The consumer-driven development and acceptability testing of a website designed to connect rural cancer patients and their families, carers and health professionals with appropriate information and psychosocial support.

Websites offer new opportunities to provide health-related information to rural communities. However, how acceptable they are to this population is unknown. This paper describes the consumer-led development of a website that provides rural-specific information on psychosocial care for rural South Australians affected by cancer, and examines its acceptability to users.

Psychosocial service use: a qualitative exploration from the perspective of rural Australian cancer patients.

Purpose: This study aims to identify key issues associated with the provision of psychosocial care from the perspective of rural Australian cancer patients and determine culturally appropriate methods that may reduce barriers to service use.

Method: Seventeen purposively sampled adult South Australians who lived outside metropolitan Adelaide, had a diagnosis of cancer and various demographic and medical histories participated in semi-structured, face-to-face interviews. Participants also completed a demographic questionnaire.

Passive therapeutic gardens. A study on an inpatient geriatric ward.

A brief history of the link between horticultural activities and care of patients, particularly psychiatric patients, is reviewed in this article. Past research on both passive and active garden activities is examined in terms of physical and psychological benefits to patients. A passive garden intervention on an inpatient geriatric ward is described.

The development of an indirect enzyme linked immunoassay for abscisic Acid.

An indirect method of enzyme-linked-immunosorbent-assay (ELISA) is reported for abscisic acid (ABA), utilising a thyroglobulin-ABA conjugate for coating wells. The assay can use commercially available monoclonal antibodies, is sensitive to as little as 20 picograms ABA per well, and is much more conservative of antibody than direct methods. The most dilute ABA standards did not retain their antigenicity during storage, so ABA standard sets were diluted immediately prior to use.

Translocation and Metabolism of Endosperm-Applied [2-C] Indoleacetic Acid in Etiolated Avena sativa L. Seedlings.

The role of free indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) in the endosperm of Avena sativa L. seedlings was investigated to determine its contribution to free IAA in the shoot. [2-(14)C]IAA was injected into the endosperm of darkgrown seedlings and the transport and metabolism of the [(14)C]-labeled compounds determined.