What is Argyria?

What is Argyria?

Argyria is a discoloration of the skin, generally characterized by a bluing of the skin’s pigment. This rare, biologically benign condition proves the old adage that quality is much more important than quantity. Argyria occurs in response to the overconsumption of impure colloidal silver particles. Argyria is also an industrial concern that has been historically observed in workers consistently exposed to silver dust over a period of months and even years.



What Causes Argyria?

Silver naturally forms compounds, especially when exposed to ultraviolet light http://www.dreddyclinic.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=33&t=33211 (sunlight). If a silver mixture uses proteins or salts to suspend silver particles, the silver will pass into tissue, including skin tissue. [1] In the skin, silver is unable to escape and reacts with ultraviolet light in a manner similar to the photographic development process causing the skin to turn blue, or bluish-gray. Simply put, argyria will make you look like a Smurf.

Symptoms of Argyria

Before the skin turns blue, the body does give a subtle warning. The body disposes of silver through the kidneys via urine, sweat, and through the hair and nails. Silver gets stored in the nail beds prior to release. If the skin under the nail begins to show a blue color, it may indicate overconsumption of silver.



Regular consumption of low-quality silver also appears to reduce selenium levels. Selenium is essential for thyroid hormones, which directly affect mood, hormonal balance, and energy levels. Fortunately, argyria does not appear to affect any of the body’s function, only a person’s cosmetic appearance. Argyria is basically irreversible although some laser surgeries have reported limited success in reducing the symptoms.

Is Argyria Permanent?

While steps can be taken to reduce the bluing effects of argyria, no known remedies exist to completely eliminate it. Some have reported success reducing the blue tint by taking selenium and vitamins A, E, and C. These vitamins and minerals reduce the size of the silver compounds in the skin so they no longer absorb light, but they do not appear to remove the seed particles lodged in the skin.

Reduce Your Risk of Argyria

The simplest way to reduce, if not eliminate, your risk of argyria is to avoid low quality colloidal silver and only consume a high quality supplement, particularly one that contains very small silver compounds in the range of 0.0008 – 0.005 microns; or silver particles more than a 1000 times smaller than a blood cell. What does all that mean? It means you should avoid the low-tech home brew kits as they produce unstable solutions with silver particles that are too large. In my opinion, only colloidal silver produced using high voltage alternating current technology, like Silver Fuzion http://www.dreddyclinic.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=30724, is acceptable.



Not All Colloidal Silver is Created Equal

Pure electro-colloidal silver produced in clean environments without additives, proteins, and stabilizers is less likely to cause argyria. Products containing silver protein, silver chloride, silver citrate, and silver nitrate, or those that do not use automatic voltage regulating technology, however, will cause argyria. These preparations contain large silver particles that can become embedded in your skin.

Watch out for preparations with silver as large as 0.1 microns. This is way too big. If you shake a bottle of colloidal silver and it foams up, this is a clear indication that the silver particles are too large. The foam generally indicates a protein additive aiding the suspension of the large silver particles. Similarly, if your silver water has sediment (particle fallout) — do not consume it. You really don’t want silver bigger than 0.005 microns.

Silver Fuzion is Unsurpassed Quality

Let’s be clear, low-quality colloidal silver preparations could leave you blue — literally. This is why it’s so important to know the quality of the colloidal silver you use. Silver Fuzion® contains 10 ppm of pure silver and is produced using a high voltage colloid generator to keep the electrical current constant. This process produces small, uniform silver particles suspended in ultra pure, triple-distilled water. Global Healing Center remains committed to providing the finest colloidal silver that is guaranteed pure, safe, and crystal clear.

References:

1. Lansdown AB. A pharmacological and toxicological profile of silver as an antimicrobial agent in medical devices http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21188244. Adv Pharmacol Sci. 2010;2010:910686. doi: 10.1155/2010/910686.

by Dr. Edward Group DC, NP, DACBN, DCBCN, DABFM

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An unplanned diet wastes the effort of a hard workout

An unplanned diet wastes the effort of a hard workout



An understanding of dietary sources of nutrients is integral to organizing and implementing a dietary plan. For many sports enthusiasts, whose motivation may be bulk strength and aerobic fitness rather than the elusive balance of health, diet may not be a pressing concern. In a televised interview, NHL legend Wayne Gretzky, known as "The Great One", told reporters that his key to playing a strong game of hockey was to consume four foot-long hotdogs right before each game. Athletics, while an opportunity for a quicker shortcut, aren't necessarily in the pursuit of health.

Ready, aim, eat!

The sports nutrition section of the large chain grocery stores stocks the standard display of protein powders for building muscle. While most sports have specific recommendations about what choices to provide the most support for the specific activity, many people are being misguided into overloading their diets with the magic food or supplement of choice, forgetting that the rest of the body relies on a wide variety of nutrients for daily functioning.

The body preforms differently during different types of activities, rerouting energy and micronutrients to cope with the different conditions associated with muscular endurance, cardio, or high energy sports. "Sports drinks", for example, are specifically targeting electrolyte loss, that occurs in high energy sports like cycling and running.

Omega-3 and iron for the long burn

Participants in endurance sporting activities tend to fill up on carbohydrates before exercising or competing, believing that carbs will provide them with a longer energy store than fats. Backed by the understanding that fats and sugars can provide only a short hard burn, endurance athletes also miss out on the omega-3s that are found almost exclusively in high-fat sources. Omega-3 fatty acids are particularly useful in the reduction of joint and connective tissue inflammation.

It is also very important for people training in high energy sports to have a diet high in vitamin C, which is necessary for the absorption of dietary iron. Iron is vital to the body's ability to move oxygen through the body via the bloodstream.

Two keys to unlock your potential

This would suggest that while in addition to the daily regiment of health needs, an extra shot of orange juice right before a workout could go a long way to mobilizing the prepared resources. Lower levels of oxygen in the blood will make a noticeable impact on performance, strength, and response time. It will also increase recovery time.

For both omega-3s and iron, vegans and vegetarians are at a disadvantage, as typical recommended sources tend to list types of meat. Remember: flax, chia, and hemp seeds, as well as avocados, are excellent sources of the omega oils, but it is often recommended these healthy lipids should be included with every meal.

Sources for this article include:

http://www.savvyvegetarian.com/articles/omega-3-vegetarians-vegans.php

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/0197007087900027

http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/health/2012/05/03/marta-montenegro-nutrients-that-sports-aficionados-miss-in-their-diet/

http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/02640419108729869

About the author:
Raw Michelle is a natural health blogger and researcher, sharing her passions with others, using the Internet as her medium. She discusses topics in a straight forward way in hopes to help people from all walks of life achieve optimal health and well-being. She has authored and published hundreds of articles on topics such as the raw food diet and green living in general. In 2010, Michelle created http://RawFoodHealthWatch.com, to share with people her approach to the raw food diet and detoxification.

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Deaths and mutations spike around Fukushima; no safety threshold for radioactive cesium exposure

Deaths and mutations spike around Fukushima; no safety threshold for radioactive cesium exposure




Plants in the area around Fukushima, Japan are widely contaminated with radioactive cesium, which is producing mutation and death in local butterflies, according to a study conducted by researchers from the University of the Ryukyus, Okinawa and published in the journal Scientific Reports.

The butterflies were found to experience severe negative effects at all detectable radiation levels, even very low ones.

"We conclude that the risk of ingesting a polluted diet is realistic, at least for this butterfly, and likely for certain other organisms living in the polluted area," the researchers wrote.

Insects hard hit

The researchers note that although the 2011 meltdown of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant released "a massive amount of radioactive materials ... into the environment," few studies have looked at the biological effects of this disaster. Researchers have, however, measured elevated radiation levels in the polluted area, and have chronicled the accumulation of radioactive material in both wild and domestic plant and animal life in the region.

Studies have also suggested that insects may be particularly hard-hit by the increased radiation. One study found an increase in morphological abnormalities (physical deformities) in gall-forming aphids. Another found that insect abundance has decreased in the affected region, particularly butterfly abundance.

In order to test the effects of the radioactivity on local insects, researchers collected pale grass blue butterfly (Zizeeria maha) larvae from Okinawa, which is distant from Fukushima and "likely the least polluted locality in Japan." They then fed the larvae on plant leaves collected from one of five different regions: Hirono, Fukushima, Iitate-flatland, Iitate-montane and Ube. Because the five regions are all at different distances from Fukushima, the researchers expected that plants collected there would have differing levels of radioactive cesium, which tests confirmed. The plants from Ube contained essentially no radioactivity, and were used as a control group.

The pale grass blue butterfly is a species commonly found in many regions of Japan, including near Fukushima.

The researchers found that caterpillars that ate radioactive leaves pupated into mutated butterflies that did not live as long, compared with caterpillars that ate non-radioactive leaves. These mutations and increased mortality were seen even in butterflies that consumed only very small doses of radioactive cesium.

"There seemed to be no threshold level below which no biological response could be detected," the researchers wrote.

Small dose increases lead to large jump in mutation and death

The more radioactive cesium that the larvae consumed, the greater the rates of mutation and early death. Indeed, rates of both problems increased more rapidly than dosage (a non-linear relationship).

The study was not designed to test for similar effects on human beings, but the researchers warn that there is still enough evidence to be concerned. Two of the locations that radioactive leaves were collected from - Fukushima City and Hirono Town - currently have people living in them. In addition, the study findings were consistent with radioactivity levels found in plants following the 1986 Chernobyl disaster.

The Chernobyl meltdown led to a sharp rise in infant deaths in locations as far from the plant as Western Germany and the United States. A recent study, published in the journal Radiation Research, linked a sharp jump in thyroid cancer rates in the years following that disaster directly to the amount of radioactive iodine that children were exposed to in the months immediately after the meltdown and explosion.

The triple meltdown at Fukushima is now considered by many scientists to be the worst civilian nuclear disaster the world has ever seen, surpassing even Chernobyl.

Both sites have yet to be fully cleaned up or sealed off.

Sources for this article include:

http://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/caterpillars-eat-even-small-amount-radioactive-plant-material-might-develop-abnormal-butterflies-die-young-180951466/?no-ist

http://www.nature.com/srep/2014/140515/srep04946/pdf/srep04946.pdf

http://www.dreddyclinic.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=73&t=31598

http://www.dreddyclinic.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=117&t=33678

http://dreddyclinic.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=18&t=31449

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The cause of cancer most overlooked by even holistic medicine

The cause of cancer most overlooked by even holistic medicine





Do you know that 80% of disease symptoms are triggered by problems in the mouth? The vast majority of the population has some form of gum disease, infected root canal-treated teeth or other (undiagnosed) dangerous pathogens inside the mouth – which cause chronic inflammation http://dreddyclinic.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=18&t=33403, heart attacks and even cancer. Don't ignore these life-threatening issues.

Reserve your spot today! The Holistic Oral Health Summit offers 33 of the world's finest healthcare providers talking about the dangers of conventional dentistry and, more importantly, what we should do to avoid serious health problems – including autoimmune disorders, Alzheimer's disease and heavy metal toxicity.

Click here to gain immediate access to the Holistic Oral Health Summit today!

Ignoring gum disease increases your risk of a heart attack – dramatically

According to Oksana Sawiak, DDS, IMD, MAGD, "When you look at gum disease, it's extremely common. 87% of North American adults have gum disease to some degree. It's the most common infection in humanity. So, many people think this is genetic because 'my mother had gum disease, I'll have gum disease.' And what we have found is if we do a microscopic slide and find out what the infection is caused by and treat that infection, we stop gum disease. And to me that's so basic and makes such sense that I don't understand why dentistry has not embraced this."

Bottom line: Don't overlook the signs of gum disease. Are your gums red, swollen or bleeding – especially when you brush? Does your breath stink (be honest) or are your teeth loose? These symptoms plus other signals like, sensitive teeth (due to receding gums) or abscessed teeth are a clear indication you need to seek the advice of a biological (holistic) dentist.

Several scientific studies clearly suggest that gum disease increases the risk of heart disease and stroke because of the high levels of bacteria found in infected areas of the mouth. They actually find those same bacteria logged around the heart. In addition, gingivitis http://www.dreddyclinic.com/findinformation/gg/gingivitis.php increases the risk of diabetes, kidney disease and premature births.

The Holistic Oral Health Summit offers great insight into the value of biological dentistry; how vitamin C therapy can neutralize toxinshttp://dreddyclinic.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=32313; the safest way to remove mercury-based 'silver' fillings plus much more!

Reserve your FREE spot today for the Holistic Oral Health Summit

Avoid disease symptoms: Discover the best ways to clean up your mouth

Nadine Artemis, one of the speakers at the Holistic Oral Health Summit, makes it very clear why we should care more about the health of our mouth.

"We've got a 'triple threat' to our mouth. We've got the harmful dental procedures like root canals and improper tooth extractions; there's a lack of understanding about the dentinal lymph fluid; and we have (in our society) this "periodontal scorched Earth" policy on bacteria – carpet bombing our mouth with really harsh chemicalshttp://www.dreddyclinic.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=32522 and toothpaste. And, it's actually a system that promotes tooth decay."

I created this summit because I truly believe that oral health is the most overlooked health issue in conventional and integrative medicine. We often hear about the health benefits of organic food and nutritional supplements – but what about the mouth? Dr. Phil Mollica, a biological dentist and speaker at this year's Holistic Oral Health Summit says:

"You know it's amazing that people have all this organic food and all this great water but they open up their mouth and there's infection everywhere. So you take all this beautiful food, mixing it with infection and then you swallow it. So it's very important that we concentrate on the health of the head and neck."

Do you know someone dealing with breast cancer? Consider this: Dr. Thomas Rau, medical director of the Paracelsus Klinik in Switzerland, has stated that "98% of all women (in his clinic) with breast cancer had a root canal on the meridian (or tooth) that was related to the same side of the offending tumor."

In fact, Dr. Rau requires that every cancer patient clean up their mouth BEFORE doing any other cancer treatment protocol. Bottom line, ignored health issues inside the mouth can lead to serious health consequences.

Remember, we're all connected and a sick mouth usually indicates a sick entire body. The true path to optimal health begins in the mouth.

Join us inside the Holistic Oral Health Summit. Click here http://www.naturalnews.com/Holistic-Dentistry-Summit.html to reserve your FREE spot today!

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Chlorine, Cancer, and Heart Disease

Chlorine, Cancer, and Heart Disease

Adding chlorine to drinking water is a practice that began in the late 1800s, and by 1904 this was the standard in water treatment. For the most part, this process is still implemented today. Unfortunately, chlorine isn’t used because it’s the safest or most effective means of disinfection — it’s just the cheapest. In spite of all our technological advances, we essentially still pour bleach in our water before we drink it. The long-term effects of chlorinated drinking water have just recently being recognized. Past research has indicated it may be a contributor to cancer; however, there is no conclusive data to replicate these findings. [1]



History of Chlorine Danger

Dr. Joseph Price wrote a highly controversial book in the late sixties titled Coronaries/Cholesterol/Chlorine and concluded that the basic cause of atherosclerosis and resulting entities such as heart attacks and stroke, is chlorine. While the study abstract is not available online, if you read his book, Dr. Price reported using chickens as test subjects in one of his studies where two groups of several hundred birds were observed throughout their span to maturity. One group was given water with chlorine and the other without. The group raised with chlorine, when autopsied, supposedly showed some level of heart or circulatory disease in every specimen, yet the group without had no incidence of disease. The group with chlorine under winter conditions showed outward signs of poor circulation, shivering, drooped feathers, and a reduced level of activity. The group without chlorine grew faster, larger, and displayed vigorous health. It would be a common sense conclusion that if regular chlorinated tap water is not good enough for the chickens, then it probably is not good enough for us humans!



Chlorine Dangers Today

There is a lot of well-founded concern about chlorine. When chlorine is added to our water, it combines with other natural compounds to form Trihalomethanes (chlorination byproducts), or THMs. These chlorine byproducts trigger the production of free radicals in the body, causing cell damage, and are highly carcinogenic. The Environmental Defense Fund warns that, “Although concentrations of these carcinogens (THMs) are low, it is precisely these low levels that cancer scientists believe are responsible for the majority of human cancers in the United States.“

Chlorine is a pesticide and its sole purpose is to kill living organisms. When we consume water containing chlorine, it destroys cells and tissue inside our body. Dr. Robert Carlson, a highly respected University of Minnesota researcher whose work is sponsored by the Federal Environmental Protection Agency, sums it up, “the chlorine problem is similar to that of air pollution” and adds that “chlorine is the greatest crippler and killer of modern times!”

Chlorine and Breast Cancer

Breast cancer http://www.dreddyclinic.com/findinformation/cc/breastcancer.php, which now affects one in every eight women in North America, has recently been linked to the accumulation of chlorine compounds in the breast tissue. A study carried out in Hartford Connecticut, the first of its kind in North America, found that; “women with breast cancer have 50% to 60% higher levels of organochlorines (chlorination byproducts) in their breast tissue than women without breast cancer.”

Chlorine Inhalation

One of the most shocking components to all of these studies is that up to 2/3s of our harmful exposure to chlorine is due to inhalation of steam and skin absorption while showering. [2] A warm shower opens up the pores of the skin and allows for accelerated absorption of chlorine and other chemicals in water. The steam we inhale while showering can contain up to 50 times the level of chemicals than tap water due to the fact that chlorine and most other contaminants vaporize much faster and at a lower temperature than water. Inhalation is a much more harmful means of exposure since the chlorine gas (chloroform) we inhale goes directly into our blood stream. When we drink contaminated water the toxins are partially filtered out by our kidneys and digestive system. Chlorine vapors are known to be a strong irritant to the sensitive tissue and bronchial passages inside our lungs; it was used as a chemical weapon in World War II. The inhalation of chlorine is a suspected cause of asthma and bronchitis, especially in children, which has increased 300% in the last two decades. “Showering is suspected as the primary cause of elevated levels of chloroform in nearly every home because of chlorine in the water.” Dr Lance Wallace, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Chlorine in shower water also has a very negative cosmetic effect, robbing our skin and hair of moisture and elasticity, resulting in a less vibrant and youthful appearance. Anyone who has ever swam in a chlorinated pool can relate to the harsh effects that chlorine has on the skin and hair. What’s surprising is that we commonly find higher levels of chlorine in our tap water than is recommended safe for swimming pools.



Chlorine Tastes Bad

Aside from all the health risks related to chlorine in our water, some say it is the primary cause of bad taste and odor in drinking water. The objectionable taste causes many people to turn to other less healthful beverages like soft drinks, tea, or other sweetened drinks. A decreased intake of water, for any reason, can only result in a lower degree of health.

Removing Chlorine From Water

The good news is that chlorine is one of the easiest substances to remove from our water. For that reason, it logically should serve its purpose of keeping our water free from harmful bacteria and water borne diseases right up to the time of consumption, where it should then be removed by quality home water filtration.

No one will argue that chlorine serves an important purpose, and that the hazards of doing away with chlorine are greater than or equal to the related health risks. The simple truth is that chlorine is likely here to stay. The idea that we could do away with chlorine any time in the near future is just not realistic. It is also clear that chlorine represents a very real and serious threat to our health and should be removed in our homes, at the point of use, both from the water we drink and the water we shower in.

– Dr. Edward F. Group III, DC, NP, DACBN, DCBCN, DABFM

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References:

1. R. D. Morris, A. M. Audet, I. F. Angelillo, T. C. CHalmers, and F. Mosteller. Chlorination, chlorination by-products, and cancer: a meta-analysishttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1694065/. Am J Public Health. 1992 July; 82(7): 955-963.

2. Villanueva CM, Cantor KP, Grimalt JO, et al. Assessment of lifetime exposure to trihalomethanes through different routes http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16556748. Occup Environ Med. 2006 Apr;63(4):273-7.

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Monsanto's Roundup herbicide disrupts hormones

Monsanto's Roundup herbicide disrupts hormones 

Scientists out of Europe have conducted a thorough review of the safety profile of glyphosate, the active ingredient in Monsanto's Roundup herbicide, determining that the chemical disrupts human hormones at levels well below what the government considers "safe" for weed-control and agricultural desiccation purposes.

Glyphosate http://www.dreddyclinic.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=117&t=33544-based herbicides (GlyBH), they found, are erroneously regarded as a non-issue by many government bodies who have established safety regulations based solely on industry-backed studies, nearly all of which are favorable towards glyphosate. Meanwhile, independent reviews such as those considered by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), which found that glyphosate is "probably carcinogenic" to humans, are being ignored.

Hailing from the University of Caen in France, the research team looked at a cohort of scientific studies on glyphosate's toxicity. They evaluated the chemical's teratogenicity (potential to cause birth defects), tumorigenicity (potential to cause tumors), hepatotoxicity (potential to cause liver damage), carcinogenicity (potential to cause cancer) and more, as demonstrated amongst the whole of scientific research into glyphosate.

Perhaps most shockingly, they discovered that glyphosate is immensely toxic at levels well within established safety ranges, which is deeply concerning in light of independent tests showing glyphosate residues in food, drinking water, and even rain water http://www.foodandwaterwatch.org/blogs/glyphosate-as-safe-as-well-poison/.

This is particularly concerning when it comes to the endocrine system, which is what regulates human hormone production. Dr. Robin Mesnage and her team discovered that even low-dose exposure to glyphosate can trigger severe endocrine damage. Endocrine disruption can lead to a host of other health problems including cancer.

"We reveal a coherent body of evidence indicating that GlyBH could be toxic below the regulatory lowest observed adverse effect level for chronic toxic effects. It includes teratogenic, tumorigenic and hepatorenal effects," the team wrote.

"They could be explained by endocrine disruption and oxidative stress, causing metabolic alterations, depending on dose and exposure time. Some effects were detected in the range of the recommended acceptable daily intake."

Neither glyphosate nor the complete Roundup formula have ever been safety tested over an entire lifespan

Believe it or not, the U.S. Congress actually ordered the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to conduct an investigation into endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) like glyphosate nearly 20 years ago. However, to this day, the EPA has yet to follow through with this legal mandate, instead allowing glyphosate use to increase.

Regulatory authorities in the European Union have similarly betrayed their constituents, failing to take seriously the threat of EDCs. Former EU chief scientific advisor Anne Glover reportedly helped delay legislation that would have reined in the use of EDCs, which continue to wreak havoc on public health.

It isn't just glyphosate that poses a problem. The Roundup formula contains a number of other pesticides that the University of Caen paper, which was published in the Elsevier journal Food and Chemical Toxicology, refers to as "adjuvants" that actually amplify the harm caused by exposure to glyphosate.

Large-scale, long-term safety studies on the complete Roundup formula have never been conducted. Even the effects of exposure to glyphosate by itself have never been tested over the entire lifespan of either animals or humans. Just like with genetically-modified organisms (GMOs), industry studies on glyphosate focus solely on young animals exposed to the chemical for a very short period of time, after which these animals are terminated early in order to hide the long-term effects of glyphosate exposure.

"Toxic effects of commercial formulations can also be explained by GlyBH adjuvants, which have their own toxicity, but also enhance glyphosate toxicity," the paper explains. "These challenge the assumption of safety of GlyBH at the levels at which they contaminate food and the environment, albeit these levels may fall below regulatory thresholds."

Sources for this article include:

http://gmwatch.org/news/latest-news/16349-glyphosate-herbicides-are-toxic-below-regulatory-safety-limits

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S027869151530034X

http://www.foodandwaterwatch.org/blogs/glyphosate-as-safe-as-well-poison/

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