Category Archives: Drug Rehab Certification

Substance Abuse Promotes Violence Against Women

Women with Substance Abuse Problems Exposed to Violence Against Women by Men

substance abuseWomen are type vulnerable lot. They are the victims of most violence against women cases that happen in homes and even outside home in clubs and public places. However when a woman engages in substance abuse she even become more vulnerable. It is not strange to see a woman who has got drunk being dragged away by men who do not even know her, in most cases women are raped when they are drunk by people who are closest to them. In this society women who have become dependent on alcohol are an easy prey to men who insult and use them for all their benefits; their handbags snatched, they get physically harmed and in extreme cases where they drink too much to contain the have been victims of gang rape.

In family setting, in a home where a woman is a drunkard there will always be fights between her and her husband, women increase their chances of being physically hurt by their husbands when they get drunk and hence are unable to reason well as they would without the influence of alcohol and other drugs. The drugs taken often interfere with the cognitive abilities of the people who use them and women are no exception, with this impaired cognitive abilities in a person nothing happens the same and for women it places them at risk of assault not only from their spouses but also from the general public. Some  have also turned to substance abuse or alcohol, as a result of exposure to violence against women perpetrated by men . When someone is exposed to violence the will suffer Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) symptoms which is majorly characterized by emotional numbing, intrusion, hyper arousal and even avoidance, a woman experiencing PTSD will turn to alcohol and other forms of substance abuse to escape these memories but this will only make her even more vulnerable. Women who might have also been brought up by parents who constantly fought face a problem in the future as the woman has the syndrome in her, she grew up seeing her mother being victimized by the father and that in itself is a myriad dosage of inferiority complex, making her view herself as a someone to be subjected to a man’s control hence giving in to constant harassment by men. This problem can be light in normal circumstances but if she also takes alcohol or uses other drugs then the risk of substance abuse is greatly escalated.

Research study in Stockholm

Between March 2009 and April 2010, 79 women with substance misuse in Stockholm were interviewed; 35 WwH (WwH) participating in outpatient treatment for substance misuse, and 44 HW (HW) with or without treatment for substance misuse in contact with Social Services. When in contact with Social Services, there is a standing offer to participate in treatment for substance abuse problems, though not mandatory for receiving help. Women were asked to participate in the study by the staff at the respective units or by a researcher when visiting each participant unit.

HW in the present study were individuals without a residence, owned or rented, had no permanent address, had to rely on temporary housing options, or were living rough. Women in shelters or temporarily living in institutions were also included.

There were some missing data on items randomly distributed over the measurements for one of the subjects included in the HW group.

A shortened version of the World Health Organization questionnaire of male violence against women – experience of men’s physical and psychological violence, sexual abuse, number and incidence of assault, and domestic violence between the adults during childhood was completed by the subjects. Questionnaires concerning relation to male perpetrators like partner, father, acquaintance, etc., if the violence against women was reported to the police, if the report passed to prosecution, any help they got and from whom, and experienced satisfaction with this help/support, were formulated for this study by the authors. ASI, Addiction Severity Index, was also used to seek information about substance misuse problems, physical and psychological health, family situation, marital status, children, and experience of the justice system.

The results of the study

In total, 91% (72 of 79 women; WwH 29; HW 43) had experienced  violence against women by men. In total 99% (WwH 97%; HW 100%) reported experiences of emotional/psychological violence against women, 90% (WwH 83%; HW 95%) physical, and 61% (WwH 59%; HW 63%) sexual violence. Nearly two fifths (WwH 18%; HW 82%) of the women had been assaulted during the past year and about one-fifth (WwH 10%; HW 33%) from their current partner, most exposed by numbers and times were the HW. About a third of the women (WwH 34%; HW 28%) had been abused by the father or another male relative, for further information about the number of women in the respective group subjected to violence against women during childhood.

substance abuseThe study, on substance abuse, also found out that alcohol dependence was a contributor to the injustices that women were put through. The mean score for the WwH alcohol consumption days during the last 30 days was 6.8 days (SD=9; range 0-30). Most frequent substance abuse during the last 30 days was amphetamine used by 24 of the HW in mean 7.3 days (SD=12.2; range 0-30). Both groups were suffering from physical ill health as prolonged physical damage/illness (WwH 51%; HW 82%), receiving medication for physical problems (WwH 43%; HW 45%), and had Hepatitis C virus infection (WwH 6%; HW 70%).

In conclusion, it is clear that women who engage in are more exposed to violence against women than those who are not. It is therefore necessary for women addicted to drugs to seek treatment. We at AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center are committed to availing help to addicts by availing some of the most integrative approaches to healing an addict. We advocate for natural healing to all kinds of addiction. Call on Dr. Dalal Akoury (MD) at Myrtle Beach, South Carolina for help.

Women with Substance Abuse Problems Exposed to  Violence Against Women by Men

 

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Beta-Endorphins (Β-Ε) Levels and Alcoholism

The Effects Of Low Intensity Exercise On Beta-Endorphins (Β-Ε) Levels And Urge For Alcohol In Alcoholic Patients.

What are Beta-endorphins?

beta endorphinBeta-endorphins, or B-endorphins, are substances created by the pituitary gland. They specifically function as neurotransmitters, or conductors of messages between nerve cells. These substances are found around both the central nervous system and the peripheral nervous system. The Beta-endorphins is classified as a peptide since it contains 31 amino acids linked together. The beta-endorphins circulate around the brain, spinal cord, and secondary nerve systems in the body. Two glands, the pituitary gland and the hypothalamus, have a particular prevalence of the substance. The pituitary gland is responsible for releasing this endorphin into the blood, where it then travels to the central nervous system in the first legs of its journey. The beta-endorphins are agonists. They therefore connect to a cell and kick-starts a response. Beta-endorphins targets portions of a cell called opiate receptors in particular. The substance can reach these receptors in bodily tissue via a process called diffusion.

Beta-endorphins and alcohol

When alcohol is consumed at below risk levels it is known to be very rewarding health wise, it improves the quality of life but when a person begins taking alcohol in higher levels then there are problems that he will definitely have to suffer as a result of the severe effects of alcohol consumption. There are myriads of alcohol disorders needless to mention many accidents occur when people are drunken making alcohol a lead cause of accidental deaths.

Alcohol consumption has been reported to influence the activity of the endogenous opioid system. Reports indicate that acute exposure to ethanol leads to an enhanced release of brain Beta-endorphins (β-E) which through its interaction with μ and δ receptors mediates, at least in part, neurobehavioral effects such as reinforcement and acquisition of ethanol drinking behavior. Specifically, ethanol intake has been shown to increase β-E release by the pituitary and hypothalamus, an action that is mediated by the increase of corticotropin releasing hormone in a dose dependent manner. Furthermore, some reports indicate a biphasic effect of ethanol on hypothalamic Beta-endorphins release. However, the ethanol-induced increase of Beta-endorphins release is fast and transient, lasting about 15-20 minutes before normalizing again. Besides its effects on pituitary and hypothalamic Beta-endorphins, ethanol administration enhances Beta-endorphins release in the nucleus accumbens. This is a brain region important for the processes of reward and reinforcement. Therefore, the activation of μ and δ receptors by the increase in Beta-Endorphins levels due to ethanol intake may be pivotal in reinforcing properties of alcohol intake. On the other hand, chronic exposure to ethanol may cause adaptive responses of neuronal systems linked to negative reinforcement. Decreased Beta-endorphins production following chronic ethanol exposure may be responsible for some of the feelings of discomfort and the presence of negative reinforcement. Reports indicate that chronic ethanol abuse results in lower concentration of Beta-endorphins in the cerebrospinal fluid and plasma of male and female alcoholics. Therefore, chronic ethanol abuse might result in a central opioid deficiency. That deficiency might be related to decreased synthesis and release of Beta-endorphins in the hypothalamus and pituitary as well as lower density and activity of the opioid receptors.

A group of scientists conducted a research study to find out the effects of low intensity exercise on Beta-endorphins (β-E) levels and urge for alcohol in alcoholic patients. These researchers were Athanasios Z Jamurtas, Nikos Zourbanos, Kalliopi Georgakouli, Panagiotis Georgoulias, Eirini Manthou, Ioannis G Fatouros, Marios Goudas, Yiannis Koutedakis and Yannis Theodorakis.

This study used nine chronic alcoholic patients of whom 8 were males and 1 was female. These participants who were undergoing alcohol detoxification were recruited from a psychiatric hospital in Greece and 9 healthy controls volunteered to participate. Patients were diagnosed as being alcohol dependent according to the DSM-IV and the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT). AUDIT consists of 10 questions scored individually from 0 = never to 4 = 4 or more times per week. A total score of > 8 is an indication of alcohol abuse, a score of > 15 indicates serious abuse/addiction whilst a score between 8 and 10 is an indication of being at risk. Cronbach’s alpha coefficient was .73. Alcoholic patients were young and the medical exam revealed no presence of cardiovascular or metabolic disease in the participants. However, five patients were receiving antidepressant medicine, five were receiving anticonvulsant medicine and seven of them were receiving Thiamine, Pyridoxine, and Cyanocobalamine (three times a day) and folic acid (5 mg a day).

The findings of the study

beta endorphinsAll patients had a history of addiction of 10 years or more. All subjects were able to complete a 30-minute workout and the mean relative exercise heart rate was 61.1 + 4.9 % and 62.2 + 3.5% of their maximum heart rate for the alcoholic patients and healthy controls, respectively. Beta-Endorphins levels were significantly lower (p<0.001) in alcoholic patients whereas exercise resulted in significant increases (p<0.001, Cohen’s D: 3.31) only in the alcoholic group. Lactic acid at baseline was not significantly different between groups and increased significantly (p<0.001) after exercise in both groups. Analysis for CBC parameters revealed a significant time effect for red blood cells, hemoglobin and hematocrit. None of the remaining parameters was significantly different between groups nor was changed due to exercise. Pearson correlation analysis revealed non-significant relationships between Beta-endorphins and urge for alcohol (r = 0.23, p = 0.58). Finally, results on the Beta-Endorphins test revealed no significant changes in scores for alcohol urge in alcoholic patients (pre: 2.3 + 1.17; post: 1.87 + 1.17).

Finally, we at AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center are committed to availing help to addicts by availing some of the most integrative approaches to healing an addict. Be it issues with Beta-Endorphins or general addiction treatment needs, we are here to help. We advocate for natural healing to all kinds of addiction. Call on Dr. Dalal Akoury (MD) at Myrtle Beach, South Carolina for help.

The Effects Of Low Intensity Exercise On Beta-Endorphins (Β-Ε) Levels And Urge For Alcohol In Alcoholic Patients.

 

 

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Drug Abuse in London on the rise

Substance Abuse Trend in London Current Treatment Available

LondonDrug abuse is common in London with the major drugs that are commonly abused being cocaine, ketamine, heroine, alcohol, cannabis and designer drugs. The drugs that were commonly abused in the past decades were cannabis and cocaine but in 2012 there was rise in the use of other drugs probably because of the pressure that authorities put on the users of cocaine and cannabis as they are illegal in London just the same way they are in most countries of the world. Ketamine was purportedly being produced in India from where it was smuggled into the United Kingdom and most of the users of this drug were the Londoners. Other drugs were also reported to be in use and most designer drugs that were in use were not even known. This onslaught of readily available drugs had become a major worry to employers. In 2007, the City of London Corporation published a report titled Tackling alcohol and drugs in the workplace. Its research found that 22 per cent of London businesses reported absenteeism as a direct result of drug abuse. This is an illustration that if not looked into keenly and appropriate solution given then the economy of London will be adversely affected by drug abuse as the workforce are slowly but surely losing their lives to drug abuse.

In 2012 LondonlovesBusiness.com published The City’s toxic new drug trends, an expose of drug abuse in the City. The feature highlights the prevalent use of drugs such as GHB among City boys. In 2007 the City of London report cited ecstasy, cannabis, alcohol, cocaine and heroin as substances to watch out for, but neglected new drugs that were increasingly being used like GHB and even ketamine.

There were a whole host of other substances that were not listed in the 2007 report. These included 2CI, 2CB, 2CE, GBL, GBH, mephedrone, ketamine, methamphetamine, speed, crack and opium, all of which were increasingly being used in London. With these designer drugs creating hybrid-like mix and match highs (2CI, 2CB and 2CE are said to replicate acid-type trips but without the same intensity, or for the same period of time), those with demanding jobs can achieve shorter highs with shorter comedowns.

Cocaine capital of Europe

The use of drugs of abuse has been at an all-time rise in London with designer drugs contributing a good percentage of the drugs that are consumed in London. Unfortunately, as I stated above most reports about drug use in this city has emphasized the use of major drugs of abuse like cocaine and cannabis while ignoring the use of other equally dangerous drugs like ketamine and other designer drugs. There are today very many drugs of abuse in London but still according to the recent report on drug just in the United Kingdom, it has been found that cocaine is still the most abused drug in the London, in fact London is now referred to us the ‘cocaine capital of Europe’. Yeah you heard it right-London is the cocaine capital of Europe and has the highest use of the drug than any other city on the continent, new research published today is proof to this statement.

This report was from The European Drug Report 2014 that reached this conclusion having analyzed the sewage systems of 42 cities for traces of the drug and found the English capital had the highest cocaine use of any city tested, with consumption of the drug appearing to peak on a Tuesday. The samples, which were taken and tested during a week in 2013 to provide a forensic snapshot of drug use, found London was one of the cities with the highest use of ecstasy. Contained in the report was the information that the sewages water in London contained 711 mg of benzoylecgonine, the main chemical in cocaine, per 1,000 people, compared to 393 mg in Amsterdam and 233 mg in Milan.

LondonGenerally, cocaine and ecstasy were the more popular drugs in western and some southern cities, while crystal meth remained the most popular in Eastern Europe. However, overall use of the drug is continuing to decline in countries such as Denmark and the United Kingdom after a peak in 2008. Eleven out of the 12 countries also reported falls in cocaine use in surveys undertaken between 2011 and 2013.

The international report also warned against the increasing use of so-called ‘legal highs’, which are sold over the internet and often try to mimic the effects of drugs such as cocaine or LSD. The agency identified more than 80 new chemical drugs last year, making a total of almost 250 detected over the past four years.

Available treatment options for drug addicts in London

Here in London like any other part of the world addicts can mostly get help by visiting rehab centers. There are very many rehabs in the London and you may have to do a little research on which rehab can suit the case. In rehabs there are different ways through which an addict will be helped. One of the ways of fighting addiction is through drug and alcohol detoxification.

Finally, We at AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center are committed to availing help to addicts by availing some of the most integrative approaches to healing an addict. We advocate for natural healing to all kinds of addiction. Call on Dr. Dalal Akoury (MD) at Myrtle Beach, South Carolina for help.

Substance Abuse Trend in London Current Treatment Available

 

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Long-term Effects of Toxicity

Toxicity and Its Long Term Effects

ToxicityToxicity- this refers to a degree to which a substance can be poisonous to anybody who uses it. Most of the drugs of recreation are toxic or are high in toxicity and using them for a long time results in damaged neurotransmitters among other problems. The degrees of toxicity can be categorized as acute, Sub-chronic and chronic. Acute toxicity involves harmful effects in an organism through a single or short-term exposure. Sub-chronic toxicity is the ability of a toxic substance to cause effects for more than one year but less than the lifetime of the exposed organism. Chronic toxicity is the ability of a substance or mixture of substances to cause harmful effects over an extended period, usually upon repeated or continuous exposure, sometimes lasting for the entire life of the exposed organism. This explains why those addicted to drugs are severely affected. The more you expose yourself to the substance the more the toxicity you are subjecting yourself to. Toxicity is not only a worry when dealing with recreational drugs, there are also other substances of high toxicity that you need to avoid. These may include pesticides, some window cleaners and other inhalants. With that said it is crucial to mention that in most cases we get these toxic substances by our own intervention especially through the use of drugs of recreation. Even some drugs that are used in hospitals may be toxic when recommended dosages are surpassed. For example benzodiazepines are very effective drugs when used within the specified dosages but are high in toxicity when used beyond the recommended dosages.

Long-term medical consequences of toxicity

Since exposure to different substances will result in different symptoms of toxicity in the long-term, I suggest we focus on one type of drug and for this purpose we will work with benzodiazepines. Benzodiazepines are also good in this case as they drugs that are used clinically hence the result of their misuse can be of help to many.

Depression and anxiety

Using benzodiazepine for a long time results in depression. It has been found that alcoholics who use benzodiazepines for a long time become depressed. It is possible that benzodiazepines cause or aggravate depression, perhaps by reducing central monoamine activity. However, anxiety and depression often coexist, and benzodiazepines are often prescribed for mixed anxiety/depression. Sometimes, the drugs seem to precipitate suicidal tendencies in such patients. It also causes Emotional anesthesia which is the inability to feel pleasure or pain. It is therefore recommended that benzodiazepines should not be used alone in treating depression.

Dependence

Due to high toxicity of some drugs they will affect the brain causing dependence on these drugs. The long term effect use of benzodiazepines for example can lead to both psychological and pharmacological dependence. After getting dependent on drugs other problems like tolerance and other withdrawal symptoms sets in whenever the person tries to stop using the drug.

Structural Brain Damage

There is insufficient to support the fact that long term use of benzodiazepines can cause structural brain damage. However some drugs have high toxicity and continued exposure to such drugs can cause structural brain damage.

Hemorrhoids – this is not limited to benzodiazepines alone. Long term use of other drugs with high toxicity can cause hemorrhoids where the varicose veins of the anus become painful, swell and itch. This is often caused by constipation and lack of dietary fiber.

Tolerance- long term use of certain drugs results in tolerance where a person will have to use more of a drug to feel the effect. This is a common problem that most people on long term use benzodiazepines go through.

Autopsy findings for inhalants

Inhalants are chemical vapors or gases that affect how the mind works when abused or misused by concentrating and intentionally inhaling these fumes. The inhalants may include volatile organic solvents, fuel gases, nitrites, and anesthetic gases. These inhalants may cause death when a person is exposed to them for a long time. Some of the common inhalants include;

ToxicityAmyl nitrites (poppers) – poopers are normally sold under such names as ram, rush, thunderbolt among other names. They are mostly used by gay men to prolong orgasm and enhance the sensation. Over a time the person will be dependent on these poppers so much that he can’t have sex without them. These poppers have been found to be responsible for many deaths especially through increased risk of HIV. However giving up on poppers isn’t easy since some people depend on it entirely for their sexual purpose. There is insufficient information on the number of deaths that have been caused by use of poppers however in one study it was found that 96% of gays who were HIV positive were using poppers.

Benzenes (gasoline) – CDC defines benzene as a chemical that is a colorless or light yellow liquid at room temperature. It has a sweet odor and is highly flammable. It is one of the inhalants that are greatly abused. When inhaled it alters the way the body cells work for example it can cause bone marrow not to produce enough red blood cells, which can lead to anemia. Also, it can damage the immune system by changing blood levels of antibodies and causing the loss of white blood cells. At extreme intoxication it causes death.

Finally, We at AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center are committed to availing help to addicts by availing some of the most integrative approaches to healing an addict. We advocate for natural healing to all kinds of addiction. Call on Dr. Dalal Akoury (MD) at Myrtle Beach, South Carolina for help.

Toxicity and Its Long Term Effects

 

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Intoxication, Reward and Tolerance

Neurobiology of Intoxication, Reward and Tolerance

RewardAs stated earlier, neurobiology is the study of cells of the nervous system and how these cells are organized of these cells into functional circuits that process information and influence behavior. Neurobiology is a sub unit of both biology and neuroscience. Neuroscience is much broader as a scientific study of the nervous system than neurobiology. Neurobiology helps us to understand how the neurons are affected by whatever we ingest. The neurons as you and me now know are very crucial as they are the chemical messengers that transmit signals to initiate certain crucial responses. However these neurons are often affected by drugs of abuse that in most cases depletes them rendering them incapable to function normally. As studied earlier in our brain there are different neurotransmitters that perform different purposes to ensure that all functions of the brain are well attended to. There are inhibitory neurotransmitters as well as excitatory neurotransmitters and the balance between these neurotransmitters must be achieved for better functioning of the brain but these drugs of abuse interferes with these balance by causing depletion of certain neurotransmitters creating an imbalance between the different categories of the neurotransmitters in the brain. In this article we try to find out how intoxication, reward and tolerance come about to users of alcohol and other drugs.

Intoxication

According to World Health Organization (WHO) intoxication is a condition that follows the administration of a psychoactive substance and results in disturbances in the level of consciousness, cognition, perception, judgment, affect, or behavior, or other psychophysiological functions and responses. The disturbances are related to the acute pharmacological effects of, and learned responses to, the substance and resolve with time, with complete recovery, except where tissue damage or other complications have arisen. They further explain that the term intoxication is a term that is commonly used in alcoholism and is the same in meaning to the common term drunkenness. Alcohol intoxication manifests in such symptoms as slurred speech, unsteady gait, disorderly conduct, impaired judgment, slowed reactions, loss of memory, vomiting, euphoria and insensibility among others. Alcohol has contents of ethanol among other fermented stuff. When taken ethanol will produce its depressive effects on certain areas of the brain resulting in physical and mental impairments. These problems will continue as the level of alcohol consumption is increased, therefore more alcohol means more intoxication.

Here is what happens in the brain

When alcohol is taken it increases the effect of the body’s naturally occurring neurotransmitter gamma amino butyric acid (GABA). As I mentioned earlier neurotransmitters are substances that chemically connect the signals from one nerve to the next allowing a signal to flow along a neural pathway. An inhibitory neurotransmitter (alcohol) reduces this signal flow in the brain. This explains how alcohol depresses both a person’s mental and physical activities. When you take alcohol 20% of ethanol will be absorbed into the bloodstream from the stomach while 80% is absorbed from the small intestines. However the more the ethanol stays in the stomach the slower it is absorbed into the bloodstream and the lower the peak in blood alcohol concentration. This is why when a person takes alcohol with empty stomach he will be intoxicated within such a short time. The food in the stomach normally slows the rate of alcohol absorption lowering the peak in blood alcohol concentration.

The reward system

The reward system is mainly dominated by the excitatory neurotransmitter known as dopamine. This hormone gives the brain its ‘high’, the euphoric feelings that is commonly sought by people who use drugs of recreation. Close to all addictive drugs directly or indirectly target the brain’s reward system by flooding the circuit with dopamine. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter present in regions of the brain that regulate movement, emotion, cognition, motivation, and feelings of pleasure. The overstimulation of this system, which rewards our natural behaviors, produces the euphoric effects sought by people who use drugs and teaches them to repeat the behavior. The persistent release of dopamine during chronic drug use progressively recruits limbic brain regions and the prefrontal cortex, embedding drug cues into the amygdala through glutaminergic mechanisms and involving the amygdala, anterior cingulate, orbitofrontal cortex, and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex in the obsessive craving for drugs Despite dopamine being the dominant neurotransmitter in the reward system there are also other neurotransmitters that work to modulate both the reward system and the psychomotor effects of addictive drugs. However there is still little literature to support this and so dopaminergic system is still the biggest consideration when reward system is to be tamed. Naturally the balance between the excitatory neurotransmitter and the inhibitory neurotransmitters enables proper functioning of the brain but with drugs the drugs will suppress the inhibitory neurotransmitters flooding the brain with dopamine which is the fuel behind reward.

RewardUnderstanding tolerance

Tolerance refers to a situation when a person ceases to react to a drug in initial doses and therefore higher dosage is needed for the effects to be achieved. This normally happens when a person has been using the drugs for a long time. This is common in the use of opioids in pain management, the patient will cease to respond to initial dosages and therefore need higher dosages to calm the pain. For example, morphine is often used for pain. It works by binding to opiate receptors where it triggers the inhibition of an enzyme called adenylate cyclase that orchestrates several chemicals in the cell to maintain the firing of impulses. After repeated activation of the opiate receptor by morphine, the enzyme adapts so that the morphine can no longer cause changes in cell firing. Therefore higher dosages will have to be administered for the pain to be calmed.

Finally, Dr. Dalal Akoury (MD) of AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center is committed to helping all people trapped in drug addiction. Call on her today at Myrtle Beach, South Carolina for help.

Neurobiology of Intoxication, Reward and Tolerance

 

 

 

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