The Medical journal of Australia
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We describe here the first case of classical homozygous beta-thalassaemia in a part-Aboriginal child. The child came from Bourke, New South Wales, and is the product of a consanguineous mating. ⋯ From the family studies, we have found that there are now 17 carriers of beta-thalassaemia in the Aboriginal community in northwestern New South Wales, and it is anticipated that more part-Aboriginal children with thalassaemia major will be identified. The presence of numerous carriers of beta-thalassaemia in the Aboriginal population would suggest that care should be taken in the administration of iron for the treatment of anaemias found in Aboriginal children.
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A review of the experimental evidence and of the human clinical and epidemiological studies relating to possible teratogenesis after exposure of the male to toxic substances is presented. Toxic insults to the process of gametogenesis can occur either in the male or in the female. Temporary infertility can occur in males exposed to toxic substances, and teratospermia is well documented. ⋯ In none of these studies has the teratogenic syndrome (easily demonstrable as an effect of the drug or toxin when ingested by the pregnant mother) appeared in the offspring of a male who has been exposed to the toxin. Epidemiological studies in humans have given no positive evidence that the baseline congenital malformation rate of children is increased if the father has been exposed to toxic substances. The available evidence indicates that spermatogenesis is particularly resilient after exposure to various toxic chemicals.