Background Internet-based dementia caregiver interventions have been shown to be effective for a range of caregiver outcomes; however, little is known about how to best implement them. We developed iGeriCare, an evidence-based, multimedia, web-based educational resource for family caregivers of people living with dementia. Objective This study aims to obtain feedback and opinions from experts and clinicians involved in dementia care and caregiver education about 1 iGeriCare and 2 barriers and facilitators to implementing a web-based caregiver program. Methods We carried out semistructured interviews with individuals who had a role in dementia care and/or caregiver education in several key stakeholder settings in Southern Ontario, Canada. We queried participants’ perceptions of iGeriCare, caregiver education, the implementation process, and their experience with facilitators and barriers. Transcripts were coded and analyzed using a grounded theory approach. The themes that emerged were organized using the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research. Results A total of 12 participants from a range of disciplines described their perceptions of iGeriCare and identified barriers and facilitators to the implementation of the intervention. The intervention was generally perceived as a high-quality resource for caregiver education and support, with many stakeholders highlighting the relative advantage of a web-based format. The intervention was seen to meet dementia caregiver needs, partially because of its flexibility, accessibility, and compatibility within existing clinical workflows. In addition, the intervention helps to overcome time constraints for both caregivers and clinicians. Conclusions Study findings indicate a generally positive response to the use of internet-based interventions for dementia caregiver education. Results suggest that iGeriCare may be a useful clinical resource to complement traditional face-to-face and print material–based caregiver education. More comprehensive studies are required to identify the effectiveness and longevity of web-based caregiver education interventions and to better understand barriers and facilitators with regard to the implementation of technology-enhanced caregiver educational interventions in various health care settings.

We have used the serological and cellular (PLT) techniques to investigate the heterogeneity of HLA‐DR2. The serologic studies demonstrate that DR2 can be subdivided into two specificities based on the patterns of reactivity with the Ninth Workshop serum, 9w555. These two DR2 subtypes were also recognized by cellular assay utilizing PLTs generated between HLA‐DR2, DQ‐identical, DP‐identical or incompatible individuals. The data, therefore, suggest the existence of two alleles of DR2, DR2.1 (long) and DR2.2 (short).

The assessment of treatment satisfaction using a survey-based assessment tool was feasible for patients receiving IVIG and provided meaningful results that discriminated between domains. Patients found IVIG treatment to be inconvenient, but were satisfied with its tolerability as an ITP treatment. Larger studies are needed to determine the precise impact on each domain and the reproducibility of study results. Patient satisfaction scores can be used to compare different ITP treatments.

We tested sera from 20 women [9 parous, 8 with no children, and 3 with abortion(s)] for inhibition in mixed lymphocyte culture (MLC). In these experiments, the responder (wife) lymphocytes were treated with autologous serum and rabbit complement and then tested for responses against stimulator cells from the husband and from third-party allogeneic donors. The results demonstrate that antibodies capable of inhibiting responses of wife's lymphocytes to husband's cells in MLC are present in sera from parous women, but not in women without children and in women with abortion(s). The MLC-inhibiting activity in parous women sera was in the IgG fraction. The results from immunofluorescence and absorption experiments suggest that the inhibition in MLC was due to antibodies directed against recognition sites on wife's T lymphocytes against husband's alloantigens. These observations suggest that antiidiotypic antibodies against husband-specific idiotypes on wife's lymphocytes could be induced by pregnancy and that maternal tolerance to fetus may be attributable to a similar mechanism occurring in vivo.

We studied the polymorphism of HLA‐DR2 by Southern blot analysis. Genomic DNA from 12 DR2 positive unrelated individuals was digested separately with five restriction endonucleases, Bam HI, Eco RI, Eco RV, Hind III and Pvu II. Hybridizing restriction fragments were visualized using radiolabeled β‐chain cDNA probes homologous to the DR and DQ subregions of the HLA. The results in the present study demonstrate that the two subtypes of DR2, DR2.1 and DR2.2, as defined by serological and cellular (PLT) techniques can be identified by Southern blot analysis. These two subtypes were identifiable after cleaving genomic DNA with Bam HI and EcoRV. DR2.1 correlated with restriction endonuclease fragments at 2.8 kb (DRβ) and 6.6 kb (DQβ) after Bam HI digest, while DR2.2 correlated with a 2.9 kb (DRβ) and a 2.6 kb (DQβ) restriction fragment after Eco RV digest. In addition, inheritance of the restriction fragment lengths defining DR2.1 and DR2.2 were observed in two families. In contrast, no differences between DR2.1 and DR2.2 were observed with the restriction enzymes Eco RI, Hind III and Pvu II.