title: Supraclavicular skin temperature as a measure of 18F-FDG uptake by BAT in human subjects.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Brown adipose tissue (BAT) has emerged as a novel player in energy homeostasis in humans and is considered a potential new target for combating obesity and related diseases. The current 'gold standard' for quantification of BAT volume and activity is cold-induced 18F-FDG uptake in BAT. However, use of this technique is limited by cost and radiation exposure. Given the fact that BAT is a thermogenic tissue, mainly located in the supraclavicular region, the aim of the current study was to investigate whether cold-induced supraclavicular skin temperature and core body temperature may be alternative markers of BAT activation in humans.
  
  
  METHODS
  BAT volume and activity were measured in 24 healthy lean adolescent males (mean age 24.1±0.8 years), using cold-induced 18F-FDG uptake with PET-CT. Core body temperature was measured continuously in the small intestine with use of an ingestible telemetric capsule and skin temperature was measured by eighteen wireless iButtons attached to the skin following ISO-defined locations.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Proximal and distal (hand/feet) skin temperatures markedly decreased upon cold exposure, while supraclavicular skin temperature significantly increased (35.2±0.1 vs. 35.5±0.1°C, p = 0.001). Furthermore, cold-induced supraclavicular skin temperature positively correlated with both total (R2 = 0.28, P = 0.010) and clavicular BAT volume (R2 = 0.20, P = 0.030) and clavicular SUVmax (R2 = 0.27, P = 0.010), while core body temperature did not.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Supraclavicular skin temperature as measured by iButtons may have predictive value for BAT detection in adult humans. This is highly desirable considering the increasing interest in pharmacological interventions to stimulate BAT in human subjects.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  NTR 2473.
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrinology and Metabolic Diseases, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands; Einthoven Laboratory for Experimental Vascular Medicine, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Mariëtte R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Boon
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrinology and Metabolic Diseases, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands; Einthoven Laboratory for Experimental Vascular Medicine, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Leontine E H
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: Bakker
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrinology and Metabolic Diseases, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Rianne A D
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: van der Linden
authors.affiliation: Department of Nuclear Medicine, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands; Department of Nuclear Medicine, Rijnland Hospital, Leiderdorp, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Lenka
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Pereira Arias-Bouda
authors.affiliation: Department of Nuclear Medicine, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands; Department of Nuclear Medicine, Rijnland Hospital, Leiderdorp, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Frits
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Smit
authors.affiliation: Department of Nuclear Medicine, Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Hein J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Verberne
authors.affiliation: Department of Human Biology, NUTRIM School for Nutrition, Toxicology and Metabolism, Maastricht University Medical Center, Maastricht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Wouter D
authors.initials: WD
authors.lastname: van Marken Lichtenbelt
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrinology and Metabolic Diseases, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands; Einthoven Laboratory for Experimental Vascular Medicine, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Ingrid M
authors.initials: IM
authors.lastname: Jazet
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrinology and Metabolic Diseases, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands; Einthoven Laboratory for Experimental Vascular Medicine, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Patrick C N
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: Rensen
mesh_terms: D002001:Adipose Tissue, Brown / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D003080:Cold Temperature; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18 / Q000493:pharmacokinetics*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals / Q000493:pharmacokinetics*; D012881:Skin Temperature; D062125:Thermometry / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18