both the yoga groups (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Yoga promotes physical and psychological fitness and, in combination with a high dose of vitamin D, improves the cytokine profile, which can effectively manage the side effects associated with cancer. Trial registration IRCT20210726051993N2. Registration date: 2022/02/27. URL: https://www.irct.ir/trial/62079.