Nutrition, Exercise and phenotype Testing Core

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Abstract/Summary – NExT Core The overall objective of the Nutrition, Exercise and phenotype Testing (NExT) core of MNORC (formerly the “Human Phenotyping Core” (HPC) is to enhance and expand the research capabilities of MNORC investigators performing clinical and translational studies related to nutrition, obesity, and/or obesity-related disorders in humans. The NExT core accomplishes this goal by: 1) Provide consultation services to translational, clinical and population-based investigators regarding appropriate assessment, testing and/or intervention approaches for their studies related to nutrition, physical activity/exercise, obesity, or obesity-related cardio- metabolic disorders, 2) offering expertise and infrastructure for sophisticated and standardized physiologic testing of human subjects, including children and adults 3) providing services to directly assist researchers to conduct their nutritional and/or physical activity/exercise interventions in human subjects, and 4) assisting in the development of new techniques or acquire new technologies for human metabolic phenotyping. In addition to offering a wide array of relatively “standard” phenotypic measurements (e.g., anthropometry and body composition (DXA, PeaPod), blood pressure, fasting blood work, oral glucose tolerance, nutritional and physical activity assessments via self reports and objective methods (test meals, accelerometry), and aerobic fitness assessments) the NExT core also offers several more involved procedures to more thoroughly assess the metabolic phenotype (e.g., hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp, isotope-tracer metabolic studies, resting energy expenditure, skeletal muscle and adipose tissue biopsies). Before beginning their studies, MNORC investigators may consult with expert NExT core personnel to gain insights on how the available methodologies may help them to test their hypotheses, and potentially expand their research questions using the tools made available to them through the Core. NExT core personnel also consult with MNORC investigators to help optimize their study designs and their research intervention strategies/approaches. The NEXT core also directly assists MNORC investigators to conduct their obesity/nutritional interventions by providing services such as: nutritional consultations with study participants, supervision of exercise training interventions, assessment of physical activity and dietary behaviors during an intervention, as well as assistance with conducting interventions specifically tailored to each research participant. Overall, the services of the NExT core provide well-controlled and standardized phenotypic testing, state-of-the-art techniques for “deeper” phenotype assessment, as well as assistance to conduct well-controlled research interventions, all of which greatly enhance and expand on existing approaches used by researchers in the areas of nutrition and obesity in children and adults.