Search

The aim of this paper is to provide the design of a variable stiffness joint able to perform large rotations without undergoing plastic strain. The joint comprises two leaf springs of variable length, allowing to adjust the stiffness of the joint according to the desired performance. Large rotations are achieved by employing superelastic material for the leaf springs, instead of common linear elastic material. The behaviour of the joint has been investigated by means of finite element analyses; in addition, the first attempt to develop a simple mathematical model for the superelastic material as alternative to finite element method is described. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Insulin resistance and other features of the metabolic syndrome have been causally linked to adipose tissue macrophages (ATMs) in mice with diet-induced obesity. We aimed to characterize macrophage phenotype and function in human subcutaneous and omental adipose tissue in relation to insulin resistance in obesity.Research Design and Methods: Adipose tissue was obtained from lean and obese women undergoing bariatric surgery. Metabolic markers were measured in fasting serum and ATMs characterized by immunohistology, flow cytometry, and tissue culture studies. RESULTS ATMs comprised CD11c(+)CD206(+) cells in "crown" aggregates and solitary CD11c(-)CD206(+) cells at adipocyte junctions. In obese women, CD11c(+) ATM density was greater in subcutaneous than omental adipose tissue and correlated with markers of insulin resistance. CD11c(+) ATMs were distinguished by high expression of integrins and antigen presentation molecules; interleukin (IL)-1beta, -6, -8, and -10; tumor necrosis factor-alpha; and CC chemokine ligand-3, indicative of an activated, proinflammatory state. In addition, CD11c(+) ATMs were enriched for mitochondria and for RNA transcripts encoding mitochondrial, proteasomal, and lysosomal proteins, fatty acid metabolism enzymes, and T-cell chemoattractants, whereas CD11c(-) ATMs were enriched for transcripts involved in tissue maintenance and repair. Tissue culture medium conditioned by CD11c(+) ATMs, but not CD11c(-) ATMs or other stromovascular cells, impaired insulin-stimulated glucose uptake by human adipocytes.Conclusions: These findings identify proinflammatory CD11c(+) ATMs as markers of insulin resistance in human obesity. In addition, the machinery of CD11c(+) ATMs indicates they metabolize lipid and may initiate adaptive immune responses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is caused by T cell-mediated destruction of the pancreatic insulin-producing β cells. While the role of CD4+ T cells in the pathogenesis of T1D is accepted widely, the epitopes recognized by pathogenic human CD4+ T cells remain poorly defined. None the less, responses to the N-terminal region of the insulin A-chain have been described. Human CD4+ T cells from the pancreatic lymph nodes of subjects with T1D respond to the first 15 amino acids of the insulin A-chain. We identified a human leucocyte antigen-DR4-restricted epitope comprising the first 13 amino acids of the insulin A-chain (A1-13), dependent upon generation of a vicinal disulphide bond between adjacent cysteines (A6–A7). Here we describe the analysis of a CD4+ T cell clone, isolated from a subject with T1D, which recognizes a new HLR-DR4-restricted epitope (KRGIVEQCCTSICS) that overlaps the insulin A1-13 epitope. This is a novel epitope, because the clone responds to proinsulin but not to insulin, T cell recognition requires the last two residues of the C-peptide (Lys, Arg) and recognition does not depend upon a vicinal disulphide bond between the A6 and A7 cysteines. The finding of a further CD4+ T cell epitope in the N-terminal A-chain region of human insulin underscores the importance of this region as a target of CD4+ T cell responses in human T1D. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]