The risk of exposure to nanoparticles (NPs) has rapidly increased during the last decade due to the vast use of nanomaterials (NMs) in many areas of human life. Despite this fact, human biomonitoring studies focused on the effect of NP exposure on DNA alterations are still rare. Furthermore, there are virtually no epigenetic data available. In this study, we investigated global and gene-specific DNA methylation profiles in a group of 20 long-term (mean 14.5 years) exposed, nanocomposite, research workers and in 20 controls. Both groups were sampled twice/day (pre-shift and post-shift) in September 2018. We applied Infinium Methylation Assay, using the Infinium MethylationEPIC BeadChips with more than 850,000 CpG loci, for identification of the DNA methylation pattern in the studied groups. Aerosol exposure monitoring, including two nanosized fractions, was also performed as proof of acute NP exposure. The obtained array data showed significant differences in methylation between the exposed and control groups related to long-term exposure, specifically 341 CpG loci were hypomethylated and 364 hypermethylated. The most significant CpG differences were mainly detected in genes involved in lipid metabolism, the immune system, lung functions, signaling pathways, cancer development and xenobiotic detoxification. In contrast, short-term acute NP exposure was not accompanied by DNA methylation changes. In summary, long-term (years) exposure to NP is associated with DNA epigenetic alterations.The rate of brucellosis, a zoonotic disease, has rapidly increased in humans brucellosis(HB) in recent years. In 1950-2018, a total of 684,380 HB cases (median 2274/year (interquartile range (IQR) 966-8325)) were reported to the National Infectious Disease Surveillance System in mainland China. The incidence of HB peaked in 2014 (4.32/100,000), and then showed a downward trend; we predict that it will maintain a steady downward trend in 2019-2020. Since 2015, the incidence of HB has shown opposite trends in the north and south of China; rates in the north have fallen and rates in the south have increased. In 2004-2018, the most significant increases in incidence of HB were in Yunnan (IQR 0.002-0.463/100,000), Hubei (IQR 0.000-0.338/100,000), and Guangdong (IQR 0.015-0.350/100,000). The areas where HB occurs have little overlap with areas with high per capita GDP in China. The "high-high" clusters of HB are located in northeastern China (Inner Mongolia, Heilongjiang, Jilin, Liaoning, Ningxia, Shanxi, and Gansu), and the "low-low" clusters of HB are located in southern China (Yunnan, Jiangxi, Shanghai, Guangxi, Guangdong, Zhejiang, Guizhou, and Hunan). In recent years, the incidence of HB in China has been controlled to some extent, but the incidence of HB has increased in southern China, and the disease has spread geographically in China from north to south. Further research is needed to address this change and to continue to explore the relationship between the incidence of HB and relevant factors.BACKGROUND Neural inflammation is linked to coagulation. Low levels of thrombin have a neuroprotective effect, mediated by activated protein C (APC). We describe a sensitive novel method for the measurement of APC activity at the low concentrations found in neural tissue. METHODS APC activity was measured using a fluorogenic substrate, Pyr-Pro-Arg-AMC, cleaved preferentially by APC. Selectivity was assessed using specific inhibitors and activators. APC levels were measured in human plasma, in glia cell lines, in mice brain slices following mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) and systemic lipopolysaccharide (LPS) injection, and in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) taken from viral meningoencephalitis patients and controls. RESULTS Selectivity required apixaban and alpha-naphthylsulphonylglycyl-4-amidinophenylalanine piperidine (NAPAP). Apalutamide APC levels were easily measurable in plasma and were significantly increased by Protac and CaCl2. APC activity was significantly higher in the microglial compared to astrocytic cell line and specifically lowered by LPS. Brain APC levels were higher in posterior regions and increased by mTBI and LPS. Highly elevated APC activity was measured in viral meningoencephalitis patients CSF. CONCLUSIONS This method is selective and sensitive for the measurement of APC activity that significantly changes during inflammation in cell lines, animal models and human CSF.It is difficult to fabricate tubular-shaped tissues and organs (e.g., trachea, blood vessel, and esophagus tissue) with traditional biofabrication techniques (e.g., electrospinning, cell-sheet engineering, and mold-casting) because these have complicated multiple processes. In addition, the tubular-shaped tissues and organs have their own design with target-specific mechanical and biological properties. Therefore, the customized geometrical and physiological environment is required as one of the most critical factors for functional tissue regeneration. 3D bioprinting technology has been receiving attention for the fabrication of patient-tailored and complex-shaped free-form architecture with high reproducibility and versatility. Printable biocomposite inks that can facilitate to build tissue constructs with polymeric frameworks and biochemical microenvironmental cues are also being actively developed for the reconstruction of functional tissue. In this review, we delineated the state-of-the-art of 3D bioprinting techniques specifically for tubular tissue and organ regeneration. In addition, this review described biocomposite inks, such as natural and synthetic polymers. Several described engineering approaches using 3D bioprinting techniques and biocomposite inks may offer beneficial characteristics for the physiological mimicry of human tubular tissues and organs.Many species of fish gather in dense collectives or schools where there are significant flow interactions from their shed wakes. Commonly, these swimmers shed a classic reverse von Kármán wake, however, schooling eels produce a bifurcated wake topology with two vortex rings shed per oscillation cycle. To examine the schooling interactions of a hydrofoil with a bifurcated wake topology, we present tomographic particle image velocimetry (tomo PIV) measurements of the flow interactions and direct force measurements of the performance of two low-aspect-ratio hydrofoils ( = 0 . 5 ) in an in-line and a staggered arrangement. Surprisingly, when the leader and follower are interacting in either arrangement there are only minor alterations to the flowfields beyond the superposition of the flowfields produced by the isolated leader and follower. Motivated by this finding, Garrick's linear theory, a linear unsteady hydrofoil theory based on a potential flow assumption, was adapted to predict the lift and thrust performance of the follower.