Resources

The lab is well equipped with resources for assessing lifestyle factors, as well as various physiological systems. Our epidemiological/public health work focuses on conventional and novel assessments of cardiometabolic health. In terms of more basic physiology, the lab has the capacity to assess oxygen delivery from the environment to the muscle, blood flow delivery from the heart to the muscle, cardiac structure and function, vascular structure and function, and interactions between vascular function and the immune system. Specific measurements include:

• Lifestyle – physical (in)activity, sleep, nutrition, GIS
• Cardiovascular – cardiac size/function, blood flow/shear stress, blood flow, flow-mediated dilation, local arterial stiffness, aortic arterial stiffness, arterial wave reflections, central blood pressure, standard blood markers
• Cognition – eye tracking
• Cerebrovascular – blood velocity/perfusion, neurovascular coupling, cerebral autoregulation, arterial stiffness
• Respiratory – pulmonary function, maximal oxygen uptake, peripheral oxygen exchange
• Skeletal muscle – oxygen consumption, mitochondrial function, microvascular blood flow, oxidative capacity, volume, function/strength
• Body composition – body fat, lean mass, visceral fat, bone density
• Immune – total leukocyte counts, specific sub-populations via flow cytometry

Equipment available includes:

• Actigraph accelerometers – physical (in)activity and sleep
• Artinis near infra-red spectroscopy
• Artinis functional near infra-red spectroscopy
• AtCor XCEL (pulse wave analysis / pulse wave velocity)
• Atcor Oscar 2 ambulatory blood pressure
• Blood flow / shear stress analysis
• Coviden Capnostream capnograph
• DWL DopplerBox X transcranial doppler
• Equivital wireless physiological monitoring system
• Hologic Dual X-ray Absorptiometry
• Ergometers: treadmills, cycles
• Quipu Cardiovascular Suite
• Flow-mediated dilation analysis
• GE Case ECG
• GE Logiq E ultrasound
• GE Loqiq P6 with stress Echo
• Humex dynamometer
• iPro continuous glucose monitors
• Lactate Plus portable lactate analyzer
• Omron VP-1000 cardiovascular screening
• Oxycon mobile metabolic system with 12-lead ECG
• Parvo metabolic cart
• Photopleythmgraphy
• Powerlab (ECG, HRV, Stoelting Hand Dynamometer)
• Phlebotomy area for blood draws
• Pupil Core eye tracking
• Sper Scientific Differential Monometer
• USCOM BP+ cenral blood pressure monitor
• USCOM 1A Hemodynamic Monitor (cardiac output, vascular resistance, oxygen delivery)
• Vicorder Arterial Stiffness Model