Biliary epithelial cells, the immune system and PSC pathogenesis

Primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) is a chronic, inflammatory liver disease that leads to destruction of the bile duct system. PSC is strongly associated with inflammatory bowel disease, and PSC patients have an increased risk of developing malignancies, especially cholangiocarcinoma (CCA). The pathogenesis of PSC is still insufficiently understood, although T cells have been suggested to play a major role. Little is known about the involvement of other immune cell populations. In addition to this, a better understanding is needed about the capacity of liver resident immune cells to prevent tumor development. In this thesis we have investigated cellular and humoral components of the immune system, in PSC and the PSC-associated malignancy CCA. In the first study, we examined the role of autoreactive antibodies in PSC patients. Flow cytometry was used to investigate the presence of IgA and IgG antibodies in PSC patient sera, and its reactivity against isolated human biliary epithelial cells. A majority of the patients had antibodies that bound to the cells, while only low levels could be detected in serum of healthy individuals. Moreover, IgA autoantibodies in PSC patients were associated with a reduced survival, and therefore their presence may be of importance in the pathogenesis of PSC. In the second and third study, immunohistochemistry and image analysis was used, to explore the cell compositions in PSC and CCA livers. Specific phenotypic patterns, associated with severity of disease, were revealed in PSC livers. T cells were enriched, mainly localizing to fibrotic fields, whereas MAIT cells were not equally increased. Furthermore, one group of PSC patients, characterized by a potential loss of smooth muscle cell function, was found to have increased numbers of T cells and a more extensive bile duct proliferation. The tumor microenvironment in CCA was characterized by a selective loss of Kupffer cells and MAIT cells, and contained high numbers of regulatory T cells. Moreover, the expression of IL-33 was significantly lower in tumors. This distinct intratumoral phenotype was unaffected by tumor location, tumor differentiation, or an underlying PSC. Altogether, our studies provide insights into the pathogenesis of PSC and CCA and opens up for further studies of disease mechanisms

Robust T cell immunity in convalescent individuals with asymptomatic or mild COVID-19

SARS-CoV-2-specific memory T cells will likely prove critical for long-term immune protection against COVID-19. Here, we systematically mapped the functional and phenotypic landscape of SARS-CoV-2-specific T cell responses in unexposed individuals, exposed family members, and individuals with acute or convalescent COVID-19. Acute-phase SARS-CoV-2-specific T cells displayed a highly activated cytotoxic phenotype that correlated with various clinical markers of disease severity, whereas convalescent-phase SARS-CoV-2-specific T cells were polyfunctional and displayed a stem-like memory phenotype. Importantly, SARS-CoV-2-specific T cells were detectable in antibody-seronegative exposed family members and convalescent individuals with a history of asymptomatic and mild COVID-19. Our collective dataset shows that SARS-CoV-2 elicits broadly directed and functionally replete memory T cell responses, suggesting that natural exposure or infection may prevent recurrent episodes of severe COVID-19

Interactive Textile Structures

Textiles of today are materials with applications in almost all our activities. We wear clothes all the time and we are surrounded with textiles in almost all our environments. The integration of multifunctional values in such a common material has become a special area of interest in recent years. Smart Textile represents the next generation of textiles anticipated for use in several fashion, furnishing and technical textile applications. The term smart is used to refer to materials that sense and respond in a pre-defined manner to environmental stimuli. The degree of smartness varies and it is possible to enhance the intelligence further by combining these materials with a controlling unit, for example a microprocessor. As an interdisciplinary area Smart Textile includes design spaces from several areas; the textile design space, the information technology design space and the design space of material science. This thesis addresses how Smart Textiles affect the textile design space; how the introduction of smart materials and information technology affects the creation of future textile products. The aim is to explore the convergence between textiles, smart materials and information technology and to contribute to providing a basis for future research in this area. The research method is based on a series of interlinked experiments designed through the research questions and the research objects. The experiments are separated into two different sections: interactive textile structures and health monitoring. The result is a series of basic methods for how interactive textile structures are created and a general system for health monitoring. Furthermore the result consists of a new design space, advanced textile design. In advanced textile design the focus is set on the relation between the different natures of a textile object: its physical structure and its structure in the context of design and use

Smart Textiles and Wearable Technology

This report gives an overview of projects combining smart textiles and clothing as a basis for discussions of how smart textiles could be introduced to in fashion. The overview covers different projects, research as well as commercial projects within smart textiles and clothing, with a certain focus on European activities

Interactive Textile Structures : Creating Multifunctional Textiles based on Smart Materials

Textiles of today are materials with applications in almost all our activities. We wear clothes all the time and we are surrounded with textiles in almost all our environments. The integration of multifunctional values in such a common material has become a special area of interest in recent years. Smart Textile represents the next generation of textiles anticipated for use in several fashion, furnishing and technical textile applications. The term smart is used to refer to materials that sense and respond in a pre-defined manner to environmental stimuli. The degree of smartness varies and it is possible to enhance the intelligence further by combining these materials with a controlling unit, for example a microprocessor. As an interdisciplinary area Smart Textile includes design spaces from several areas; the textile design space, the information technology design space and the design space of material science. This thesis addresses how Smart Textiles affect the textile design space; how the introduction of smart materials and information technology affects the creation of future textile products. The aim is to explore the convergence between textiles, smart materials and information technology and to contribute to providing a basis for future research in this area. The research method is based on a series of interlinked experiments designed through the research questions and the research objects. The experiments are separated into two different sections: interactive textile structures and health monitoring. The result is a series of basic methods for how interactive textile structures are created and a general system for health monitoring. Furthermore the result consists of a new design space, advanced textile design. In advanced textile design the focus is set on the relation between the different natures of a textile object: its physical structure and its structure in the context of design and use

Interactive Textile Structures

This thesis explores the area of smart textile and wearable computing. Smart or Interactive Textiles area generic terms for textile materials and products that in some nontrivial sense are self-active. Smart Textiles represents generation of high-tech, functional textile materials and products. An example of that is wearable computing. This thesis explores the area using two product concepts. A toy concept called Spookies and a Glove concept called Wanted. The two projects represent two types of products where wearable technology is embedded in textiles and where further progress has focused on how to integrate and link the technologies. The two projects also show different solutions concerning the integration of technology. In the Spookies concept all technology, hardware and software, is embedded in the product. The glove on the other hand is integrated with a minor part of hardware of software. The main part of technology is placed in the terminal, the mobile phone, to which the glove has wireless access. The aim with this thesis is to find out what smart textiles will mean for future textile and computing products. The research has explored how the two technologies relate to each other and the more specific research questions have been:In what way is it possible to transform electronics into textile structure?In what way is it possible to get feedback in textile?In what way is it possible to activate in textile?The research approach in this project is based on combining practice based design research with a series of experiment interlinked through given product applications. In this approach the design objects plays a central role when research issues and questions should be formulated. Objects can also be used to demonstrate, test and to some extent evaluate the research result.The research has resulted in several interactive textile structures such as: textile data buses, textile electrodes for heart rate measurements, colour change, tactile, press sensing and strain sensing textile structures