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M eHg and I nfant N eurological D evelopment (MIND) PI: Nalini Sathiakumar MD, DrPH (UAB) PI: Satish Rao MBBS (MU) Manipal University, Karnataka State, India. Meena R. Kannan UASOM MSEP Summer 2008. India: Land of superlatives. Located in Indian subcontinent 2 nd most populous
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MeHg and Infant Neurological Development (MIND) PI: Nalini Sathiakumar MD, DrPH (UAB)PI: Satish Rao MBBS (MU)Manipal University, Karnataka State, India Meena R. Kannan UASOM MSEP Summer 2008
India: Land of superlatives • Located in Indian subcontinent • 2nd most populous • 7th largest country • 12th largest and 2nd fastest growing economy • Many of the largest cities in world
Specific Aims of the Study • measure THg and MeHg hair levels among a cross-section of pregnant women resident in Udupi or Mangalore districts; • develop, pilot test and administer a questionnaire to elicit information on fish and other seafood consumption, other potential sources of Hg exposure and prenatal risk factors that may contribute to neurodevelopmental problems in children; and • compare self-reported fish consumption patterns and hair levels of THg and MeHg among these women.
Methodology • Questionnaire • Hair Sample • Cord Blood Sample
My Typical Day • 7:00-9:00 Wake and breakfast at the mess hall • 9:00-1:00 Travel to study sites to administer surveys and collect hair samples/cord blood samples • 1:00-2:00 Lunch at mess hall and rest • 2:00-4:00 Meeting with staff, data entry, storage of samples, preparation for next day
Accommodations New Chandrasekhar Hostel, Manipal University
Strengths • First hand experience with different methods of data collection • Experience taking full gynecological, dietary, behavioral, exposure history • Opportunity to travel to different types of health care centers • Opportunity to see how physicians, nurses, epidemiologists, toxicologists and chemists can work together to improve the health outcomes at the community level Limitations • Language barrier • Poor record keeping in hospitals and clinics of the patients’ gynecological histories • Monsoon rains and poor road conditions