Reliably differentiating brown adipose tissue (BAT) from other tissues using a non-invasive imaging method is an important step toward studying BAT in humans. Detecting BAT is typically confirmed by the uptake of the injected radioactive tracer 18F-Fluorodeoxyglucose (18F-FDG) into adipose tissue depots, as measured by positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET-CT) scans after exposi...

We provide serological evidence of lyssavirus circulation among bats on southwestern Indian Ocean (SWIO) islands. A total of 572 bats belonging to 22 species were collected on Anjouan, Mayotte, La Réunion, Mauritius, Mahé and Madagascar and screened by the Rapid Fluorescent Focus Inhibition Test for the presence of neutralising antibodies against the two main rabies related lyssaviruses circula...

In Sprague-Dawley rats, brown adipose tissue (BAT) thermogenesis occurs in an episodic ultradian manner (BAT on-periods) as part of the basic rest-activity cycle (BRAC). Eating occurs approximately 15min after the onset of BAT on-periods. Zucker obese (fa/fa) rats eat larger less frequent meals than control rats. In chronically instrumented conscious unrestrained Zucker obese rats we examined u...

Although many transcriptional pathways regulating BAT have been identified, the role of lipid biosynthetic enzymes in thermogenesis has been less investigated. Whereas cold exposure causes changes in the fatty acid composition of BAT, the functional consequences of this remains relatively unexplored. In this study, we demonstrate that the enzyme Elongation of Very Long Chain fatty acids 6 (Elov...

In rodents, brown adipose tissue (BAT) plays an important role in producing heat to defend against the cold and can metabolize large amounts of dietary fatty acids (DFA). The role of BAT in DFA metabolism in humans is unknown. Here we show that mild cold stimulation (18 °C) results in a significantly greater fractional DFA extraction by BAT relative to skeletal muscle and white adipose tissue i...

Previous work indicated that lysine-specific demethylase 1 (Lsd1) can positively regulate the oxidative and thermogenic capacities of white and beige adipocytes. Here we investigate the role of Lsd1 in brown adipose tissue (BAT) and find that BAT-selective Lsd1 ablation induces a shift from oxidative to glycolytic metabolism. This shift is associated with downregulation of BAT-specific and upre...

Excessive weight gain has been identified as a serious metabolic side-effect of second-generation antipsychotics (SGAs), including olanzapine. While hyperphagia has been suggested to be the main contributor for this side-effect in the short term, reduced energy expenditure, in particular thermogenesis and locomotor activity, has been considered to contribute to the maintenance of heavy weight u...

OBJECTIVE Biomedical interest in brown adipose tissue (BAT) has increased since the discovery of functionally active BAT in adult humans. Although white adipose tissue (WAT) influences vascular function, vascular effects of BAT are elusive. Thus, we investigated the regulatory role and putative vasoprotective effects of BAT, focusing on hydrogen peroxide, nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosp...

BACKGROUND The uptake of F-FDG in brown adipose tissue (BAT) may have important implications in understanding the pathophysiology of BAT and obesity. Because of the thermal implications of BAT uptake of F-FDG, this study aimed to contribute to existing knowledge by assessing patients scanned in a subtropical environment with particular reference to ethnicity. PATIENTS AND METHODS A retrospect...

There is a major resurgence of interest in brown adipose tissue (BAT) biology, particularly regarding its determinants and consequences in newborns and infants. Reliable methods for non-invasive BAT measurement in human infants have yet to be demonstrated. The current study first validates methods for quantitative BAT imaging of rodents post mortem followed by BAT excision and re-imaging of exc...