The Clinical and Community Research Core provides measurements in human subjects of biochemical, clinical chemistry, body composition/fat distribution, energy expenditure, substrate utilization, and supports activities that use qualitative and survey research methods. 

Activities:

• Biochemical Assays Provide measurements of biochemical parameters that have been shown to be important in human obesity and cardiovascular risk, including plasma lipoproteins and their subspecies, intermediates of cholesterol metabolism, plasma fatty acids, free fatty acids, a comprehensive array of serum and plasma vitamins, homocysteine, folate, cortisol, insulin, glucose, hemoglobin A1C, plasminogen activator inhibitor, fibrinogen, plant sterols, lutein, zeaxanthin, gastrin, ghrelin, glucagons, leptin, renin, fructosamine, C-reactive protein, interleukins 1, 2R, 6, and 10, Lp-PLA2, adiponectin, resistin, urinary PABA, and urinary and stool nitrogen.
  
  
• Body Composition Studies Provide body composition measurements by hydrostatic weighing, total body water, bioelectric impedance, and dual-photon absorptiometry (DEXA) and Analysis of CT and MRI scans for regional fat and muscle
  
  
• Mass Spectrometry/Energy Expenditure Studies The GC/MS and LC/MS instruments are used for quantification of vitamins, amino acids, lipids, fatty acids, retinoids, carotenoids, peptides, vitamin metabolism and bioavailability, DNA methylation and apolipoprotein kinetics. The IRMS is used for measuring doubly labeled water in body fluids and carbon dioxide in breath to determine total energy expenditure, total body water, and whole-body protein turnover. 
  
  
• Consultative services appropriate uses and limitations of qualitative and survey research methods, and of approaches to the measurement of biochemical variables, body composition, energy expenditure, and behavioral risk factors for obesity in normal human subjects across the lifespan, or human subjects with obesity, under-nutrition, or conditions that predispose to malnutrition


• Qualitative and survey methods services Training and/or facilitation for focus groups, key informant interviews, content analysis and data management & instrument design services for paper and web-based surveys and questionnaires

Director:
Aviva Must, PhD
E-mail: aviva.must@tufts.edu

Co-Director:
Andrew Greenberg, MD
E-mail: andrew.greenberg@tufts.edu

Body Composition Unit:
Roger Fielding, PhD
E-mail: roger.fielding@tufts.edu

Biochemistry and Metabolism Unit:
Alice Lichtenstein, ScD
E-mail:alice.lichtenstein@tufts.edu

Qualitative and Survey Research Methods Unit:
Raymond Hyatt, PhD
E-mail:raymond.hyatt@tufts.edu