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Jia X, Liu W, Ling X, Li J, Ji J, Wang B, Zhao M. Sex and obesity influence the relationship between perfluoroalkyl substances and lean body mass: NHANES 2011-2018. Heliyon 2024; 10:e35888. [PMID: 39319151 PMCID: PMC11419868 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e35888] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2024] [Revised: 06/27/2024] [Accepted: 08/06/2024] [Indexed: 09/26/2024] Open
Abstract
Objective Polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are known endocrine disruptors, that have been the subject of limited research regarding their impact on human lean body mass. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of PFAS exposure on lean body mass. Methods We performed a cross-sectional data analysis involving 1022 adolescents and 3274 adults from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2011-2018, whose lean body mass was measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. The lean mass index (LMI) was calculated as lean body mass dividing by the square of height. The association between PFAS and LMI was examined through a multivariate-adjusted weighted generalized linear model. Moreover, weighted quantile sum (WQS) regression models were employed to futher examine the relationship between the mixture of PFAS and LMI. Results Regression analyses revealed an inverse correlation between PFAS exposure and LMI after adjusting for potential covariates. Adults with higher serum PFAS concentrations manifested a reduction in whole LMI ( β = -0.193, 95 % confidence interval (CI): -0.325 to -0.06). Notably, this correlation was particularly significant in adult females and individuals with obesity, and it was observed across diverse anatomical regions, including lower limbs, right arm, trunk, and whole lean body mass. In adult females, the association between PFAS and whole LMI was statistically significant ( β = -0.294, 95 % CI: -0.495 to -0.094), and a similar trend was found in obese individuals ( β = -0.512, 95 % CI: -0.762 to -0.261). WQS regression analyses supported the results obtained from weighted linear regression analyses. Conclusions Our study suggests that exposure to PFAS, whether individually or in combination, is associated with decreased lean body mass in specific body areas, with sex and obesity serving as major influencing factors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xue Jia
- Department of Nutrition and Food Hygiene, School of Public Health, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan, 250012, China
| | - Wenhui Liu
- Department of Informat and Data Anal Lab, School of Public Health, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan, 250012, China
| | - Xiaomeng Ling
- Department of Nutrition and Food Hygiene, School of Public Health, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan, 250012, China
| | - Juan Li
- Department of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, School of Public Health, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan, 250012, China
| | - Jing Ji
- Department of Nutrition and Food Hygiene, School of Public Health, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan, 250012, China
| | - Baozhen Wang
- Department of Nutrition and Food Hygiene, School of Public Health, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan, 250012, China
| | - Min Zhao
- Department of Nutrition and Food Hygiene, School of Public Health, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan, 250012, China
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Hasegawa K, Inaba Y, Toubou H, Shibazaki T, Iwai-Shimada M, Yamazaki S, Kamijima M, Tsukahara T, Nomiyama T. Prenatal mercury exposure and the secondary sex ratio: The Japan Environment and Children's Study. Reprod Toxicol 2024; 130:108685. [PMID: 39127150 DOI: 10.1016/j.reprotox.2024.108685] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2024] [Revised: 08/05/2024] [Accepted: 08/08/2024] [Indexed: 08/12/2024]
Abstract
Prior research into the association between prenatal mercury (Hg) exposure and the secondary sex ratio has yielded inconclusive and conflicting results. Notably, no study has used cord blood Hg measurement in this context. Also, the differences in Hg species and the potential modifying role of selenium (Se) on this association remain unexplored. Using data from the Japan Environment and Children's Study, we analyzed mother-child pairs with available data for concentrations of total mercury (THg) and Se in maternal blood during late pregnancy, and THg, inorganic mercury (IHg), methylmercury (MeHg), and Se in cord blood. Logistic regression models were employed to examine the association between Hg and Se biomarkers and the secondary sex ratio. Out of the total sample of 3698 children, 1877 (50.8 %) were male, corresponding to an overall secondary sex ratio of 1.03. After adjusting for maternal age and parity, no significant associations were observed between THg concentrations of maternal blood and the secondary sex ratio. Nevertheless, we identified that two-fold increases in THg, IHg, and MeHg concentrations in cord blood were positively associated with increased odds of having a male child, yielding adjusted odds ratios of 1.13 (95 %CI: 1.04, 1.22), 1.12 (1.03, 1.21), and 1.12 (1.03, 1.22), respectively. When stratified by the median Se concentrations, no apparent differences were detected in the associations between Hg concentrations and the secondary sex ratio. In summary, elevated Hg concentrations in cord blood, but not maternal blood, were associated with an increased probability of male births.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kohei Hasegawa
- Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, Shinshu University School of Medicine, 3-1-1 Asahi, Matsumoto, Nagano 390-8621, Japan; Center for Perinatal, Pediatric, and Environmental Epidemiology, Shinshu University School of Medicine, 3-1-1 Asahi, Matsumoto, Nagano 390-8621, Japan.
| | - Yuji Inaba
- Center for Perinatal, Pediatric, and Environmental Epidemiology, Shinshu University School of Medicine, 3-1-1 Asahi, Matsumoto, Nagano 390-8621, Japan; Department of Neurology, Nagano Children's Hospital, 3100 Toyoshina, Azumino, Nagano 399-8288, Japan; Life Science Research Center, Nagano Children's Hospital, 3100 Toyoshina, Azumino, Nagano 399-8288, Japan
| | - Hirokazu Toubou
- Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, Shinshu University School of Medicine, 3-1-1 Asahi, Matsumoto, Nagano 390-8621, Japan; Center for Perinatal, Pediatric, and Environmental Epidemiology, Shinshu University School of Medicine, 3-1-1 Asahi, Matsumoto, Nagano 390-8621, Japan
| | - Takumi Shibazaki
- Department of Pediatrics, Shinshu University School of Medicine, 3-1-1 Asahi, Matsumoto, Nagano 390-8621, Japan
| | - Miyuki Iwai-Shimada
- Japan Environment and Children's Study Programme Office, National Institute for Environmental Studies, 16-2 Onogawa, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8506, Japan
| | - Shin Yamazaki
- Japan Environment and Children's Study Programme Office, National Institute for Environmental Studies, 16-2 Onogawa, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8506, Japan
| | - Michihiro Kamijima
- Department of Occupational and Environmental Health, Nagoya City University Graduate School of Medical Sciences, 1 Kawasumi, Mizuho-cho, Mizuho-ku, Nagoya, Aichi 467-8601, Japan
| | - Teruomi Tsukahara
- Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, Shinshu University School of Medicine, 3-1-1 Asahi, Matsumoto, Nagano 390-8621, Japan; Center for Perinatal, Pediatric, and Environmental Epidemiology, Shinshu University School of Medicine, 3-1-1 Asahi, Matsumoto, Nagano 390-8621, Japan; Department of Occupational Medicine, Shinshu University School of Medicine, 3-1-1 Asahi, Matsumoto, Nagano 390-8621, Japan
| | - Tetsuo Nomiyama
- Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, Shinshu University School of Medicine, 3-1-1 Asahi, Matsumoto, Nagano 390-8621, Japan; Center for Perinatal, Pediatric, and Environmental Epidemiology, Shinshu University School of Medicine, 3-1-1 Asahi, Matsumoto, Nagano 390-8621, Japan; Department of Occupational Medicine, Shinshu University School of Medicine, 3-1-1 Asahi, Matsumoto, Nagano 390-8621, Japan
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Chau K, Neier K, Valenzuela AE, Schmidt RJ, Durbin-Johnson B, Lein PJ, Korf I, LaSalle JM. Placental-brain axis in females detected within broadly impacted metabolic gene networks protects against prenatal PCB exposure. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.07.14.603326. [PMID: 39071357 PMCID: PMC11275969 DOI: 10.1101/2024.07.14.603326] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/30/2024]
Abstract
Background Neurodevelopmental disorders have a strong male bias that is poorly understood. Placenta is a rich source of molecular information about environmental interactions with genetics (including biological sex), that affect the developing brain. We investigated placental-brain transcriptional responses in an established mouse model of prenatal exposure to a human-relevant mixture of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). Results To understand sex, tissue, and dosage effects in embryonic (E18) brain and placenta by RNAseq, we used weighted gene correlation network analysis (WGCNA) to create correlated gene networks that could be compared across sex or tissue. WGCNA revealed that expression within most correlated gene networks was significantly and strongly associated with PCB exposures, but frequently in opposite directions between male-female and placenta-brain comparisons. In both WGCNA and differentially expressed gene analyses, male brain showed more PCB-induced transcriptional changes than male placenta, but the reverse pattern was seen in females. Furthermore, non-monotonic dose responses to PCBs were observed in most gene networks but were most prominent in male brain. The transcriptomic effects of low dose PCB exposure were significantly reversed by dietary folic acid supplementation across both sexes, but these effects were strongest in female placenta. PCB-dysregulated and folic acid-reversed gene networks were commonly enriched in functions in metabolic pathways involved in energy usage and translation, with female-specific protective effects enriched in PPAR, thermogenesis, glycerolipids, and O-glycan biosynthesis, as opposed to toxicant responses in male brain. Conclusions The female protective effect in prenatal PCB exposures appears to be mediated by dose-dependent sex differences in transcriptional modulation of metabolism in placenta.
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Pavić D. Sex Ratio at Birth after Concurrent Events of Earthquakes and the COVID-19 Pandemic in Croatia. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2024; 21:572. [PMID: 38791787 PMCID: PMC11121035 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph21050572] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2024] [Revised: 04/25/2024] [Accepted: 04/26/2024] [Indexed: 05/26/2024]
Abstract
The sex ratio at birth (ratio of males to females) has been known to be affected by exogenous shocks such as wars, pollution, natural catastrophes, economic crises, and others. Among these stressful events, both earthquakes and the COVID-19 pandemic have been reported to lower the sex ratio at birth. In this article, a rather unusual situation of two episodes of simultaneous events of COVID-19 lockdown and earthquakes approximately nine months apart (March and December of 2020) is investigated to assess whether they were associated with a bias in sex ratio at birth 3-5 months later (in utero loss) and 9 months later (loss at conception) in Croatia. The monthly time series of sex ratio at birth, total number of births, and total number of both male and female births from January 2010 to December 2021 were analyzed. Seasonally adjusted autoregressive moving-average models were used to estimate the functional form of the time series from January 2010 to February 2020. These results were used to predict the future values of the series until December 2021 and to compare them with the actual values. For all series used, there was no indication of deviation from the values predicted by the models, neither for 3-5 months nor for 9 months after the COVID-19 lockdown and earthquake events. The possible mechanisms of the absence of bias, such as the threshold of the stressful events and its localized reach, as well as the statistical methods employed, are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dario Pavić
- Department of Sociology, Faculty of Croatian Studies, University of Zagreb, Borongajska Cesta 83d, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
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Nieczuja-Dwojacka J, Marchewka-Długońska J, Budnik A, Wojtowicz P, Giemza B, Skrzypczyk B, Zvarik A. Factors influencing sex ratio at birth in Krosno, Poland. Sci Rep 2024; 14:98. [PMID: 38167565 PMCID: PMC10762082 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-50555-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2023] [Accepted: 12/21/2023] [Indexed: 01/05/2024] Open
Abstract
The secondary sex ratio (SSR) is a widely used descriptor that reflects the living conditions and health status during pregnancy. The aim of study was to assess the impact of maternal factors, season of birth, and air pollution with the heating season on the sex ratio at birth in the Subcarpathian population from the Krosno district, Poland. A retrospective study involving 11,587 births was occurred at the John Paul II Podkarpackie Province Hospital in Krosno between 2016 and 2020. Sex of the newborn, the season of their birth, as well as the maternal age, birth order, the interval between births, and the season of birth were analysed. Furthermore, the relationship between the SSR and the level of air pollution during the heating season was investigated. To determine the significance of differences in sex ratios, chi-square analysis and multifactorial regression were used, with a significance level set at p < 0.05. At the chi-square level, all the studied factors indicated a statistically significant relationship with the SSR. However, the regression model used shows that maternal age and birth order were the most important factors in shaping the SSR in the study group.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joanna Nieczuja-Dwojacka
- Institute of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Biology and Environmental Sciences, Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski University in Warsaw, 01-938, Warsaw, Poland.
| | - Justyna Marchewka-Długońska
- Institute of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Biology and Environmental Sciences, Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski University in Warsaw, 01-938, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Alicja Budnik
- Institute of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Biology and Environmental Sciences, Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski University in Warsaw, 01-938, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Patryk Wojtowicz
- Institute of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Biology and Environmental Sciences, Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski University in Warsaw, 01-938, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Bogdan Giemza
- John Paul II Podkarpackie Province Hospital in Krosno, 38-400, Krosno, Poland
| | - Bożena Skrzypczyk
- John Paul II Podkarpackie Province Hospital in Krosno, 38-400, Krosno, Poland
| | - Aneta Zvarik
- John Paul II Podkarpackie Province Hospital in Krosno, 38-400, Krosno, Poland
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Grech V. The Sex Ratio at Birth Is Higher in Māori than in Non-Māori Populations in Aotearoa New Zealand. ACTA MEDICA (HRADEC KRALOVE) 2023; 66:24-27. [PMID: 37384806 DOI: 10.14712/18059694.2023.11] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/01/2023]
Abstract
AIMS The sex ratio at birth approximates 0.515 (male : total, M/T), with 515 boys per 485 girls. Many factors have been shown to influence M/T including acute and chronic stress. Increasing maternal age is associated with a decline in M/T. In Aotearoa New Zealand, circa 15% of the population identify as of Māori heritage. This populationis generally considered to be socioeconomically disadvantaged. This study analysed M/T for Māori and non-Māori M/T births in Aotearoa New Zealand and relates these to mean maternal age at delivery. METHODS Live births by sex and maternal age at delivery were available from the website of Tatauranga Aotearoa Stats NZ for 1997-2021. RESULTS This study analysed 1,474,905 births (28.4% Māori) Pooled data shows that Māori M/T is significantly higher than non-Māori M/T (chi = 6.8, p = 0.009). Mean maternal age at delivery was less for Māori mothers but this was not statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS Several studies have shown that M/T is decreased in socioeconomically deprived populations, and for this reason Māori M/T is expected to be lower and not higher than non-Māori M/T. A lower mean maternal age at delivery might have explained the M/T differences noted in this analysis but this was not a statistically significant difference.
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Affiliation(s)
- Victor Grech
- Consultant Paediatrician, University of Malta, Malta.
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Fakorede S, Ojo S, Shonde K, Adekoya K, Ogunkanmi L, Oboh B. Trends and seasonal variations in human secondary sex ratio in Southwest Nigeria: A 10-year survey. ADVANCES IN HUMAN BIOLOGY 2022. [DOI: 10.4103/aihb.aihb_165_21] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
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Long Y, Chen Q, Larsson H, Rzhetsky A. Observable variations in human sex ratio at birth. PLoS Comput Biol 2021; 17:e1009586. [PMID: 34855745 PMCID: PMC8638995 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1009586] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2021] [Accepted: 10/25/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The human sex ratio at birth (SRB), defined as the ratio between the number of newborn boys to the total number of newborns, is typically slightly greater than 1/2 (more boys than girls) and tends to vary across different geographical regions and time periods. In this large-scale study, we sought to validate previously-reported associations and test new hypotheses using statistical analysis of two very large datasets incorporating electronic medical records (EMRs). One of the datasets represents over half (∼ 150 million) of the US population for over 8 years (IBM Watson Health MarketScan insurance claims) while another covers the entire Swedish population (∼ 9 million) for over 30 years (the Swedish National Patient Register). After testing more than 100 hypotheses, we showed that neither dataset supported models in which the SRB changed seasonally or in response to variations in ambient temperature. However, increased levels of a diverse array of air and water pollutants, were associated with lower SRBs, including increased levels of industrial and agricultural activity, which served as proxies for water pollution. Moreover, some exogenous factors generally considered to be environmental toxins turned out to induce higher SRBs. Finally, we identified new factors with signals for either higher or lower SRBs. In all cases, the effect sizes were modest but highly statistically significant owing to the large sizes of the two datasets. We suggest that while it was unlikely that the associations have arisen from sex-specific selection mechanisms, they are still useful for the purpose of public health surveillance if they can be corroborated by empirical evidences. The human sex ratio at birth (SRB), usually slightly greater than 1/2, have been reported to vary in response to a wide array of exogenous factors. In the literature, many such factors have been posited to be associated with higher or lower SRBs, but the studies conducted so far have focused on no more than a few factors at a time and used far smaller datasets, thus prone to generating spurious correlations. We performed a series of statistical tests on 2 large, country-wide health datasets representing the United States and Sweden to investigate associations between putative exogenous factors and the SRB, and were able to validate a set of previously-reported associations while also discovering new signals. We propose to interpret these results simply as public health indicators awaiting further empirical confirmation rather than as implicated in (adaptive) sexual selection mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanan Long
- Department of Chemistry, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, United States of America
- Department of Medicine, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, United States of America
- Institute of Genomics and Systems Biology, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, United States of America
| | - Qi Chen
- Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Henrik Larsson
- Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
- School of Medical Sciences, Örebro University, Örebro, Sweden
| | - Andrey Rzhetsky
- Department of Medicine, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, United States of America
- Institute of Genomics and Systems Biology, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, United States of America
- Department of Human Genetics and Committee on Quantitative Methods in Social, Behavioral, and Health Sciences, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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Roniboss A, Nishanth Rao R, Chanda K, Balamurali M. Hydrazide derived colorimetric sensor for selective detection of cyanide ions. INORG CHEM COMMUN 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.inoche.2021.108965] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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Morse A, Luke N. Foetal loss and feminine sex ratios at birth in sub-Saharan Africa. POPULATION STUDIES 2021; 75:239-254. [PMID: 33599566 PMCID: PMC8833094 DOI: 10.1080/00324728.2021.1877793] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2019] [Accepted: 09/08/2020] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
A wealth of demographic research has explored the determinants of sex ratios at birth, but few studies have considered the role of foetal loss (spontaneous abortion), in producing feminine sex ratios. One challenge is measuring the occurrence of foetal loss, which is difficult to recognize and report in survey research. This study uses the length of the birth interval as a proxy for foetal loss; foetal loss restarts the clock on time to conception and lengthens the birth interval. We use Demographic and Health Survey data on second births to women in 17 sub-Saharan African countries. Results show that longer second birth intervals are significantly related to lower odds of a male second birth and to feminine sex ratios at birth. These findings suggest that high levels of foetal loss, which could signal underlying poor maternal health in a population, have dramatic effects on the sex ratio at birth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anne Morse
- Department of Sociology and Criminology, The Pennsylvania State University, State College, PA, U.S
| | - Nancy Luke
- Department of Sociology and Criminology, The Pennsylvania State University, State College, PA, U.S
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