Q: When was thalidomide available first to use?
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A: 1957-1961, thalidomide found use in Europe, Japan, Australia and Canada as an antiemetic during pregnancy and as a sedative until it was found to be a teratogen causing birth defects. Fetuses were found to be vulnerable to upper limb phocomelia between days 27-30 of gestation and only a single dose of the drug could produce defects. The drug became over-the-counter in 1960, and 5,000 to 7,000 infants were born with signs of phocomelia.
Q: Why is it called phocomelia?
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A: Derived from the Greek words phoco meaning seal and melia meaning limb.
Q: What are some teratogenic effects of thalidomide?
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A: Ingestion of thalidomide during the first trimester of pregnancy can cause serious fetal malformations, including absence of the ears; deafness, absence, or hypoplasia of the arms (phocomelia) preferentially affecting the radius and the thumb; defects of the tibia and femur; and cardiac, bowel, uterine, and gallbladder malformations.