Research on the Morphology and Functional Assessment of Brown Adipose Tissue With Photoacoustic Imaging
The goal of this study is to develop a novel, non-invasive, real-time photoacoustic imaging (PAI) technology for quantifying brown adipose tissue (BAT) and to investigate the differences in BAT morphology and metabolic function between healthy individuals and patients with metabolic syndrome. The main questions it aims to answer are: 1. Can PAI technology quantify BAT metabolic function and establish standardized PAI parameters for BAT assessment? 2. Can PAI parameters distinguish the BAT characteristics of healthy volunteers from patients with metabolic syndrome? Both healthy adults and patients diagnosed with metabolic syndrome will be recruited. Participants will undergo PAI scans of BAT region under normal conditions and after cold exposure to assess BAT activation. The ultimate goal is to validate this radiation-free PAI method as a convenient and effective tool for evaluating BAT metabolism, potentially aiding in early diagnosis and treatment monitoring of metabolic syndrome.
• Healthy individuals over 18 years of age.
• Body Mass Index (BMI) \< 30.
• No history of metabolic diseases, rheumatic immune diseases, or cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases.
• Not currently using any sympathomimetic or sympatholytic drugs.
• Non-smoker and does not consume excessive alcohol.
• Age between 18 and 60 years.
• Must meet 3 or more of the following criteria:
‣ Waist circumference ≥ 90 cm for males, ≥ 85 cm for females.
⁃ Fasting blood glucose ≥ 6.10 mmol/L (110 mg/dl) OR 2-hour postprandial blood glucose ≥ 7.80 mmol/L (140 mg/dl) OR previously diagnosed diabetes.
⁃ Blood pressure ≥ 130/85 mmHg OR previously diagnosed hypertension and under treatment.
⁃ Fasting triglycerides (TG) ≥ 1.7 mmol/L (150 mg/dl).
⁃ Fasting high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) \< 1.0 mmol/L (40 mg/dl).
• Patients diagnosed with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS), defined as meeting two or more of the following criteria and excluding other endocrine diseases that could cause similar symptoms: hyperandrogenism, ovulatory dysfunction, polycystic ovary morphology.