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Every paper, appraised.

58 / 58 appraisals, search by topic, body region or verdict. Free shows the verdict & takeaway; members get every appraisal in full.

Issue 0092026-09-21 · 7 appraisals
Worth knowing
Sports medicine - open · 2026
Issue 009 · lead
Percentile-Based Normative Standards for Strength Assessment Beyond Linear Bodyweight Multipliers in Competitive Powerlifters

A 100k-lifter atlas shows flat bodyweight-multiplier strength targets get unrealistic as body mass rises, especially at elite levels and in women.

Strength & ConditioningSports & Exercise MedicineStrength & hypertrophyFemale athlete health
60
/100
Overhyped
Sports medicine - open · 2026
Issue 009 · overhyped
The Effects of Exergames on Fundamental Movement Skills in Childhood: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

A 'meta-analysis' built only from significant comparisons claims exergames match traditional activity for kids' movement skills, but no pooled effect size is reported.

Strength & ConditioningYouth & adolescentSystematic review / meta-analysis
28
/100
Worth knowing
Sports medicine - open · 2026
Issue 009 · five
Effects of Strength Training on Cognitive Function, Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor and Insulin-Like Growth Factor 1 in Highly-Trained Young Female Soccer Players

Adding strength training helped teen female players get stronger, pass better and score higher on a Stroop test, but their BDNF and IGF-1 levels didn't move, so skip the 'rewires the brain' pitch.

Strength & ConditioningSports & Exercise MedicineFemale athlete healthYouth & adolescent
42
/100
Worth knowing
Orthopaedic journal of sports medicine · 2026
Issue 009 · five
Combined Periacetabular Osteotomy and Hip Arthroscopy Results in High Return to Sport Rates in Contact and Noncontact Athletes With Hip Dysplasia

Combined PAO plus arthroscopy gave 89% return-to-sport in this uncontrolled case series, in line with prior single-procedure data, not proof it's better.

32
/100
Watch this space
Sports medicine - open · 2026
Issue 009 · five
Comparative Effectiveness of Exercise Interventions for Hamstring Injury Prevention in Football Players: A Systematic Review and Network Meta-analysis

FIFA 11+ still edges out other hamstring prevention programs in this analysis, but the ranking is low-certainty and no trial has tested it head-to-head against Nordic exercise.

Sports & Exercise MedicineAthletic Training / Sports TherapyStrength & ConditioningThigh & Hamstring
48
/100
Watch this space
Sports medicine - open · 2026
Issue 009 · five
Ultra-processed Foods and Athletes: Current Insights on Classification, Use, Awareness, and Impact-A Narrative Review

We barely know why athletes eat ultra-processed foods, this review maps the gap rather than filling it.

Sports & Exercise MedicineStrength & Conditioning
42
/100
Watch this space
Sports medicine - open · 2026
Issue 009 · five
Using Match Reference Values of External Load to Monitor Performance and Fatigue in Football: Are We Looking the Right Way?

An untested opinion piece argues match-based load targets are too noisy to trust, but offers no data proving its proposed fix works.

Strength & ConditioningLoad managementAthletic Training / Sports Therapy
30
/100
Issue 0082026-09-14 · 7 appraisals
Worth knowing
Orthopaedic journal of sports medicine · 2026
Issue 008 · lead
Are Comparable Short-term Outcomes Between Hamstring and Quadriceps Tendon Autografts for ACL Reconstruction Statistically Robust? A Reverse Continuous Fragility Index Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

The 'no difference' between hamstring and quad tendon ACL grafts holds up statistically, but robust-null doesn't mean proven-equivalent.

PhysiotherapySports & Exercise MedicineAthletic Training / Sports TherapyKnee
50
/100
Overhyped
Sports medicine - open · 2026
Issue 008 · overhyped
Examining the Relationship Between Changes in Lower-Limb Isometric Strength and Subsequent Physical Training Outputs in Elite Australian Rules Football Players

Two out of many strength-output associations hit p<0.05 in 42 AFL players, but without effect sizes or multiplicity correction, this isn't ready to guide readiness decisions.

30
/100
Worth knowing
Orthopaedic journal of sports medicine · 2026
Issue 008 · five
Screw Versus Suture Bridge Fixation for Medial Femoral Condyle Osteochondritis Dissecans Demonstrate Comparable Healing Rates

Screw vs suture bridge fixation for knee OCD heal at similar rates, but screws showed worse cartilage damage in this small, unblinded cohort.

45
/100
Worth knowing
Orthopaedic journal of sports medicine · 2026
Issue 008 · five
Clinical Outcomes of Rotator Cuff Tear Repair in Patients ≤45 Years of Age: A Retrospective Analysis of 108 Patients

Young patients improve after cuff repair, but with no comparison group this case series can't tell you surgery beat the alternative.

38
/100
Watch this space
Orthopaedic journal of sports medicine · 2026
Issue 008 · five
Pitch-Tracking Risk Factors and Warning Signs for Shoulder Capsulolabral Injuries in Major League Baseball Pitchers

A progressive velocity decline in the final outings before shoulder surgery is a promising but unproven Statcast warning sign, not a screening tool yet.

Sports & Exercise MedicineAthletic Training / Sports TherapyStrength & ConditioningShoulder
58
/100
Watch this space
Orthopaedic journal of sports medicine · 2026
Issue 008 · five
Sex-Specific Adolescent Development of the Trochlea and Distal Femoral Physis: A 3D Shape Modeling Study

Deep learning 3D modeling maps sex-specific trochlear and growth plate development in teens, useful groundwork, but no effect sizes given and no surgical protocol yet.

Sports & Exercise MedicineKneeimaging-diagnosticsYouth & adolescent
45
/100
Watch this space
Orthopaedic journal of sports medicine · 2026
Issue 008 · five
Recovery Trajectory of Range of Motion and Its Association With Patient Factors During Early Postoperative Stiffness After Arthroscopic Rotator Cuff Repair

Nearly half of cuff repair patients have early stiffness, and those whose stiffness is pain-driven (not fear-driven) are the ones likely to stay stiff at 6 months.

42
/100
Issue 0072026-09-07 · 6 appraisals
Worth knowing
Sports medicine - open · 2026
Issue 007 · lead
Reliability, Device Agreement and Validity of Load-Velocity Profiles: A Systematic Review with Meta-analysis

Velocity sensors and their 1RM predictions look reliable on paper, but missing error data and big heterogeneity mean treat the numbers as estimates, not a replacement for testing.

Strength & ConditioningAthletic Training / Sports TherapyStrength & hypertrophyLoad management
68
/100
Worth knowing
Orthopaedic journal of sports medicine · 2026
Issue 007 · five
Factors Associated With Return to Sport at Minimum 10-Year Follow-up in Athletes With Borderline Hip Dysplasia Undergoing Hip Arthroscopy With Capsular Plication.

BHD athletes did as well as non-dysplastic controls 10 years after hip arthroscopy with capsular plication, but there's no non-plication comparator to prove the plication mattered.

Sports & Exercise MedicineHip & GroinReturn to sportCohort / observational
58
/100
Worth knowing
Orthopaedic journal of sports medicine · 2026
Issue 007 · five
Comparative Postoperative Outcomes After Rotator Cuff Repair in Tobacco and Nontobacco Nicotine Users

Nicotine without tobacco looks less risky than smoking after cuff repair, but 'less bad than cigarettes' is not the same as safe.

Sports & Exercise MedicineShoulderSurgery vs conservativeCohort / observational
56
/100
Worth knowing
BMJ open sport & exercise medicine · 2026
Issue 007 · five
Hamstring muscle injury rehabilitation in sports: a scoping review

A scoping review finds hamstring rehab research is a mess of under-reported protocols and pain-based return-to-sport calls, not a source of new treatment guidance.

PhysiotherapySports & Exercise MedicineStrength & ConditioningRehabilitation
55
/100
Watch this space
Orthopaedic journal of sports medicine · 2026
Issue 007 · five
Personalizing the Quadriceps Tendon Graft in Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction: A Novel, Continuous Method to Predict Graft Size Using Preoperative MRI.

A new MRI formula predicts QT graft diameter within 1mm in 90% of cases, but the screening cutoff for 'small grafts' has only 39% specificity.

Sports & Exercise MedicineKneeACL & knee ligamentimaging-diagnostics
48
/100
Watch this space
Sports medicine - open · 2026
Issue 007 · five
Physical Exercise in Immunotherapy

Biologically plausible case for exercise boosting checkpoint inhibitor efficacy, but it's all mice and cell culture so far, not patients.

Sports & Exercise MedicineRehabilitationEndurance & physiology
30
/100
Issue 0062026-08-31 · 6 appraisals
Worth knowing
Sports medicine - open · 2026
Issue 006 · lead
Pre-fatigue Direct 1RM Testing vs. Post-fatigue Load-Velocity Profiling: Which Better Predicts Maximal Strength in the Deadlift After Resistance Training?

Your pre-tested deadlift 1RM overestimates true strength once fatigue sets in, velocity-based checks stay accurate, but this is a measurement study, not an outcomes trial.

62
/100
Worth knowing
Orthopaedic journal of sports medicine · 2026
Issue 006 · five
Association of Persistent Interlimb Kinetic Asymmetry at Return to Sport With Increased Risk of Contralateral Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injury

Athletes who pass RTS testing but still show force-plate asymmetry have nearly 1.5x the risk of tearing the other ACL, though this needs validation before changing clearance decisions.

62
/100
Worth knowing
Orthopaedic journal of sports medicine · 2026
Issue 006 · five
Does Recalibration Response Shift Alter Perceived Treatment Effects in Patient-Reported Outcomes After Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction?

Post-ACLR PROM change scores can be off by 3-18 points because patients' internal benchmark for 'normal knee' shifts after surgery.

62
/100
Worth knowing
Sports medicine - open · 2026
Issue 006 · five
Air Pollution Impairs Marathon Performance: A Cross-Sectional Analysis of 2.7 Million Finishers Across Six World Marathon Majors

Higher race-day NO2 is linked to slower marathon times, especially in recreational runners, but this is an ecological correlation across only 75 race-days, not proof of a direct causal hit.

55
/100
Watch this space
Sports medicine - open · 2026
Issue 006 · five
The Relationship Between Physical Fitness and Physical Literacy: Empirical Evidence Linking Two Physical Activity-Health Concepts

In young French children, fitness and physical literacy overlap only partly, so testing one doesn't tell you about the other.

42
/100
Watch this space
Sports medicine - open · 2026
Issue 006 · five
Orthometria: Metric Fixation in Digital Health and a Framework for Responsible Use in High-Performance Sport

A new name for wearable-data anxiety in athletes, useful language, but the framework and scale behind it are still completely untested.

Sports & Exercise MedicineStrength & ConditioningAthletic Training / Sports TherapyLoad management
25
/100
Issue 0052026-08-24 · 6 appraisals
Worth knowing
Orthopaedic journal of sports medicine · 2026
Issue 005 · lead
Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction With or Without Lateral Extra-articular Tenodesis: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Comparative Outcomes From Randomized Controlled Trials

Adding LET to ACLR cuts graft failure and improves pivot-shift control, but does not meaningfully improve patient-reported outcomes or return to sport.

66
/100
Worth knowing
Sports medicine - open · 2026
Issue 005 · five
Inciting Events of Lower-Limb Muscle Injury: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Video-Based Studies

Football hamstring injuries are mostly non-contact and high-speed, but without exposure data this review can't tell you which actions are actually riskiest.

Sports & Exercise MedicinePhysiotherapyStrength & ConditioningThigh & Hamstring
62
/100
Worth knowing
Orthopaedic journal of sports medicine · 2026
Issue 005 · five
The Efficacy of Synovectomy in Rotator Cuff Repair: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Adding synovectomy to arthroscopic cuff repair showed no extra pain, motion, strength or satisfaction benefit at 3 months in this 60-patient RCT.

Sports & Exercise MedicineShoulderRandomised controlled trial
60
/100
Worth knowing
Orthopaedic journal of sports medicine · 2026
Issue 005 · five
Comparison of Basketball-Related Injuries at US Emergency Departments Between High School-Aged and College-Aged Athletes: A 10-Year NEISS Analysis, 2015-2024

High schoolers show 2.7x the ED basketball-injury rate of college athletes, but the study can't separate 'more injured' from 'more likely to end up in an ED.'

48
/100
Worth knowing
Orthopaedic journal of sports medicine · 2026
Issue 005 · five
Return to Dance and Functional Recovery After Hip Arthroscopy With Labral Repair in Competitive Dancers at Minimum 2-Year Follow-up

Hip arthroscopy helps dancers with FAI feel and function better and most get back to dance, but of those who returned, under half were still dancing years later, often for reasons that had nothing to do with the hip.

42
/100
Watch this space
Sports medicine - open · 2026
Issue 005 · five
Exploring Factors to Explain Interindividual Responses to Running Economy in Advanced Footwear Technology Shoes: A Randomised Crossover Laboratory Trial with an Explanatory Predictor Analysis

AFT shoes boost running economy by 4% on average, but calf stiffness and navicular drop only explain a quarter of who actually benefits.

Sports & Exercise MedicineStrength & ConditioningCalf & AchillesFoot & Ankle
55
/100
Issue 0042026-08-17 · 6 appraisals
Worth knowing
Orthopaedic journal of sports medicine · 2026
Issue 004 · lead
Conditional Survivorship of Osteochondral Allograft Transplantation in the Knee

Knee OCA grafts fail mostly in the first 3 years (4.9%/yr); clear that window and 10-year survival odds jump to ~90%.

Sports & Exercise MedicineKneeSurgery vs conservativeCohort / observational
55
/100
Worth knowing
Orthopaedic journal of sports medicine · 2026
Issue 004 · five
Subjective Shoulder Instability Following Anterior Stabilization: Incidence and Time to Resolution After Latarjet Versus Bankart Repair

Latarjet patients redislocated less than Bankart patients (3.8% vs 17.6%) at 4+ years, but the two groups weren't well matched at baseline.

Sports & Exercise MedicineRehabilitationStrength & ConditioningShoulder
52
/100
Worth knowing
Orthopaedic journal of sports medicine · 2026
Issue 004 · five
Association of Donor Characteristics and Graft Storage Time with Survivorship of Osteochondral Allograft Transplantation in the Knee

Donor age >20y and early graft release (<14 days) were linked to roughly 7x higher OCA failure risk over 8 years; donor BMI and sex-matching made no difference.

Sports & Exercise MedicineKneeCohort / observational
48
/100
Worth knowing
Orthopaedic journal of sports medicine · 2026
Issue 004 · five
Achilles Tendon Injuries in Major League Soccer: A 10-year Analysis of Injury Rate, Return to Play, and Performance Metrics

MLS Achilles ruptures cost 229 days to return, but the flashy position-specific performance findings rest on single-digit subgroup sizes.

PhysiotherapySports & Exercise MedicineStrength & ConditioningAthletic Training / Sports Therapy
45
/100
Watch this space
Sports medicine - open · 2026
Issue 004 · five
Evaluation of GFAP, UCH-L1 and S100B Blood Biomarkers for the Management of Sports-Related Concussion in Professional Rugby Players: A Prospective Observational Study

This blood panel is great at confirming concussion but misses about half of true cases, so it can't replace or override the HIA yet.

Sports & Exercise MedicineAthletic Training / Sports TherapyConcussionHead & Neck
48
/100
Watch this space
Orthopaedic journal of sports medicine · 2026
Issue 004 · five
Posterior Plate Positioning Without Distal Placement in Medial Closing-Wedge Distal Femoral Osteotomy

FEA suggests posterior, non-distal plate placement in MCDFO is mechanically more stable, but it's simulation only, not proven in patients yet.

KneeSports & Exercise MedicineOsteoarthritis
45
/100
Issue 0032026-08-13 · 6 appraisals
Worth knowing
International journal of sports physiology and performance · 2026
Issue 003 · lead
Sex Differences in Heart Rate, Paddle, and Portage Speed During an International Kayak Marathon Competition

Elite kayak marathon paddlers sustain 85 to 91% HRmax for over two hours with frequent surges, useful raw material for interval design, but it's one race, not a training trial.

Strength & ConditioningEndurance & physiologyLoad managementFemale athlete health
60
/100
Worth knowing
Journal of strength and conditioning research · 2026
Issue 003 · five
Effects of Narrow- Vs. Wide-Pulse Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation Training on Functional Performance

Narrow vs wide-pulse NMES built quadriceps strength equally well in healthy men, but neither improved jump performance, so don't expect NMES alone to boost function.

58
/100
Worth knowing
Journal of strength and conditioning research · 2026
Issue 003 · five
Effects of Blood Flow Restriction Training on Explosive Power in Athletes: A Systematic Review With Meta-Analysis

BFRT gives athletes a modest power boost (SMD ~0.5), useful as a low-load option during rehab or load management, not a replacement for heavy training.

Strength & ConditioningSports & Exercise MedicineRehabilitationLoad management
55
/100
Watch this space
Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.) · 2026
Issue 003 · five
Understanding Anterior Cruciate Ligament Adaptation: Structural, Mechanical, and Healing Considerations

The ACL looks trainable like tendon and bone, but this review is a conceptual framework, not proof any specific training dose cuts injury risk.

Sports & Exercise MedicinePhysiotherapyStrength & ConditioningRehabilitation
55
/100
Watch this space
British journal of sports medicine · 2026
Issue 003 · five
International Olympic Committee Sport Mental Health Assessment Tool 2 (IOC SMHAT2): development, content validity and feasibility

IOC's SMHAT2 restructures elite athlete mental health screening into three steps, but this paper doesn't show the numbers proving it screens better than version 1.

Sports & Exercise MedicineAthletic Training / Sports TherapyConsensus / guideline
50
/100
Watch this space
Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.) · 2026
Issue 003 · five
A Hitchhiker's Guide to Physical and Cognitive Effort

A conceptual map of how 'effort' is measured across fields, useful for researchers, not yet actionable for clinicians.

PhysiotherapySports & Exercise MedicineStrength & ConditioningLoad management
45
/100
Issue 0022026-07-28 · 7 appraisals
Watch this space
Musculoskeletal science & practice · 2026
Issue 002 · lead
Chronic plantar heel pain severity is associated with lipid biomarkers

Higher cholesterol tracks with worse heel pain severity, but this snapshot study can't say which causes which, not a reason to check lipids in clinic yet.

PhysiotherapySports & Exercise MedicinePodiatry / Lower limbFoot & Ankle
48
/100
Not yet
International Journal of Molecular Sciences · 2020
Issue 002 · landmark
Platelet-Rich Plasma: New Performance Understandings and Therapeutic Considerations in 2020

A widely-cited PRP mechanism review, not a clinical trial, it explains the biology, not whether PRP actually works for your patient.

Sports & Exercise MedicineRehabilitationTendinopathyOsteoarthritis
42
/100
Watch this space
Journal of ISAKOS: joint disorders & orthopaedic sports medicine · 2026
Issue 002 · five
Functional Outcomes and Return to Sport After Surgical Repair of Complete Proximal Hamstring Avulsions in Recreational Athletes: A Retrospective Case Series

Hamstring avulsion repair got everyone back to sport, but only 1 in 3 got back to their old level, and a third had lasting numbness.

Sports & Exercise MedicineRehabilitationThigh & HamstringMuscle injury
32
/100
Not yet
BMC sports science, medicine & rehabilitation · 2026
Issue 002 · five
Hamstring fascicle behavior during leg curl exercises performed at varying knee joint angles and loading intensities in individuals with a history of unilateral hamstring injury: a randomized cross-over design study

Small acute ultrasound study finds knee angle and load affect hamstring fascicle length, but shows no real difference between previously injured and healthy limbs, not ready to guide rehab.

Sports & Exercise MedicineStrength & ConditioningPhysiotherapyThigh & Hamstring
42
/100
Not yet
PLOS digital health · 2026
Issue 002 · five
Structure-aware fatigue modeling in foot deformities: A digital health framework for tissue-specific running injury risk prediction using multi-modal data

Hallux valgus alters ankle/MTP loading in runners, but 'injury risk' here is simulated, not observed, don't act on it yet.

Podiatry / Lower limbSports & Exercise MedicineFoot & AnkleCalf & Achilles
35
/100
Not yet
European journal of sport science · 2026
Issue 002 · five
Previous Hamstring Injury Does Not Impact Biceps Femoris Long Head Fascicle Length and Eccentric Knee Flexion Strength Changes Following a Low-Volume Resistance Training Intervention in Elite Under-20-Year-Old Male Gaelic Footballers

A small, uncontrolled 9-week Nordic/RDL study in youth Gaelic footballers found modest fascicle-length gains but no strength gains, and was too underpowered to say whether prior hamstring injury blunts adaptation.

Sports & Exercise MedicineStrength & ConditioningAthletic Training / Sports TherapyThigh & Hamstring
32
/100
Not yet
Clinical biomechanics (Bristol, Avon) · 2026
Issue 002 · five
Identifying rotator cuff disorders through shoulder movement quality: An exploratory study using a single inertial measurement unit

A cheap wrist sensor showed a hint of promise for spotting rotator cuff disorders (AUC ~0.7), but n=30 and fair-at-best agreement mean it's nowhere near clinic-ready.

PhysiotherapyRehabilitationShoulderTendinopathy
32
/100
Issue 0012026-07-28 · 7 appraisals
Worth knowing
Orthopaedic journal of sports medicine · 2026
Issue 001 · lead
The Epidemiology of Catastrophic Head and Neck Injuries in High School and College Non-Football Sports: A 4-Decade Review

Catastrophic head/neck injuries in non-football sports have fallen roughly 10-fold since the 1980s, but high school gymnasts and hockey players remain the highest-risk group today.

Sports & Exercise MedicineAthletic Training / Sports TherapyHead & NeckConcussion
58
/100
Practice-changing
British Journal of Sports Medicine · 2020
Issue 001 · landmark
World Health Organization 2020 guidelines on physical activity and sedentary behaviour

WHO's 2020 update gives clinicians concrete activity dose targets for every population, including pregnancy and chronic disease, but still won't say how much sitting is too much.

Sports & Exercise MedicinePhysiotherapyStrength & ConditioningRehabilitation
88
/100
Worth knowing
Orthopaedic journal of sports medicine · 2026
Issue 001 · five
Comparing Postconcussion Sway Balance and Cognitive Test Performance With Preinjury Baseline Identifies a Higher Percentage of Impaired Concussed Athletes Than Comparison With Normative Values

Comparing Sway concussion scores to an athlete's own baseline (not just norms) catches more true concussions, but only if you require impairment on 2+ modules, and even then it misses many cases.

Sports & Exercise MedicineAthletic Training / Sports TherapyHead & NeckConcussion
42
/100
Watch this space
Sports medicine, open · 2026
Issue 001 · five
Distinct Movement-Related Cortical Control Following Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injury: A Scoping Review

ACL patients show different brain activity patterns during movement than controls, but there's still no solid evidence this actually affects how they move.

Sports & Exercise MedicinePhysiotherapyRehabilitationKnee
55
/100
Watch this space
Orthopaedic journal of sports medicine · 2026
Issue 001 · five
Foot and Ankle Contributions to Noncontact ACL Injury Risk: A Systematic Review

48 mostly low-quality studies suggest foot/ankle mechanics matter for ACL risk, but with no pooled effect size, it's a hypothesis-generator, not a practice-changer.

Sports & Exercise MedicinePhysiotherapyAthletic Training / Sports TherapyKnee
42
/100
Not yet
Sports medicine, open · 2026
Issue 001 · five
Effect of Time Since Baseline Data Collection, Mechanism of Injury, and Service Academy Sub-population on Concussion Risk Prediction in Military Service Academy Cadets and Midshipmen: An Observational Study

Concussion baseline testing predicts risk with just 0.64-0.68 AUC, and that accuracy decays further the longer ago the test was done.

Sports & Exercise MedicineAthletic Training / Sports TherapyHead & NeckConcussion
48
/100
Not yet
Orthopaedic journal of sports medicine · 2026
Issue 001 · five
Return-to-Sport Outcomes After Suture Button Fixation for Syndesmotic Injury in Elite Athletes With Chronic Lateral Ankle Instability: A Prospective Case Series

98.5% of elite athletes returned to sport in ~8 weeks after combined ankle ligament and syndesmotic surgery, but with no control group we can't credit the added hardware.

Sports & Exercise MedicineAthletic Training / Sports TherapyFoot & AnkleReturn to sport
42
/100

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