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The e-supplementary online content file_1: The Study Protocol Supplement1_English: English Version of the Study Protocol Supplement1_Chinese: Chinese Version of the Study Protocol Supplement1_Ethical Approval: Ethical Approval File of the Study Protocol This supplementary material has been provided by the authors to give readers additional information about their work.

The Effect of Levothyroxine Treatment on Pregnancy Outcomes of In Vitro Fertilization in Euthyroid Women with Thyroid Autoimmunity Protocol summary Objectives: To investigate whether the levothyroxine (L-T 4 ) treatment improves pregnancy outcomes of in vitro fertilization (IVF) in euthyroid women with thyroid autoimmunity (TAI). Design: A single center, open label, randomized and controlled trial Participants: Six hundred euthyroid women with TAI are randomized to either L-T 4 treatment or usual care with the ratio of 1:1. Inclusion criteria: 1) Aged 23-40 years old 2) Thyroid auto-antibodies: antithyroperoxidase antibody (TPOAb) > 60 IU/ml, with or without antithyroglobulin antibody (TGAb) positivity 3) Euthythroid status before IVF: serum levels of TSH, FT 3 and FT 4 are within the normal ranges of our laboratory 4) Undergoing their first or second IVF cycle 5) Fresh cycle 6) BMI < 35 kg/m 2 Exclusion criteria: 1) Previous thyroid disorders (thyroid dysfunction, thyroid tumor, treated by radioiodine) 2) Recurrent miscarriage 3) Ovary reserve insufficiency, defined as basal FSH 20 miu/l 4) Endocrinological or metabolic disorders: diabetes mellitus, hypothalamus/pituitary disorders, adrenal diseases 5) Abnormal hepatic function: ALT 80 U/L, AST 80 U/L 6) Abnormal renal function: SCr >130 μmol/l 7) Cardiac diseases: arrhythmia, history of myocardial infarction, unstable angina 8) Psychiatric disorders Research procedure: Six hundred euthyroid infertile women with TAI are randomized to either L-T 4 treatment (intervention group, n=300) or usual care (control group, n=300). Intervention group: L-T 4 treatment initiates at least two weeks before the controlled ovary hyperstimulation (COH). The dosage is adjusted to maintain the level of TSH within specific ranges (within 12 weeks of gestation, 0.1-2.5 miu/l; 12-24 weeks of gestation, 0.2-3.0 miu/l; after 24 weeks of gestation, 0.3-3.0 miu/l). The medication is discontinued if the participants do not achieve pregnancy. Control group: They receive no intervention. Their thyroid functions are monitored as same as the subjects in

intervention group. Primary and secondary outcomes The primary outcome was miscarriage rate. The secondary outcomes were clinical pregnancy rate and live birth rate. Medication Levothyroxine Sodium Tablets (50 μg/tablet), aluminium foil package (Merck Serono Company) Statistical analysis: Double-entry is applied by using the EPI 3.0 software. Analyses are performed after the data was checked by inspectors. The main outcomes are compared between two groups using chi-square test and relative risk with 95% CI. Comparison between groups was performed with independent sample t test or Mann-Whitney test, or Pearson chi-square test or fisher s exact test as appropriate. All Statistical analyses were done using the statistical package SPSS, version 18.0 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL). Statistical significance was defined as P < 0.05 with two tails. Plan of follow-ups:

The Effect of Levothyroxine Treatment on Pregnancy Outcomes of In Vitro Fertilization in Euthyroid Women with Thyroid Autoimmunity Background TAI and reproductive health Thyroid autoimmunity (TAI) is defined as the presence of thyroid peroxidase antibody and/or thyroglobulin antibody. It is the most common cause of hypothyroidism among women of childbearing age, with a prevalence of 8-15% (1). Thyroid hormone plays an important role in the fecundity of female, involving the regulation of oocyte maturation and embryonic development. The lack of thyroxine in pregnant women could lead to severely impaired development of the nervous system of fetus. Especially in early gestation, thyroxine is not able to be synthesized by the fetus and has to be supplied by the mother completely (2). Therefore, the optimal supply of thyroxine is an important aspect of eugenics. To adapt to the physiological changes during gestation, the function of mother s thyroid gland is remarkably altered. The characteristics in gestation include increased estrogen, thyroid binding globin (TBG), Total triiodothyronine (TT 3 ) and total thyroxine (TT 4 ) levels. The rapid elevation of human chorionic gonadotropin (hcg) in the early trimester plays a similar role to thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), stimulating the secretion of thyroxine, thus leading to the increase of TT 4 and free thyroxine (FT 4 ) levels and decrease of TSH level. In addition, the increased iodine clearance rate from the mother kidney during pregnancy results in a higher demand of iodine. In conclusion, the pregnant women are at the status of physiological hyperthyroidism (3). Therefore pregnant women with TAI, whose thyroid reserve is possibly impaired, are at a risk of hypothyroidism during pregnancy (4). It is well documented that hypothyroidism during pregnancy would increase the risk of adverse outcomes of mother and fetus, including preeclampsia, malposition, miscarriage, fetal abnormalities, and nervous system abnormalities especially. Nowadays, it is well accepted that levothyroxine (L-T 4 ) treatment for overt hypothyroidism or subclinical hypothyroidism during pregnancy definitely improves the pregnancy outcomes (5). TAI and in vitro fertilization (IVF) It was reported that the prevalence of TAI in women with infertility or recurrent miscarriage was higher than that in age-matched multipara (6, 7). Infertile women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), endometriosis and recurrent miscarriage tend to be complicated with TAI, of which the underlying mechanism remains unknown. Previous data of our Reproductive Center shows that the prevalence of TAI in infertile women is about 11.1% (N=9541), and the positive rate of TPOAb increased with age (7% in the group aged less than 25 years and 14% in the group older than 40 years). The number of women conceiving through assisted reproductive technology (ART) is increasing rapidly year by year. IVF is a type of ART in which eggs (ova) are removed from a woman's ovary and fertilized by sperm outside the body using a laboratory procedure, and then the fertilized egg (embryo) is transplanted to the woman's uterus. Different from spontaneous conception, most infertile women have to go through controlled ovarian hyperstimulation (COH) during the process of IVF. The use of high dose of gonadotropin inevitably results in dramatic increase of estrogen level within two weeks, comparable to the level in the secondary trimester. The trigger of hcg before oocytes retrieval raises the demand of thyroxine as conceiving. Therefore, female TAI individuals with impaired thyroid reserve are prone to suffer from thyroid insufficiency because of the dramatic changes of hormones during pregnancy (8). Besides, the prevalence of TAI was higher among women with recurrent IVF failure, the possible explanation of which is that the repeated COH disturbs the regulation of the immune system and increase the risk of TAI (9). As mentioned above, it is recommended to initiate replacement therapy before and during pregnancy in women with hypothyroidism and subclinical hypothyroidism. However, for euthyroid women with TAI, it is currently unclear whether

levothyroxine treatment improves the outcomes of IVF as the relevant studies were limited and had small sample sizes with inconsistent results. A meta-analysis in women with TAI undergoing their first cycle of IVF shows that the pregnancy rate is similar to that of the control, but the miscarriage rate is increased (10). The same conclusion is made in the analysis of 299 women with TAI undergoing their first cycle of IVF in our Center (similar pregnancy rates, miscarriage rate in the TAI group increased by 2 folds). Owing to reported studies were limited and had small sample sizes (11, 12), large-scale randomized controlled trials are therefore required in order to determine whether L-T 4 treatment improves pregnancy outcomes of IVF in euthyroid women with TAI. Levothyroxine L-T 4 is a substitute of thyroxine produced by normal thyroid gland. It is converted to T 3 in the peripheral organ and plays specific roles by binding to its receptor. In this study, Euthyrox produced by the Merck Co. in German is selected as the medication of intervention. Its effective component has the same molecular structure with the thyroxine secreted by thyroid gland. The toxic effect of L-T 4 is very slight under physiological treatment. There are now substantial evidence shows that L-T 4 does not harm a fetus during any gestation period. No fetus toxicity or teratogenicity is reported, and no harmful effect of L-T 4 on the fecundity, mutagenicity and offspring is documented. Appropriate dose of L-T4 has no adverse reactions. However, overdose might cause similar symptoms of hyperthyroidism, such as tachycardia, palpitations, angina pectoris, arrhythmia, headaches, nervousness, excitement, restlessness, insomnia, muscle spasm, muscle weakness, tremor, sweating, flushing, afraid of heat, fever, diarrhea, vomiting, weight loss and so on. L-T 4 is easily absorbed, with a plasma protein binding rate higher than 99%. When thyroid hormone is combined with anticoagulants such as dicoumarin, it may enhance the anticoagulant effect of the latter and cause bleeding. Thus, anticoagulant dosage should be adjusted according to the prothrombin time. If thyroxine and tricyclic antidepressants are taken together, the dosage of thyroxine and antidepressants should be adjusted since both of their effectiveness and side effects should be enhanced by each other. The dosage of thyroxine should be increased moderately when women are on the birth control pills or estrogen and when the level of TBG is elevated. Thyroxine and holestyramine/colestipol should be taken separately at an interval of at least 4-5 hours, along with thyroid function monitored, since the latter can reduce the effect of thyroid hormone. Attention should be paid that blockers of β adrenergic receptor is able to reduce the conversion of T 4 into T 3. T 4 might increase the toxicity of cardiac glycoside, and enhance the effects of coumarin and oral hypoglycemic agents. Fibrates can increase the effect of T 4. Methods and Design Objective: To investigate whether the L-T 4 treatment improves pregnancy outcomes of IVF in euthyroid women with TAI. Design: This is a single center, open labeled, randomized and controlled trial. From an ethical point of view, blinding method is inappropriate for this specific population. Participants: Beginning from June 2012, all infertile women preparing to receive IVF treatment in Peking University Third hospital Reproductive Health Center are candidates for screening. They will be invited to provide a blood sample for the assay of thyroid antibody and thyroid function. All euthyroid women with TAI are selected as potential participants. From them total 600 eligible participants will enter this study after careful inquiry for the past history and laboratory assay.

Follow-up would be continued until the end of the last pregnancy. According to our pilot study, up to 150-180 participants could be screened out each year. The duration of recruitment is assumed to be 4-5 years. Six hundred euthyroid women with TPOAb positivity will be randomized to the intervention group and control group. Randomization was performed by an independent data manager, with a computer developed randomization sequence with the ratio of 1:1. Inclusion criteria: 1) aged 23-40 years old 2) Euthythroid status before IVF: the level of TSH within the normal range (0.55~4.78 miu/l) 3) Thyroid auto-antibodies: antithyroperoxidase antibody (TPOAb) > 60 IU/ml, with or without antithyroglobulin antibody (TGAb) positivity 4) Undergoing their first or second IVF cycle 5) Fresh cycle 6) BMI < 35 kg/m 2 Exclusion criteria: 1) Previous thyroid disorders (thyroid dysfunction, thyroid tumor, treated by radioiodine) 2) Recurrent miscarriage 3) Ovary reserve insufficiency, defined as basal FSH 20 miu/l 4) Endocrinological or metabolic disorders: diabetes mellitus, hypothalamus/pituitary disorders, adrenal diseases 5) Abnormal hepatic function: ALT 80 U/L, AST 80 U/L 6) Abnormal renal function: SCr > 130 μmol/l 7) Cardiac diseases: arrhythmia, history of myocardial infarction, unstable angina. 8) Psychiatric disorders Withdrawal criteria: 1) Participants are able to voluntarily withdraw from the study at any moment. 2) The researchers consider that some participants should be withdrawn from the study based on medical points of view. 3) Participants who had withdrawn already cannot be reincluded into the study again. Research procedure The participants are randomized to either L-T 4 treatment (intervention group, n=300) or usual care (control group, n=300). L-T 4 treatment initiates at least 2 weeks before COH with dose of 12.5-50 μg/day in intervention group. The dose of L-T 4 was determined according to the weight and thyroid function of each participant. Medication was continued if the participants achieved clinical pregnancy, and participants will be told to adjust the dose of L-T 4 according to their TSH level during pregnancy in local hospitals. Women in the control group do not take L-T 4. Dosage and adjustment The dosage is determined according to the weight and thyroid function of each participant (For individuals with TSH level 2.5 miu/l, the starting dose was 50 μg/day, while those with TSH < 2.5 miu/l started at 25 μg/day. For participants with body weight less than 50kg, the starting dose was decreased with 50%.). The medication is taken at least 30 minutes before breakfast. The thyroid function will be tested on the day of hcg injection, day 14 and day 30 after embryo transplantation (ET). The medication continues if the participants achieve clinical pregnancy, and they will be told to adjust the dosage according to their TSH level tested in local hospital during pregnancy. Telephone follow-ups were performed every 3 months after successful ET, recording the pregnancy outcomes and medication. We followed

each participant after their fresh IVF cycle. In the first trimester, the level of TSH should be maintained between 0.1-2.5 miu/l. In the second and third trimester, the thyroid function should be tested, and the level of TSH should be maintained between 0.2-3.0 miu/l and 0.3-3.0 miu/l respectively until parturition (13). The references for dosage adjustment are listed as followed: 1) If the level of TSH < 0.1 miu/l, halve the dosage; 2) If the level of TSH is within the range of 0.1-2.5 miu/l, dosage unchanged; 3) If the level of TSH is within the range of 2.5-4.0 miu/l, increase the dose by 12.5 μg/day; 4) If the level of TSH > 4.0mIU/L, increase the dose by 25 μg/day; In the control group, thyroid function monitoring is no longer required from day 30 after ET, while regular telephone follow-ups are continued. In the control group, if the level of TSH > 4.78 miu/l, the L-T 4 treatment has to initiated and recorded. Medication dispensing L-T 4 will be prescribed by physicians and dispensed to the participants in intervention group. The remaining drug will not be recovered. Plan of follow-up The plan of follow-up is listed in Table 1. Table 1.The plan of follow-up Data collection Demographic characteristics, including height, weight, BMI, blood pressure, heart rate, causes of infertility and concomitant medications are all collected at the first visit. Thyroid function and the titration of thyroid auto-antibodies are assayed at the laboratory of Peking University Third Hospital. All the adverse events need to be recorded. As to the safety of L-T 4 treatment during pregnancy, there is no clear or consistent evidence of serious adverse effect of L-T 4 on mothers or babies. No fetus toxicity or teratogenicity is reported. The medication in pregnancy women is recommended by guidelines. The safety of medication is related to the L-T 4 dosage. Thyroid function monitoring is the major approach to determine optimal dosage. Overdose of L-T 4 possibly leads to hyperthyroidism, which should be paid

attention to and recorded. All the visits will be recorded in case report forms (CRFs). Outcomes: The primary outcome was miscarriage rate. Miscarriage is defined as a pregnancy that lasted < 28 weeks prior to termination. Miscarriage is classified as early miscarriage (termination within the first 12 weeks of gestation), mid-term miscarriage (termination of pregnancy within 12-20 weeks of gestation), and late miscarriage (miscarriage within 20-28 weeks of gestation). Secondary outcomes were clinical pregnancy rate and live birth rate. Clinical pregnancy is defined as fetal cardiac activity seen by sonography observation at day 30 after the ET procedure. Live birth is defined as a delivery of a living fetus (or living fetuses) beyond 28 weeks of gestation. Multifetal pregnancy is defined as the presence of two fetal pools with cardiac activity. For the evaluation of IVF, we compare the number of retrieved oocytes, number of superior embryos defined as the embryo having 6-10 cleavage balls after ovum collection and 2 grades above between two groups. Sample size Previous meta-analysis showed that the miscarriage rate among TAI group was about 30% and L-T 4 intervention may reduce the risk of miscarriage by 50% (14). We hypothesized that supplement of LT 4 may reduce the risk of miscarriage by 50%. To detect a 50% decrease in miscarriage rate (from 30% to 15%) with α error of 0.05 and β error of 0.2, 120 clinical pregnancies were needed. Since the clinical pregnancy rate based on retrospective data in our center was about 42%, we needed 285 fresh cycles for each arm. Anticipating a 5% drop-out rate, the total number of women required for randomization was 300 for per arm (Table 1.). The sample size is calculated according the following formula: set ɑ=0.05(two sided test), =1.96;when β=0.2, =0.84; Table 1. Calculation of sample size Miscarriage rate α=0.05 Control group Intervention group Sample size Events rate 30% 15% Power=0.8 120 120 120 Power=0.9 162 162 162 Data management Data collection The investigators are responsible for recording the complete data of the participants in the CRFs in time. After checked by the monitor, the signed CRFs will be handed to the administrator of data. Double-entry and double comparison are applied. Any discrepancy needs to be reported to the monitors, and the

investigators should answer for it. All questions and replies should be recorded in a query form and saved. Data verification and management After all data is confirmed, the administrator should complete a report about the completion of the study (including a drop-off list), check the inclusion/exclusion criteria, integrity, logical consistency, outlier data, time window, accompanied medication and adverse events. At the audit meeting, the main investigators, monitors, data administrators and statisticians will make resolutions about the informed consents and query forms. After audit meeting, a review of the meeting is documented and the database should be locked. Data archive CRFs will be checked and saved in numerical order with search catalogs. Electronic data, including the database, inspection procedure, analysis program, results of analysis, codebook and description files, etc., should be classified and stored. Multiple backups should be saved on different disks or recording media. All original files should be stored within the stipulated time limit. Data analysis Intention-to-treat principle (ITT) was applied in our analysis. Data were expressed as mean ± S.D. or n (%). We compared the primary and secondary outcomes as absolute differences and by calculating relative risks with 95% confidence interval compared to the control group. Comparison between groups was performed with independent sample t test or Mann-Whitney test, or Pearson chi-square test or fisher s exact test as appropriate. All Statistical analyses were done using the statistical package SPSS, version 18.0 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL). Statistical significance was defined as P < 0.05 with two tails. Safety evaluation Levothyroxine is produced by the company Merck Drugs & Biotechnology. It s widely used to treat hypothyroidism and other related disorders. There are substantial evidence shows that Levothyroxine is not expected to harm a fetus (no toxic effect on the fetus and would not cause deformity). Harm to the fecundity of male and female was not documented. For women diagnosed with hypothyroidism and subclinical hypothyroidism, levothyroxine is recommended during their gestation, to reduce the incidence of adverse pregnancy outcomes (14). Substitutive dose of levothyroxine is safe for pregnant women. Pregnancy outcomes are the main outcome measures in our study, and all the adverse events will be determined if they are correlated with the medication and then documented. Protection of rights and interests of participants and informed consent Only after the permission of the ethic committee this study can initiate. The decisions of the ethics committee, including approval, approval after modifications, disapproval, termination or suspension of the approved trial, must be accepted. It s the responsibility of the involved physicians to provide the patient with details of the clinical trial, including the aims and property of the study, their probable profit and risks, other available therapeutic options, and the rights and obligations of the participants that in accordance with the provisions of the Helsinki declaration, etc. When the participants are fully informed and agree to join in the study, they sign the informed consent and we are allowed to conduct the trial on individuals. Quality control The involved physicians should be trained before the trial and remain relatively fixed. The participants are requested to

have a visit on time as programmed. For patients who do not visit on time, the investigators should follow up. It s the responsibility of the investigators to fully inform the patients and their relatives the meaning of the trial, and to promote the compliance of the patients and insure medication taking on time. Premature termination of the study The trial must be terminated in time if serious safety problem presented. The trial must be terminated if the intervention shows very poor treatment effect, or even no effect. The trial must be terminated if major errors are presented in the clinical trial, or serious deviations are found in the implementation of the trial resulting in a difficulty in evaluating the effect of the medication.

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Appendix Randomization List 2=intervention, CTRL=control 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 00 2 CTRL 2 2 CTRL 2 CTRL CTRL CTRL CTRL 01 2 2 CTRL CTRL 2 CTRL CTRL CTRL CTRL 2 02 2 CTRL 2 CTRL 2 CTRL CTRL 2 CTRL CTRL 03 2 CTRL 2 CTRL CTRL 2 2 2 2 2 04 CTRL CTRL CTRL 2 2 CTRL 2 CTRL 2 2 05 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 CTRL 2 CTRL 06 CTRL CTRL 2 CTRL CTRL 2 CTRL CTRL CTRL 2 07 2 CTRL CTRL CTRL CTRL CTRL CTRL CTRL CTRL 2 08 2 CTRL CTRL 2 2 CTRL CTRL CTRL 2 2 09 CTRL CTRL 2 2 CTRL 2 CTRL 2 CTRL 2 10 CTRL CTRL 2 2 CTRL CTRL 2 2 CTRL CTRL 12 2 CTRL CTRL CTRL CTRL CTRL CTRL CTRL 2 2 12 CTRL 2 2 2 2 CTRL 2 2 2 2 13 2 CTRL CTRL 2 CTRL 2 CTRL CTRL 2 CTRL 14 2 CTRL 2 2 CTRL CTRL CTRL 2 2 CTRL 15 2 2 CTRL 2 2 2 CTRL 2 CTRL 2 16 2 2 2 CTRL 2 2 2 2 2 CTRL 17 CTRL 2 2 CTRL 2 2 2 CTRL 2 CTRL 18 2 CTRL 2 CTRL CTRL CTRL CTRL 2 2 CTRL 19 2 CTRL CTRL 2 CTRL 2 2 CTRL 2 2 20 CTRL CTRL CTRL 2 2 2 2 2 CTRL 2 21 CTRL CTRL CTRL 2 2 2 CTRL 2 CTRL 2 22 2 CTRL CTRL CTRL CTRL 2 2 CTRL 2 2

23 2 2 CTRL 2 2 CTRL 2 CTRL CTRL CTRL 24 2 2 2 CTRL CTRL CTRL 2 CTRL CTRL 2 25 2 2 2 2 CTRL 2 2 2 CTRL 2 26 CTRL 2 CTRL CTRL CTRL 2 CTRL CTRL CTRL CTRL 27 2 2 2 2 CTRL CTRL 2 CTRL 2 CTRL 28 CTRL CTRL 2 2 2 2 CTRL 2 CTRL 2 29 2 CTRL 2 2 CTRL 2 CTRL 2 CTRL CTRL 30 2 CTRL 2 CTRL CTRL 2 CTRL 2 CTRL CTRL 31 CTRL CTRL CTRL 2 CTRL 2 CTRL CTRL CTRL 2 32 CTRL CTRL CTRL 2 2 2 CTRL CTRL CTRL CTRL 33 2 2 CTRL 2 CTRL CTRL 2 2 2 CTRL 34 2 CTRL 2 2 2 2 2 2 CTRL 2 35 2 2 CTRL 2 CTRL 2 2 2 CTRL 2 36 CTRL CTRL CTRL CTRL 2 2 2 2 2 CTRL 37 CTRL 2 2 2 CTRL CTRL 2 CTRL 2 CTRL 38 2 CTRL 2 CTRL 2 CTRL CTRL CTRL 2 CTRL 39 CTRL CTRL 2 CTRL 2 CTRL 2 CTRL 2 2 40 2 2 CTRL 2 CTRL CTRL 2 CTRL 2 2 41 CTRL 2 2 2 2 2 2 CTRL 2 2 42 2 2 CTRL CTRL 2 CTRL 2 2 CTRL CTRL 43 CTRL CTRL CTRL 2 CTRL 2 CTRL CTRL CTRL 2 44 2 2 2 CTRL 2 2 CTRL CTRL CTRL 2 45 CTRL CTRL CTRL CTRL 2 2 CTRL CTRL 2 CTRL 46 CTRL 2 2 CTRL CTRL 2 CTRL 2 CTRL CTRL 47 CTRL 2 CTRL CTRL 2 2 CTRL CTRL 2 CTRL 48 CTRL CTRL 2 CTRL CTRL 2 2 2 CTRL 2 49 2 CTRL 2 2 2 CTRL CTRL 2 CTRL 2 50 CTRL CTRL CTRL 2 2 CTRL 2 CTRL 2 CTRL

51 CTRL CTRL CTRL 2 2 2 CTRL CTRL 2 2 52 2 CTRL CTRL 2 CTRL CTRL 2 CTRL 2 CTRL 53 2 CTRL 2 2 CTRL CTRL 2 2 CTRL CTRL 54 2 CTRL 2 2 2 2 2 2 CTRL CTRL 55 CTRL CTRL 2 CTRL CTRL 2 2 CTRL CTRL CTRL 56 2 2 CTRL 2 2 2 2 CTRL 2 CTRL 57 CTRL CTRL CTRL CTRL 2 CTRL CTRL 2 CTRL 2 58 2 CTRL CTRL 2 CTRL CTRL CTRL CTRL CTRL CTRL 59 2 CTRL CTRL 2 2 2 CTRL 2 CTRL CTRL