OBJECTIVES:A precise assessment of angioarchitectural characteristics using noninvasive imaging is helpful for serial follow-up and weighting risk of natural history in unruptured brain arteriovenous malformation (bAVM). This study aimed to test the hypothesis that susceptibility weighted imaging (SWI) would provide an accurate evaluation of angioarchitectural features of unruptured bAVM. METHODS:A total of 81 consecutive patients with unruptured bAVM were examined. Image quality of SWI for the assessment of bAVM angioarchitectural features was determined by a 5-point scale. The accuracy of SWI for detection of angioarchitectural features was evaluated using digital subtraction angiography as a standard reference and further compared among unruptured bAVMs with or without silent intralesional microhemorrhage on SWI to examine the potential confounding effect of microhemorrhage on image analysis. RESULTS:All lesions were identified on SWI. Image quality of SWI was judged to be at least adequate for diagnosis (range, 3-5) in all patients by both readers. Using digital subtraction angiography as a reference standard, the area under the receiver operating curve of detection of deep or posterior fossa location, exclusively deep venous drainage, venous ectasia, venous varices, and the presence of associated aneurysm on SWI was 1, 0.93, 0.94, 0.95, and 0.83, respectively. Silent intralesional microhemorrhage were detected in 39 patients (48.15%) on SWI and no significant difference (P > 0.05) was found in angioarchitectural features between patients with and without silent microhemorrhage. CONCLUSIONS:SWI might be a noninvasive alternative technique for angiography in the angioarchitectural assessment of unruptured bAVM.

Phage display-mediated immuno-polymerase chain reaction (PD-IPCR) is an ultrasensitive detection technology that combines the advantages of immuno-PCR and phage display. The phage particle, which displayed antibody fragments including single-chain fragment variable (scFv), variable domain of heavy-chain antibodies (VHH), and antigen-binding fragment (Fab) on the surface can be directly used in IPCR, supplying both the detection antibody and deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) template. In this work, we used ochratoxin A (OTA) as a model system to study the capacity of PD-IPCR in the detection of toxic small molecular weight compounds, especially mycotoxins. An alpaca-derived VHH library was constructed and subjected to four cycles of panning. In total, 16 clones with four unique sequences were selected by competitive binding with OTA. The clone VHH-28 resulted in the lowest 50% inhibitory concentration of 0.31 ng/mL in the phage enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and was selected to develop the VHH phage-based real-time immuno-PCR (RT-IPCR). The detection limit of the VHH phage-based RT-IPCR was 3.7 pg/L, with a linear range of 0.01-1000 pg/mL. This method was compared with conventional ELISA, and validation results indicated the reliability of VHH phage-based RT-IPCR in the detection of OTA in cereal samples. This study provides a new idea for the ultrasensitive detection of mycotoxins and other toxic small molecular weight compounds.

Proper temporal and spatial activation of stem cells relies on highly coordinated cell signaling. The primary cilium is the sensory organelle that is responsible for transmitting extracellular signals into a cell. Primary cilium size, architecture, and assembly-disassembly dynamics are under rigid cell cycle-dependent control. Using mouse incisor tooth epithelia as a model, we show that ciliary dynamics in stem cells require the proper functions of a cholesterol-binding membrane glycoprotein, Prominin-1 (Prom1/CD133), which controls sequential recruitment of ciliary membrane components, histone deacetylase, and transcription factors. Nuclear translocation of Prom1 and these molecules is particularly evident in transit amplifying cells, the immediate derivatives of stem cells. The absence of Prom1 impairs ciliary dynamics and abolishes the growth stimulation effects of sonic hedgehog (SHH) treatment, resulting in the disruption of stem cell quiescence maintenance and activation. We propose that Prom1 is a key regulator ensuring appropriate response of stem cells to extracellular signals, with important implications for development, regeneration, and diseases.