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Schreiber JM, Wiggs E, Cuento R, Norato G, Dustin IH, Rolinski R, Austermuehle A, Zhou X, Inati SK, Gibson KM, Pearl PL, Theodore WH. A Randomized Controlled Trial of SGS-742, a γ-aminobutyric acid B (GABA-B) Receptor Antagonist, for Succinic Semialdehyde Dehydrogenase Deficiency. J Child Neurol 2021; 36:1189-1199. [PMID: 34015244 PMCID: PMC8605041 DOI: 10.1177/08830738211012804] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
We examined safety, tolerability, and efficacy of SGS-742, a γ-aminobutyric acid B (GABA-B) receptor antagonist, in patients with succinic semialdehyde dehydrogenase deficiency. This was a single-center randomized, double-blind crossover phase II clinical trial of SGS-742 versus placebo in patients with succinic semialdehyde dehydrogenase deficiency. Procedures included transcranial magnetic stimulation and the Adaptive Behavior Assessment Scale. Nineteen subjects were consented and enrolled; the mean age was 14.0 ± 7.5 years and 11 (58%) were female. We did not find a significant effect of SGS-742 on the Adaptive Behavior Assessment Scale score, motor threshold, and paired-pulse stimulation. The difference in recruitment curve slopes between treatment groups was 0.003 (P = .09). There was no significant difference in incidence of adverse effects between drug and placebo arms. SGS-742 failed to produce improved cognition and normalization of cortical excitability as measured by the Adaptive Behavior Assessment Scale and transcranial magnetic stimulation. Our data do not support the current use of SGS-742 in succinic semialdehyde dehydrogenase deficiency.Trial registry number NCT02019667. Phase 2 Clinical Trial of SGS-742 Therapy in Succinic Semialdehyde Dehydrogenase Deficiency. https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02019667.
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Affiliation(s)
- John M. Schreiber
- NINDS NIH, Clinical Epilepsy Section, Bethesda, MD, USA
- Children’s National Hospital, Division of Epilepsy, Neurophysiology, and Critical Care Neurology, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Edythe Wiggs
- NINDS NIH, Office of the Clinical Director, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Rose Cuento
- NINDS NIH, Office of the Clinical Director, Bethesda, MD, USA
- NINDS NIH, Clinical Trials Unit, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Gina Norato
- NINDS NIH, Office of the Clinical Director, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | | | | | | | | | - Sara K. Inati
- NINDS NIH, Office of the Clinical Director, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - K. Michael Gibson
- Washington State University, College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Department of Pharmacotherapy, Spokane, WA, USA
| | - Phillip L. Pearl
- Boston Children’s Hospital, Department of Epilepsy and Clinical Neurophysiology, Boston, MA, USA
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Kennedy AD, Pappan KL, Donti T, Delgado MR, Shinawi M, Pearson TS, Lalani SR, Craigen WE, Sutton VR, Evans AM, Sun Q, Emrick LT, Elsea SH. 2-Pyrrolidinone and Succinimide as Clinical Screening Biomarkers for GABA-Transaminase Deficiency: Anti-seizure Medications Impact Accurate Diagnosis. Front Neurosci 2019; 13:394. [PMID: 31133775 PMCID: PMC6517487 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2019.00394] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2019] [Accepted: 04/05/2019] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Broad-scale untargeted biochemical phenotyping is a technology that supplements widely accepted assays, such as organic acid, amino acid, and acylcarnitine analyses typically utilized for the diagnosis of inborn errors of metabolism. In this study, we investigate the analyte changes associated with 4-aminobutyrate aminotransferase (ABAT, GABA transaminase) deficiency and treatments that affect GABA metabolism. GABA-transaminase deficiency is a rare neurodevelopmental and neurometabolic disorder caused by mutations in ABAT and resulting in accumulation of GABA in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). For that reason, measurement of GABA in CSF is currently the primary approach to diagnosis. GABA-transaminase deficiency results in severe developmental delay with intellectual disability, seizures, and movement disorder, and is often associated with death in childhood. Using an untargeted metabolomics platform, we analyzed EDTA plasma, urine, and CSF specimens from four individuals with GABA-transaminase deficiency to identify biomarkers by comparing the biochemical profile of individual patient samples to a pediatric-centric population cohort. Metabolomic analyses of over 1,000 clinical plasma samples revealed a rich source of biochemical information. Three out of four patients showed significantly elevated levels of the molecule 2-pyrrolidinone (Z-score ≥2) in plasma, and whole exome sequencing revealed variants of uncertain significance in ABAT. Additionally, these same patients also had elevated levels of succinimide in plasma, urine, and CSF and/or homocarnosine in urine and CSF. In the analysis of clinical EDTA plasma samples, the levels of succinimide and 2-pyrrolidinone showed a high level of correlation (R = 0.73), indicating impairment in GABA metabolism and further supporting the association with GABA-transaminase deficiency and the pathogenicity of the ABAT variants. Further analysis of metabolomic data across our patient population revealed the association of elevated levels of 2-pyrrolidinone with administration of vigabatrin, a commonly used anti-seizure medication and a known inhibitor of GABA-transaminase. These data indicate that anti-seizure medications may alter the biochemical and metabolomic data, potentially impacting the interpretation and diagnosis for the patient. Further, these data demonstrate the power of combining broad scale genotyping and phenotyping technologies to diagnose inherited neurometabolic disorders and support the use of metabolic phenotyping of plasma to screen for GABA-transaminase deficiency.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Taraka Donti
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Mauricio R Delgado
- Department of Neurology and Neurotherapeutics, Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children, The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, United States
| | - Marwan Shinawi
- Department of Pediatrics, Washington University School of Medicine St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, United States
| | - Toni S Pearson
- Department of Neurology, Washington University School of Medicine St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, United States
| | - Seema R Lalani
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States
| | - William E Craigen
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States
| | - V Reid Sutton
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States
| | | | - Qin Sun
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Lisa T Emrick
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States.,Department of Neurology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Sarah H Elsea
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States
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Vogel KR, Pearl PL, Theodore WH, McCarter RC, Jakobs C, Gibson KM. Thirty years beyond discovery--clinical trials in succinic semialdehyde dehydrogenase deficiency, a disorder of GABA metabolism. J Inherit Metab Dis 2013; 36:401-10. [PMID: 22739941 PMCID: PMC4349389 DOI: 10.1007/s10545-012-9499-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2012] [Revised: 05/09/2012] [Accepted: 05/14/2012] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
Abstract
This review summarizes a presentation made at the retirement Symposium of Prof. Dr. Cornelis Jakobs in November of 2011, highlighting the progress toward clinical trials in succinic semialdehyde dehydrogenase (SSADH) deficiency, a disorder first recognized in 1981. Active and potential clinical interventions, including vigabatrin, L-cycloserine, the GHB receptor antagonist NCS-382, and the ketogenic diet, are discussed. Several biomarkers to gauge clinical efficacy have been identified, including cerebrospinal fluid metabolites, neuropsychiatric testing, MRI, EEG, and measures of GABAergic function including (11 C)flumazenil positron emission tomography (PET) and transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). Thirty years after its discovery, encompassing extensive studies in both patients and the corresponding murine model, we are now running an open-label trial of taurine intervention, and are poised to undertake a phase II trial of the GABAB receptor antagonist SGS742.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kara R Vogel
- Section of Clinical Pharmacology, College of Pharmacy, Washington State University, Spokane, WA 99202-2131, USA.
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Pearl PL, Shukla L, Theodore WH, Jakobs C, Gibson KM. Epilepsy in succinic semialdehyde dehydrogenase deficiency, a disorder of GABA metabolism. Brain Dev 2011; 33:796-805. [PMID: 21664777 PMCID: PMC4385391 DOI: 10.1016/j.braindev.2011.04.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2011] [Accepted: 04/27/2011] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Succinic semialdehyde dehydrogenase (SSADH) deficiency is a gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) degradative defect. Epilepsy affects half of patients. The murine model is associated with a transition from absence to convulsive seizures in the third week, with fatal status epilepticus. METHODS The clinical phenotype is reported from a patient database. Flumazenil-Positron Emission Topography (FMZ-PET) and Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) were used to study GABA neurotransmission. Electrocorticography, single cell electrophysiology, and radioligand binding studies are reported from animal studies. RESULTS Generalized seizures predominate, including tonic-clonic, atypical absence, and myoclonic. EEG discharges are typically generalized spike-wave. MRI shows a dentatopallidoluysian pattern. Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy Patients (SUDEP) has occurred and the associated neuropathology reveals chronic excitotoxic injury in gloubus pallidus. Investigations using FMZ-PET and TMS support downregulation of GABA(A) and GABA(B) activity, respectively, in patients. Gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB) induces spike-wave discharges in homozygous null mice via GHB and GABA(B)-mediated mechanisms. These resemble absence seizures and are abolished by a GABA(B) receptor antagonist. Decreased binding of GABA(A) and GABA(B) receptor antagonists has been demonstrated in P19 and P14 null mice, respectively. Downregulation of GABA(A) and GABA(B) receptor subunits is observed by P14. GABA(A) and GABA(B) mediated potentials are reduced from P8-P14. CONCLUSION Generalized epilepsy and epileptiform discharges are characteristic of SSADH deficiency. Spontaneous absence seizures appear in null mice by the third week, which may be induced by GHB or GABA(B) activity. Subsequent overuse dependent downregulation of GABA(A) and GABA(B) receptor activity may be associated with hyperexcitability concomitant with the transition to generalized seizures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Phillip L. Pearl
- Department of Neurology, Children’s National Medical Center, George Washington University School of Medicine, Washington, D.C., USA,Clinical Epilepsy Branch, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Lovy Shukla
- Department of Neurology, Children’s National Medical Center, George Washington University School of Medicine, Washington, D.C., USA
| | - William H. Theodore
- Clinical Epilepsy Branch, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Cornelis Jakobs
- Metabolic Unit, Department of Clinical Chemistry, Vrije University Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - K. Michael Gibson
- Department of Biological Sciences, Michigan Technological University, Houghton, MI, USA
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Kim KJ, Pearl PL, Jensen K, Snead OC, Malaspina P, Jakobs C, Gibson KM. Succinic semialdehyde dehydrogenase: biochemical-molecular-clinical disease mechanisms, redox regulation, and functional significance. Antioxid Redox Signal 2011; 15:691-718. [PMID: 20973619 PMCID: PMC3125545 DOI: 10.1089/ars.2010.3470] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Succinic semialdehyde dehydrogenase (SSADH; aldehyde dehydrogenase 5a1, ALDH5A1; E.C. 1.2.1.24; OMIM 610045, 271980) deficiency is a rare heritable disorder that disrupts the metabolism of the inhibitory neurotransmitter 4-aminobutyric acid (GABA). Identified in conjunction with increased urinary excretion of the GABA analog gamma-hydroxybutyric acid (GHB), numerous patients have been identified worldwide and the autosomal-recessive disorder has been modeled in mice. The phenotype is one of nonprogressive neurological dysfunction in which seizures may be prominently displayed. The murine model is a reasonable phenocopy of the human disorder, yet the severity of the seizure disorder in the mouse exceeds that observed in SSADH-deficient patients. Abnormalities in GABAergic and GHBergic neurotransmission, documented in patients and mice, form a component of disease pathophysiology, although numerous other disturbances (metabolite accumulations, myelin abnormalities, oxidant stress, neurosteroid depletion, altered bioenergetics, etc.) are also likely to be involved in developing the disease phenotype. Most recently, the demonstration of a redox control system in the SSADH protein active site has provided new insights into the regulation of SSADH by the cellular oxidation/reduction potential. The current review summarizes some 30 years of research on this protein and disease, addressing pathological mechanisms in human and mouse at the protein, metabolic, molecular, and whole-animal level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kyung-Jin Kim
- Pohang Accelerator Laboratory, Pohang University of Science and Technology, Pohang, Republic of Korea
| | - Phillip L. Pearl
- Department of Neurology, Children's National Medical Center, Washington, District of Columbia
| | - Kimmo Jensen
- Synaptic Physiology Laboratory, Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
- Center for Psychiatric Research, Aarhus University Hospital, Risskov, Denmark
| | - O. Carter Snead
- Department of Neurology, Hospital for Sick Children and University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | | | - Cornelis Jakobs
- Department of Clinical Chemistry, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - K. Michael Gibson
- Department of Biological Sciences, Michigan Technological University, Houghton, Michigan
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Pearl PL, Gibson KM, Cortez MA, Wu Y, Carter Snead O, Knerr I, Forester K, Pettiford JM, Jakobs C, Theodore WH. Succinic semialdehyde dehydrogenase deficiency: lessons from mice and men. J Inherit Metab Dis 2009; 32:343-52. [PMID: 19172412 PMCID: PMC2693236 DOI: 10.1007/s10545-009-1034-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 85] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2008] [Revised: 11/14/2008] [Accepted: 11/26/2008] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Succinic semialdehyde dehydrogenase (SSADH) deficiency, a disorder of GABA degradation with subsequent elevations in brain GABA and GHB, is a neurometabolic disorder with intellectual disability, epilepsy, hypotonia, ataxia, sleep disorders, and psychiatric disturbances. Neuroimaging reveals increased T2-weighted MRI signal usually affecting the globus pallidus, cerebellar dentate nucleus, and subthalamic nucleus, and often cerebral and cerebellar atrophy. EEG abnormalities are usually generalized spike-wave, consistent with a predilection for generalized epilepsy. The murine phenotype is characterized by failure-to-thrive, progressive ataxia, and a transition from generalized absence to tonic-clonic to ultimately fatal convulsive status epilepticus. Binding and electrophysiological studies demonstrate use-dependent downregulation of GABA(A) and (B) receptors in the mutant mouse. Translational human studies similarly reveal downregulation of GABAergic activity in patients, utilizing flumazenil-PET and transcranial magnetic stimulation for GABA(A) and (B) activity, respectively. Sleep studies reveal decreased stage REM with prolonged REM latencies and diminished percentage of stage REM. An ad libitum ketogenic diet was reported as effective in the mouse model, with unclear applicability to the human condition. Acute application of SGS-742, a GABA(B) antagonist, leads to improvement in epileptiform activity on electrocorticography. Promising mouse data using compounds available for clinical use, including taurine and SGS-742, form the framework for human trials.
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MESH Headings
- Animals
- Brain Diseases, Metabolic, Inborn/diagnosis
- Brain Diseases, Metabolic, Inborn/etiology
- Brain Diseases, Metabolic, Inborn/genetics
- Brain Diseases, Metabolic, Inborn/therapy
- Disease Models, Animal
- Humans
- Mice
- Mice, Transgenic
- Models, Biological
- Succinate-Semialdehyde Dehydrogenase/deficiency
- Succinate-Semialdehyde Dehydrogenase/genetics
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Affiliation(s)
- P L Pearl
- Department of Neurology, Children's National Medical Center, George Washington University School of Medicine, 111 Michigan Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20010-2970, USA.
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Abstract
The pediatric neurotransmitter disorders represent an enlarging group of neurological syndromes characterized by abnormalities of neurotransmitter synthesis and breakdown. The disorders of dopamine and serotonin synthesis are aromatic amino acid decarboxylase deficiency, tyrosine hydroxylase deficiency, and disorders of tetrahydrobiopterin synthesis. Amino acid decarboxylase, tyrosine hydroxylase, sepiapterin reductase, and guanosine triphosphate cyclohydrolase (Segawa disease) deficiencies do not feature elevated serum phenylalanine and require cerebrospinal fluid analysis for diagnosis. Segawa disease is characterized by dramatic and lifelong responsiveness to levodopa. Glycine encephalopathy is typically manifested by refractory neonatal seizures secondary to a defect of the glycine degradative pathway. gamma-amino butyric acid (GABA) metabolism is associated with several disorders, including glutamic acid decarboxylase deficiency with nonsyndromic cleft lip/ palate, GABA-transaminase deficiency, and succinic semialdehyde dehydrogenase deficiency. The latter is characterized by elevated gamma-hydroxybutyric acid and includes a wide range of neuropsychiatric symptoms as well as epilepsy. Pyridoxine-dependent seizures have now been associated with deficiency of alpha-aminoadipic semialdehyde dehydrogenase, as well as a new variant requiring therapy with pyridoxal-5-phosphate, the biologically active form of pyridoxine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Phillip L Pearl
- Department of Neurology, Children's National Medical Center, The George Washington University School of Medicine, Washington, DC 20010, USA.
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Pearl PL, Hartka TR, Taylor J. Diagnosis and treatment of neurotransmitter disorders. Curr Treat Options Neurol 2006; 8:441-50. [PMID: 17032564 DOI: 10.1007/s11940-006-0033-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
The neurotransmitter disorders represent an enigmatic and enlarging group of neurometabolic conditions caused by abnormal neurotransmitter metabolism or transport. A high index of clinical suspicion is important, given the availability of therapeutic strategies. This article covers disorders of monoamine (catecholamine and serotonin) synthesis, glycine catabolism, pyridoxine dependency, and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) metabolism. The technological aspects of appropriate cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) collection, shipment, study, and interpretation merit special consideration. Diagnosis of disorders of monoamines requires analysis of CSF homovanillic acid, 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid, ortho-methyldopa, BH4, and neopterin. The delineation of new disorders with important therapeutic implications, such as cerebral folate deficiency and PNPO deficiency, serves to highlight the value of measuring CSF neurotransmitter precursors and metabolites. The impressive responsiveness of Segawa fluctuating dystonia to levodopa is a hallmark feature of previously unrecognized neurologic morbidity becoming treatable at any age. Aromatic amino acid decarboxylase and tyrosine hydroxylase deficiency have more severe phenotypes and show variable responsiveness to levodopa. Glycine encephalopathy usually has a poor outcome; benzoate therapy may be helpful in less affected cases. Pyridoxine-dependent seizures are a refractory but treatable group of neonatal and infantile seizures; rare cases require pyridoxal-5-phosphate. Succinic semialdehyde dehydrogenase deficiency is relatively common in comparison to the remainder of this group of disorders. Treatment directed at the metabolic defect with vigabatrin has been disappointing, and multiple therapies are targeted toward specific but protean symptoms. Other disorders of GABA metabolism, as is true of the wide spectrum of neurotransmitter disorders, will require increasing use of CSF analysis for diagnosis, and ultimately, treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Phillip L Pearl
- Department of Neurology, Children’s National Medical Center, Washington, DC 20010, USA.
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Abstract
Seizures represent an important clinical manifestation of inborn errors of metabolism. The presence of myoclonic seizures and very early onset are clues to a metabolic disorder. Specific correlations between age of seizure onset and electroencephalogram patterns with inborn errors of metabolism are discussed. The explosion of information in neurogenetics and metabolism mandates increasing awareness of appropriate metabolic diagnostic and therapeutic strategies in the setting of certain epilepsies. Specific laboratory, imaging, and treatment considerations are included to present updated material in a field that continues to expand rapidly.
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Affiliation(s)
- Phillip L Pearl
- Department of Neurology, Children's National Medical Center, 111 Michigan Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20010, USA.
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