Immune system development during prenatal and early-life periods are essential for healthy development. Environmental and nutritional factors during these periods have strong influences on immune development and can have impacts on disease susceptibility for an individual throughout adulthood. Globally, hundreds of millions of people experience elevated environmental exposure to arsenic,...
Mercury and arsenic are known developmental toxicants and environmental exposures are ubiquitous worldwide from natural and anthropogenic sources. Prenatal exposure to both contaminants are independently associated with adverse perinatal health outcomes and latent disease risk that could be in part mediated by epigenetic reprogramming events. Fetal programming events involving DNA...
Bangladesh is a developing country with burdens of environmental pollution and disparities in maternal and child health. Arsenic, manganese, and lead are pervasive environmental contaminants throughout Bangladesh with major exposures through drinking water and ambient pollution. Chronic exposures to arsenic, manganese, and lead in sensitive populations such as pregnant women,...
Under-5 mortality has decreased globally, but millions of children still die every year. In Bangladesh, respiratory infection and diarrheal disease remain leading causes of morbidity and mortality for children under-5, despite incredible progress in the past three decades. Immune system development begins in utero and continues into adulthood. Toxic environmental...
In 2017, the Rohingya refugee crisis became recognized as the fastest growing and among the densest concentration of refugees in the world. The Rohingya have no legal citizenship in any country and are considered a stateless population. Pregnant persons and children are often more vulnerable to the effects of humanitarian...