Dr. Valentín Trujillo Sibilla worked with Professor Dr. Jaime Zipper Abragan for decades and documented his wonderful life which was published in the Chilean Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology On-line version ISSN 0717-7526 REV CHIL OBSTET GINECOL 2011; 76 (2): 61-63 and is reprinted below.
Professor Dr. Jaime Zipper Abragan (Santiago, January 20, 1926 – Santiago, March 16, 2011), was son of Mr. Gustavo Zipper and Mrs. Juana Antonia Abragan, Jewish immigrants from Poland, who settled in Mulchén and then moved to Santiago.
He began his studies at the José Victorino Lastarria high school and at an early age his scientific spirit was manifested along with the unstoppable desire to know how things work. Her sister Pearl remembers that one morning she did not find her new doll and went out looking for her desperate. Upon arriving at her mother’s bedroom, she explained that her brother’s scientific mind had been so impressed with the mechanism that made her talk and walk, that she tried by all means to locate this function, separating all its components. This story and many others, made their parents decide to finish their studies at the Barros Arana National Boarding School.
His first year of University was in the Faculty of Dentistry, where he met his wife, Mrs. Irma Latorre Vicentini. Then, he began his medical studies at the University of Chile, where he obtained the title of Surgeon in 1953. He had two children, Luisa (doctor-surgeon) and David (commercial engineer).
He was one of the leaders and pioneers in the worldwide development of contraception, creating in 1959 the first intrauterine device (IUD) made in Chile, the Zipper ring, which consisted of a ring made by hand with fishing nylon, with which helped the most vulnerable population without access to effective contraception, especially in the maternity hospital Ramón Barros Luco, where he worked.
During the years 1961 and 1962 he completed a postgraduate degree in Reproductive Physiology at the Worcester Foundation for Experimental Biology, in the United States, directed by Professor Gregory Pincus, discoverer of the contraceptive pill. In 1963 he obtained the title of “Associate Professor of Physiology” in the Department of Physiology and Biophysics of the University of Chile. In the period 1967-1969 he served as Chief Physician of the Department of Human Reproduction of the World Health Organization, in Switzerland. In this position, he was able to assess in real magnitude the problem of maternal mortality, especially secondary to abortions due to unwanted pregnancies. Since 1967 he has been Associate Professor of Physiology in the Department of Physiology and Biophysics of the University of Chile and in 1971 he is appointed Professor of the same discipline,
Subsequently, and knowing the work of Grafenberg, who attributed the effectiveness of his ring with silver wire to this metal, he developed the concept of active IUDs with copper, discovering, after many animal tests, that the metal used by the German doctor was contaminated in 26% with copper, this being the metal that really provided the contraceptive effect.
In 1970 he presented for the first time his device with copper in the Chilean Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology, receiving the support of the majority of his colleagues and the staunch criticism of a few, who did not perceive the future significance of this discovery. The same year he was honored in the United States by the American Fertility Society with the “The Samuel L. Siegler Lecture” award and is invited to exhibit on the control of human fertility through the use of endo-uterine metals, a subject that would be transcendent for World reproductive health.
Alongside his great scientific and intellectual capacity, Dr. Zipper possessed exceptional generosity, culture and sense of humor. In 1980, after being amazed at one of his classes, I had the honor of being accepted as his student assistant in the Department of Reproductive Physiology at the University of Chile. There I remember the visit of American doctors interested in their research. One of them asked him what his motivation was to develop the IUD with copper. Dr. Zipper, appealing to his sense of humor, replied, “I did it so that the Chilean copper mines had another item to export.” Initially there was a silence from foreign colleagues to then laugh with us and then receive the formal response from Dr. Zipper.
IUDs with copper developed by Dr. Zipper continue to contribute significantly to the reduction of abortions and maternal mortality worldwide, with Chile being the first country to benefit from its work.
Parallel to the contribution made with copper IUDs, Dr. Zipper developed the method of non-surgical sterilization with quinacrine. This method, simple, outpatient and performed by transcervical route, was intended for women who had already completed the desired number of children. His motivation was the high mortality secondary to septic abortions in large multiparas. Its development required this brilliant mind, its great knowledge of the subject and the genius of associating different facts to invent something totally new. For this task he had the help of a whole team, among them Dr. Mario Medel, Dr. María Eugenia Bruzzone and the remembered Drs. René Guzmán-Serani, Alfredo Dabancens and Gianni Pinardi.
He obtained information from an ancient antimalarial (chi-nacrine), which was used in another use to treat pleural effusions of neoplastic origin. This drug fibrous both pleural leaves, controlling said pathology, so it inferred that it would have the same effect on the thin tubal epithelium. After much work in the laboratory, this hypothesis was proven true. The first non-surgical female sterilization method was born with successful results, which won the Grafenberg prize in Germany in 1983.
During 1998, Dr. Jack Lippes, inventor of the IUD that bears his name, became very interested in this method, and recalling the help that Dr. Zipper had given him, he decided to lead the studies in the United States. Dr. Lippes himself told us about the help he received from Dr. Zipper. The problem, apparently seemingly simple today, with its Lippes Loop IUD, had been how to control its location and easily remove it from the uterine cavity. It was Dr. Zipper, who advised him to tie 2 strands of nylon to his device. Made this modification, in 1962, Dr. Lippes presented his device at the First IUD World Conference, organized by the Population Council. From then on, the spiral of Lippes became the most prescribed IUD in the United States in the 1970s, replacing the Margulies device. The doctor, “His vital contribution to humanity will remain forever.”
In 1999, he was awarded in the 10th at World Congress on Human Reproduction Brazil, for “his outstanding contribution in the field of human reproduction”. In the same year, he was named Honorary Member of the National Health System of the Ministry of Health of Chile and in 2000 he was honored as one of the precursors of contraception in the world, by the Latin American Center for Health and Women (CELSAM) in Argentina. In 2003, he was honored at the XVII World Congress of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) held in Chile. The International Journal of Gynecology & Obstetrics dedicated a complete supplement to the topic “Quinacrine sterilization: reports on 40,252 cases”. In 2004 he received recognition from the Ministry of Health for “his tireless search and contribution in birth control” and the same year he was nominated Professor Emeritus of the University of Chile.
As Dr. Ramiro Molina described it very well in one of the many tributes he received: “Dr. Zipper was an innovator, a teacher and a teacher.” He was an example of how to carry out quality scientific research with real weight in the medical community. He was also a deeply ethical professional, who put science at the service of man, and who had to bear the social costs of when people devote themselves to life issues. Nobel Prize recipient, as Dr. Pablo Lavín and many other colleagues publicly commented, after studying his scientific contributions.
I will greatly miss our conversations, their advice, their wisdom, their calls early in the morning telling me that I had read an article and had a hypothesis that we should corroborate when designing a scientific experiment. I will miss his talks about holograms or his special perception of the world, in which this would be a single great living being where everything we do influences others. His life, teachings and contributions will remain forever in our minds and in the place of excellence in the history of medicine.
Master of knowledge, master of life. Infinite thanks for allowing us to accompany him and be his disciples.
PUBLISHED WORKS
Method for effecting female sterilization without surgery
J Zipper – US Patent 4,158,050, 1979 – Google Patents
Demographers have warned that unless effective measures are soon taken to arrest the explosive growth in population, society as a whole faces a future of indescribable bleakness. The seriousness of this problem has been widely recognized and research programs on fertility control have been …
Cited by 59 Related articles All 2 versions
Intrauterine contraceptive method
JA Zipper – US Patent 3,563,235, 1971 – Google Patents
A method of contraception is disclosed characterized by providing for the presence of elemental copper or zinc in the uterine cavity. This invention is preferably practiced by wrapping a small amount of wire or foil or by placing a sleeve around a conventional …
Cited by 33 Related articles All 2 versions
Intrauterine device
JA Zipper – US Patent 4,040,417, 1977 – Google Patents
During the past several years, research in new contraceptive methods has been directed toward finding agents which will prevent fertility by a local action, rather than by the systemic action of agents taken orally or injected into the body. The advantage of locally acting agents, such as …
Cited by 20 Related articles All 2 versions
Metallic copper as an intrauterine contraceptive adjunct to the “T” device
JA Zipper, HJ Tatum, L Pastene, M Medel… – American Journal of …, 1969 – Elsevier
The addition of metallic copper to a simple IUCD has been shown in humans to increase significantly the contraceptive effectiveness. A series of correlations between physical characteristics of an IUCD and its clinical reactivity have been proposed and partially tested …
Cited by 230 Related articles All 5 versions
Contraception through the use of intrauterine metals. I. Copper as an adjunct to the “T” device: The endouterine copper “T”
JA Zipper, HJ Tatum, M Medel, L Pastene… – American Journal of …, 1971 – ajog.org
Clinical evaluation of the contraceptive effectiveness of the endouterine copper” T” has been extended to include” T” devices bearing copper wire having surface areas of 120 mm. 2 and of 200 mm. 2 copper, respectively. Within the range studied, the antifertility effect increases …
Cited by 117 Related articles All 4 versions
[PDF] semanticscholar.org
[PDF] Human fertility control by transvaginal application of quinacrine on the fallopian tube
JA Zipper, E Stachetti, M Medel – Fertil Steril, 1970 – pdfs.semanticscholar.org
The development of a technic for noniurgical sterilization having acceptable clinical effectiveness and a minimum of undesirable side effects is one of the principal &jectiVeS of physicians who are concerned shout the demographic problems of the world. As noted by …
Cited by 116 Related articles All 7 versions
[PDF] semanticscholar.org
Quinacrine hydrochloride pellets: preliminary data on a nonsurgical method of female sterilization
J Zipper, LP Cole, A Goldsmith… – … of Gynecology & …, 1980 – Wiley Online Library
The efficacy of transcervical insertions of quinacrine hydrochloride pellets to produce tubal occlusion has been evaluated in a study of 139 women in Santiago, Chile. At one year, the pregnancy rate was 3.1%, an acceptable rate for a nonsurgical method of female …
Cited by 100 Related articles All 7 versions
Method for effecting female sterilization without surgery
J Zipper – US Patent 4,158,050, 1979 – Google Patents
Demographers have warned that unless effective measures are soon taken to arrest the explosive growth in population, society as a whole faces a future of indescribable bleakness. The seriousness of this problem has been widely recognized and research programs on fertility control have been …
Cited by 59 Related articles All 2 versions
[PDF] fertstert.org
Cancer risk among women sterilized with transcervical quinacrine hydrochloride pellets, 1977 to 1991
DC Sokal, J Zipper, R Guzman-Serani, TE Aldrich – Fertility and sterility, 1995 – fertstert.org
Objective To determine whether a cluster of eight cancers among 572 women who had received transcervical quinacrine hydrochloride was a random occurrence or evidence of an increased risk of cancer. Design Retrospective cohort study using interviews and reviews of …
Cited by 33 Related articles All 8 versions
Intrauterine grafting in rats of autologous and homologous adult rat skin
J Zipper, G Ferrando, G Sáez, A Tchernitchin – American journal of …, 1966 – Elsevier
Adult skin autografts placed in the rat’s uterus were maintained during periods up to 150 days. Implantations occurred only in the contralateral (control) horns. Presence of the ovaries was necessary to the survival and growth of the autografts. Adult skin homografts …
Cited by 32 Related articles All 5 versions
Intrauterine contraceptive method
JA Zipper – US Patent 3,563,235, 1971 – Google Patents
A method of contraception is disclosed characterized by providing for the presence of elemental copper or zinc in the uterine cavity. This invention is preferably practiced by wrapping a small amount of wire or foil or by placing a sleeve around a conventional …
Cited by 33 Related articles All 2 versions
[HTML] fertstert.org
Cancer risk among women sterilized with transcervical quinacrine in Chile: an update through 1996
DC Sokal, A Dabancens, R Guzman-Serani, J Zipper – Fertility and sterility, 2000 – Elsevier
Objective: To determine whether further follow-up of a cohort of Chilean women would demonstrate an increased risk of invasive cancer associated with quinacrine sterilization. Design: Cohort study. Cancer cases were evaluated using cohort analyses. Setting …
Cited by 29 Related articles All 8 versions
Pregnancy rates among Chilean women who had non-surgical sterilization with quinacrine pellets between 1977 and 1989
PJ Feldblum, M Hays, J Zipper, R Guzman-Serani… – Contraception, 2000 – Elsevier
We describe cumulative pregnancy probabilities among women who underwent quinacrine pellet sterilization in Chile between 1977 and 1989 (N= 1492). We interviewed the women or relatives in 1991–93 and 1994–96, and reviewed hospital records. Mean follow-up was …
Cited by 24 Related articles All 9 versions
[PDF] Biologic changes induced by unilateral intrauterine instillation of quinacrine in the rat and their reversal by either estradiol or progesterone
JA Zipper, R Prager, M Medel – Fertil Steril, 1973 – Citeseer
MATERIALS AND METHODS Albino rats of a nonisogenic strainq weighing about ZOO gm. each, were used, Under tribromethanol (Avertin) anesthesia, 0.2 ml. of an aqueous suspension 0f quinacrine was instilled into the right uter ine horn following a technic …
Cited by 24 Related articles All 8 versions
[PDF] fertstert.org
[CITATION] Quinacrine nonsurgical female sterilization: a reassessment of safety and efficacy.
E Kessel, J Zipper, SD Mumford – Fertility and sterility, 1985
Cited by 20 Related articles All 6 versions
[PDF] googleapis.com
Intrauterine device
JA Zipper – US Patent 4,040,417, 1977 – Google Patents
During the past several years, research in new contraceptive methods has been directed toward finding agents which will prevent fertility by a local action, rather than by the systemic action of agents taken orally or injected into the body. The advantage of locally acting agents, such as …
Cited by 20 Related articles All 2 versions
Six-year continuation rates for CU-T-200 users.
J Zipper, M Medel, A Goldsmith… – The Journal of …, 1977 – europepmc.org
The long-term (six years) contraceptive effectiveness of the Cu-T-200 is evaluated based on 833 first insertions performed by physicians and nurse-midwives. IUD event rates (pregnancy, expulsion, pain/bleeding removal or removal for medical reasons) did not …
Cited by 16 Related articles All 3 versions
Long‐term Use Effectiveness of the CU‐7‐200 IUD
J Zipper, M Medel, A Osorio… – … of Gynecology & …, 1976 – Wiley Online Library
Copper‐containing IUDs have been demonstrated to be as good, if not better, than other presently used inert devices. There is, however, no consensus on the duration of contraceptive effectiveness of copper‐containing IUDs. The long‐term contraceptive …
Cited by 15 Related articles All 5 versions
Quinacrine and copper, compounds with anticonceptive and antineoplastic activity
A Dabancens, J Zipper, A Guerrero – Contraception, 1994 – Elsevier
Abstract Changes in the evolution of a malignant transplantable tumor in mice to whom quinacrine, copper and zinc were supplied in drinking water are reported. Male AJ mice were inoculated in the right thigh with 1,000,000 TA3 or TA3 MTXR tumoral cells. Three …
Cited by 14 Related articles All 7 versions
Preliminary observations on the effects of copper, zinc and polyethylene IUF Bs. on the uterine motility of the rabbit
M Medel, C Espinoza, J Zipper, R Prager – Contraception, 1972 – Elsevier
The action of copper and zinc upon myometrial activity of the rabbit uterus was studied indirectly by observing the behaviour of “inert”(polyethylene segments) and “active”(copper and zinc wires) IUFBs upon the uterine activity of estrous and pregnant does. It was …
Cited by 13 Related articles All 5 versions
[CITATION] Quinacrine revised.
J Zipper, A Dabancens, A Guerrero, V Trujillo – Human reproduction update, 1995
Cited by 13 Related articles All 5 versions
[PDF] fertstert.org
Prevalence and standardized incidence rates of preclinical cervical pathology among 1,061 women sterilized with transcervical quinacrine hydrochloride pellets
…, DC Sokal, M Pruyas, M Rivera, J Zipper – Fertility and sterility, 1995 – Elsevier
Objective To determine whether the incidence of in situ cervical carcinoma was increased among a cohort of women who received transcervical insertions of quinacrine hydrochloride pellets into the uterine cavity as a method of nonsurgical sterilization. Design Retrospective …
Cited by 12 Related articles All 9 versions
IUD insertions by midwives: five years’ experience in Santiago, Chile
L Pastene, M Rivera, J Zipper, M Medel… – … of Gynecology & …, 1977 – Wiley Online Library
This report includes data on insertions of Lippes Loop D, Copper‐7, and Copper‐T intrauterine devices (IUDs) performed by certified nurse‐midwives and physicians with comparable levels of training and experience in inserting IUDs. Net 1‐year pregnancy …
Cited by 9 Related articles All 3 versions
Reversibility of the contraceptive action of copper and zinc in the rat and rabbit
M Medel, C Espinoza, J Zipper, R Prager – Contraception, 1972 – Elsevier
Segments of metallic copper and zinc are potent contraceptives when placed within the uterine lumen of several species of animals, including the human. The reversibility of this contraceptive action was studied in rats and rabbits by removing the intrauterine devices …
Cited by 7 Related articles All 5 versions
Studies in vitro of rat yolk sac: biosynthetic activities, respiration and permeability to hemoglobin
L Fridhandler, J Zipper – Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA)-General …, 1964 – Elsevier
Rat yolk sacs were obtaine about 18 days post coitum. Incubations invitro were carried out and the following observations were made:(I) Incorporation of labeled glycine and glucose into protein and nucleic acids was markedly inhibited by the antibiotics puromycin and d …
Cited by 7 Related articles All 3 versions
Comparative IUD Study: Lippes Loop D, Dalkon Shield and TCu‐200
…, A Osorio, L Pastene, M Rivera, J Zipper – … of Gynecology & …, 1978 – Wiley Online Library
ABSTRACT A study was undertaken to look at the clinical behavior of the Dalkon Shield, the Lippes Loop D and the TCu‐200 inserted by physicians and midwives. Differences among the three devices were not statistically significant, although lower expulsion rates and higher …
Cited by 6 Related articles All 4 versions
Timing of the IUD insertion
DA Edelman, J Zipper, M Rivera, M Medel – Contraception, 1979 – Elsevier
The relationship between the time in the menstrual cycle when a TCu-200 or Cu-7-200 is inserted and subsequent IUD-related events was evaluated. For women who had either TCus or Cu-7s inserted, the pregnancy, expulsion and medical removal rates were similar …
Cited by 5 Related articles All 6 versions
Influence of hormonal factors and intrauterine contraceptive devices on the acceptance of an intrauterine autograft
R Prager, J Zipper – American journal of obstetrics and gynecology, 1969 – Elsevier
The experiments reported in rats show that progesterone does not permit the acceptance of a skin autograft in castrated animals. Late castration does not interfere with the autograft’s acceptance as does immediate castration. The autograft’s presence produces a trophic …
Cited by 5 Related articles All 4 versions
[CITATION] Clinical experience with the use of a flexible nylon ring (Grafenberg ring) as a contraceptive technique.
JA Zipper, HD Sanhueza – 1962
Cited by 4 Related articles
Contraceptive efficacy of two different metals using a modified seven vector
M Medel, J Zipper, A Dabancens… – International Journal of …, 1976 – Wiley Online Library
Medel, M., Zipper, J., Dabancens, A. and Thomas, M.(Dept. of Physiology & Biophysics, School of Medicine, University of Chile, Santiago, and Dept. of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Sotero del Rio Hospital, Puente Alto, Chile, and International Fertility Research program …
Cited by 3 Related articles All 3 versions
[CITATION] Action of intra-uterine foreign bodies: experiments in the rat and rabbit.
J Zipper, ML Garcia, LL Pastene – 1965
Cited by 3 Related articles
[CITATION] Chinese expand medical, family planning services
J Zipper – Population Chronicle, 1972
Cited by 3 Related articles
[CITATION] Intra-uterine contraception with the use of a flexible nylon ring: experience in Santiago De Chile.
J Zipper, ML Garcia, LL Pastene – 1965
Cited by 2 Related articles
[PDF] biologiachile.cl
[PDF] Opposing effects of quinacrine and chloroquine on the development of TA3 transplanted tumors in mice
JA Zipper, AO Dabancens, AC Guerrero – Biological research, 1995 – biologiachile.cl
Quinacrine (mepacrine, atabrine), an acridinic derivative with antimalarial activity, has been used by hundreds of thousands of people, particularly by American soldiers during the Second World War, as a preventive agent for malaria. A review of the toxicology of this …
Cited by 1 Related articles All 6 versions
[CITATION] Biosynthesis of uterine endocervical mucoprotein in the guinea pig
G Ferrando, J Zipper – Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA)-General …, 1967 – Elsevier
The purpose of the present work was to study the effects of progesterone and oestrogens on the incorporation of [I-14C] acetate into the endocervical mucoprotein and on O 2 uptake using glucose or fructose as substrate. In species in which the endocervical gland is highly …
Cited by 1 Related articles All 3 versions
[CITATION] Programa de prevención del aborto inducido en una población suburbana de Santiago (proyecto San Gregorio). Primeros Resultados
A Faúndez, G Rodríguez, J Zipper, N España… – Rev Chil Obstet Ginecol, 1967
Cited by 2 Related articles
[CITATION] ELTON KESSEL, MD LEONARD E. LAUFE, MD JAIME ZIPPER, MD
J ZIPPER – New trends in female sterilization, 1983 – Year Book Medical Publishers
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HUMAN FERTILITY CONTROL BY TRANSVAGINAL APPLICATION OF QUINACRINE ON THE FALLOPIAN TUBE
JA ZIPPER, E STACHETTI… – Obstetrical & Gynecological …, 1971 – journals.lww.com
Quinacrine hydrochloride was prepared in two different concentrations for use in two separate groups of patients. For each group a saturated solution of quinacrine hydrochloride was pre-pared in distilled water and additional crystal-line quinacrine was added to the …
[CITATION] The ring was introduced into the uterine cavity without dilation of the cervical canal after iodization of the cervix, leaving the single thread in the vagina …
JA ZIPPER, HD SANHUEZA – … : proceedings of the …, 1962 – Excerpta Medica Foundation
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[PDF] psu.edu
[PDF] Insunza, MD
J Zipper – Citeseer
Page 1. PHARMACOLOGICAL AGENTS THAT POTENTIATE OR INHIBIT THE OCCLUSIVE ACTION OF QUINACRINE IN THE RABBIT TUBE AND RAT UTERUS Jaime Zipper, MD Insunza, MD Department of Physiology and School of Medicine University of Chile Santiago …
[CITATION] QUINACRINE IN THE RABBIT TUBE AND
J Zipper – Female Sterilization: Prognosis for Simplified …, 1972 – Academic Press
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[PDF] psu.edu
[PDF] Quinacrine nonsurgical female sterilization: safety and efficacy
E Kessel, J Zipper, SD Mumford – Citeseer
Sterilization is currently the most prevalent contraceptive method in the world; the demand for female sterilization, especially in developing countries, is likely to sharply rise in the remainder of this decade.’The need for a safe, inexpensive, and effective method of female …
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Virtually failsafe IUD seen in year
J Zipper – 1970 – jamanetwork.com
Value of tonsillectomy questioned The operation leads to a decline in secretory poliovirus antibody levels says a pediatrician who recommends fewer tonsillectomies in children Physicians should think twice about tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy in young children …
Tasas estandarizadas de incidencia y prevalencia de patología cervical preclínica en 1061 mujeres esterilizadas con quinacrina intrauterina
…, M Pruyas, M Rivera, D Sokal, J Zipper – Rev. chil. obstet …, 1994 – bases.bireme.br
A un grupo de 1061 mujeres en edad fértil que solicitaron esterilización quirúrgica con pellets de quinacrina insertos en la cavidad uterina por 2 ó 3 veces con un intervalo de 30 a 40 días y en las cuales se había efectuado uno o varios exámenes de Papanicolaou, antes …
Cited by 1 Related articles All 2 versions
25 years of quinacrine sterilization experience in Chile: review of 2,592 cases
J Zipper, V Trujillo – International Journal of Gynecology & …, 2003 – Wiley Online Library
Objectives: To assess short‐term side effects, long‐term risks and efficacy of quinacrine sterilization (QS) in Chile. Methods: Review experience of 2,592 cases sterilized with 2 or 3 transcervical insertions of 252 mg quinacrine as pellets since 1977; review the Chilean pre …
Cited by 27 Related articles All 9 versions
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