Rafaela Feresin, Ph.D.

Nutrition Assistant Professor
I.  General Research Interests
 
  1. The role of functional foods, bioactive compounds and dietary supplements on hypertension and cardiovascular diseases, obesity, diabetes, osteoporosis and gut microbiota.
II. Current Research Projects
 
  1. Berries prevent hypertension and cardiac damage by modulating the gut microbiota and attenuating oxidative stress and inflammation.
  2. Impact of berry consumption on gut microbiota, inflammation and insulin resistance.
  3. Effects of berry polyphenol extracts on pro-inflammatory markers in LPS-treated RAW264.7 macrophages.
  4. The protective role of blueberries in endothelial cells.
  5. The effects of berry polyphenol extracts on osteoclast differentiation and activity.

III. Research Skills

  1. Polyphenol extraction
  2. Cell culture –immortalized and primary cells
    1.Macrophages
    2.Endothelial Cells
    3.Vascular smooth muscle cells
    4.Cardiomyocytes
    5.Kidney cells
    6.Osteoblasts
    7.Osteoclasts
  3. Molecular biology -protein expression, RT-PCR
  4. Cell viability assays
  5. Colorimetric assays
  6. Immunoassays –EIA, ELISA
  7. Histology -immunohistochemistry, immunofluorescence, histochemistry
  8. Animal studies –hamsters, mice and rats
    1.Study design
    2.Diet formulation
    3.Subcutaneous minipump implantation
    4.Metabolic cages for 24-h urine collection
    5.Blood pressure measurements using tail-cuff plethysmography
    6.Body composition –DEXA and MRI
    7.Tissue excision
    8.Feces and colon collection for microbiota analyses
  9. Clinical Studies
    1.Study design
    2.Placebo/Supplement formulation
    3.Blood collection
    4.Arterial stiffness measurements –Pulse Wave Velocity
    5.Flow-mediated dilation –EndoPat
    6.Blood pressure measurements
    7.Body composition –DEXA, BIA, skin calipers
    8.Medical History Questionnaire
    9.Physical Activity Questionnaire
    10.Dietary intake:24-Hour Dietary Records, Three-Day Food Records, and Food Frequency Questionnaires
    11.Food analyses software
  10. Inferential Statistics

Nutrition

Berries

Blackberries

Raspberries

Black raspberries

Blueberries

Strawberries

Polyphenols

Bioactive compounds

Phenolics

Flavonoids

Vitamin E

Collagen

Hypertension

Endothelial function

Arterial stiffness

Endothelial cells

Vascular smooth muscle cells

Senescence

Angiotensin II

High-salt diet

Nitric oxide

Kidney

Heart

Cardiovascular diseases

CHF

Osteoarthritis

Osteoporosis

Bone

Bone remodeling

Osteoclast

Osteoblast

RANKL

MCS-F

Bone resorption

Bone formation

Bone mineral density

Trabecular bone

Cortical bone

PBMCs

Micro-CT

3-point bending

DXA

Inflammation

Macrophages

LPS

Oxidative stress

Antioxidant

NRF2

Anti-inflammatory

NF-kB

Sports nutrition

Dietary supplements

Exercise Performance

Body composition

Lean body mass

Body fat mass

Athletes

Rodent

Mouse

Rat

Ovariectomy

Orchidectomy

Estrogen

Postmenopausal

Estrogen

Clinical trial

In vitro

In vivo

Cell culture

Obesity

High-fat diet

Microbiome

Kale

Metabolic syndrome

Cholesterol

Glucose

Insulin

Triglycerides

CRP

CBD oil

DNA damage

Lipid peroxidation

Total antioxidant capacity