The best reason to quit smoking!!

                      Hopefully, you're now excited and convinced that you can learn how you can quit smoking forever. But, are you convinced that NOW is the time to Never Smoke Again? Can you summon up the courage it takes to stop smoking for the rest of your life? It is easier to quit smoking if you are motivated to do so. To help you get the 'right' attitude, here are my top 10 reasons to Never Smoke Again. YOUR reasons for quitting may or may not be on this list, but are just as important.

10. You will save a lot of money. At approximately $7.50 per pack, assuming you smoke one pack per day, your annual cost of smoking is over $2800.00 per year. And assume that the average smoker doesn't usually live past the age of seventy (if they live that long). If you started smoking at an early age, your total lifetime savings would be around $154,000.00, which doesn’t even include the compounded interest. This is a significant amount of money could become a significant portion of your retirement savings. Also, as a non-smoker, your life insurance premiums will be substantially lower than a smoker's premium, which would provide even more savings.

9. If you quit, you will earn the respect of your family, friends and co-workers. More and more, society tends to view smoking as an awful and dangerous practice for those who were misfortunate enough to get sucked into the smoking hype and too weak to pull away from it. By quitting smoking you are sending a message to EVERYONE that you have the strength, the common sense and the ability to quit a smoking habit. Show other people around you that you are a STRONG, capable person. By quitting smoking, you are communicating to the people you know that you cherish life and that you are the type of person that makes responsible life-long decisions. Take pride in quitting smoking. Quitting smoking is a great achievement and the credit will be all yours.

8. Improve your looks. Many women (some men too?) spend a small fortune on anti-wrinkle creams, but the best way to stay beautiful is to stop smoking. The average smoker has ten times more wrinkles compared to non-smokers. A smoker's skin is wrinkled, pale and grayish. Smoking causes the microscopic muscle fibers in the walls of the blood vessels to contract causing smokers to have pale skin. A single cigarette can reduce the blood supply to the skin for more than an hour. Giving up smoking will improve the blood supply to the skin and give previously pale skin a more 'natural' appearance. Smoking can also stain your teeth. Its no surprise that smokers look like smokers. Quit smoking - look better. It really does make a difference.

7. Do it for the people in your life that care about you. Smoking reduces your life expectancy. Smoking can make you sick. Smoking can kill you. If you continue to smoke you will most likely die at a much younger age than you would if you didn't smoke. As a smoker, you frighten the people in your life that love you and depend on you. The consequences of your smoking are REAL, not hypothetical. Consider what you are doing to your family. Do everyone that cares about you a BIG favor and Never Smoke Again.

6. Get your breath back! If you smoke then you probably experience severe shortness of breath. This is because your lungs are filled with a sticky black substance known as 'tar' that inhibits your lung's ability to extract oxygen from the air you breathe. If you could see a picture of your lungs right now, it would probably make you sick. Click here to see what the difference is between a healthy non-smoker's lungs and a tar-stained smoker's lungs. Or check out thisastonishing video of what happens to your lungs when you smoke. Let's face it. If everyone had a machine that would let us see what our lungs looked like whenever we looked into the mirror, there would be no more smokers. Every time you inhale smoke, you add more tar to your lungs. It just isn't natural to do something like that to yourself. The good news is that if you Never Smoke Again, your lungs will begin to heal themselves and eventually much of the tar that has collected in your lungs will clear up. There's no time like the present!!!

5.. Significantly reduce your chances of getting Heart Disease and Cancer. Smokers have a two to four times greater risk of sudden cardiac death than nonsmokers. If you have been diagnosed with any condition that that puts you at risk for heart disease, smoking will dramatically increase your overall risk of a heart attack. Tobacco is toxic to your body. The nicotine in cigarettes makes your body release adrenaline. Adrenaline causes your blood vessels to constrict and your heart to beat faster, which raises your blood pressure. Smoking increases LDL (bad) cholesterol and decreases HDL (good) cholesterol. Cigarette smoking combined with a family history of heart disease also seems to greatly increase the risk of heart disease, which can lead to heart attacks and strokes. Cigarette smoking is so widespread and significant as a risk factor that the Surgeon General has called it "the most important of the known modifiable risk factors for coronary heart disease in the United States." And Cancer? As a smoker you are 14 times more likely to die of lung cancer, 14 times more likely to die of mouth or throat cancer and twice as likely to die of bladder cancer. "The leading cause of premature, preventable disease and death in the United States is cigarette smoking. If you don't stop smoking soon, you will surely die a horrible, disease-ridden death. Do the right thing. STOP SMOKING ALREADY!!!!

4. You will greatly reduce your chances of contracting COPD. Tens of thousands of people die each year in the U.S. from Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). COPD is a chronic disease of the respiratory tract that appears in about 20 percent of all smokers, and is a collective term for a group of diseases forming a continuous obstruction of the respiratory tract. Among these are emphysema, a disease where the lungs become inflamed, and chronic bronchitis, in which the sufferer has a continuous cough for at least three months a year for a minimum of two years. COPD is caused by an inflammatory reaction due to smoke causing the airways to contract, producing more breathing resistance and a feeling of 'can't get enough air'. When a COPD patient's condition worsens suddenly and they are hospitalized for the first time, their lung function is usually less than half the norm. At this stage, the disease is serious, and about 30-40 percent of COPD sufferers die each year.

3. Gender-specific Benefits .

Women: Lots to know. There are so many benefits to quitting smoking for you that I can't possibly list them all here. Please read this informative article onAbout.com to learn why continuing to smoke is such a poor choice for you.

Men: You will improve your sex life.  (Some would call this reason #1.) I would be remiss in my duties to not point out the strong link between smoking and the difficulties of having an erection. Nicotine is a vasoconstrictor. This means that it tightens blood vessels and restricts the flow of blood throughout the body. It can even cause permanent damage to arteries. An erection needs blood flow. Just two cigarettes can cause softer erections. Study after study has shown there is a direct correlation between smoking and ED. The answer is simple; quit smoking and have better sex. Guys, if that doesn't make you want to quit smoking what will? Read this informative article on longcancerdocumentary.com for more details.

2. You won't be exposing innocent people to second-hand smoke. Second-hand smoke can harm other innocent people (non-smokers). That's a fact. Approximately 2 percent of lung cancer deaths each year are thought to be caused by passive smoking. The immediate effects of breathing second-hand smoke include an increase in heart rate and blood pressure, and dangerous levels of carbon monoxide in the blood. The smoke from the burning end of a cigarette is filled with hundreds of dangerous chemicals and contains more tar and nicotine than the smoke that is directly inhaled. Do you smoke near children? Studies show that babies whose parents smoke are admitted twice as often to hospitals for conditions such as bronchitis and pneumonia. Children under the age of 2 are particularly susceptible because their lungs and immune system are not yet fully developed. Statistically, the effects of ETS (Environmental Tobacco Smoke) on children add up to 13% of ear infections, 24% of tonsillectomies, 26% of tympanostomy tube insertions, 13% of asthma cases, 16% of physician visits for coughs and 20% of all lung infections (in children under 5).. And yes, some children DIE from exposure to ETS. Face it! People that are exposed to second-hand smoke are PUT IN DANGER. Any attempt to deny this is dishonest. You absolutely MUST quit smoking immediately.

And the number one reason to Never Smoke Again is:

1. YOU!!!!Do it for yourself. You deserve that much. By ending your cigarette habit you will prove to yourself and those around you that you possess self-respect. You must first love and care about yourself before you can love others. Demonstrate your self respect by quitting smoking! Ultimately the decision to Never Smoke Again comes from how you feel about yourself. There is nothing better you can do for yourself than to prove and establish your own self-respect by ending your smoking habit FOREVER.

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50 Real reasons to Quit Smoking....

      

                            50 Real reasons to Quit Smoking....

           Someting bad  must change...(read all)

     The evidence that tobacco is the cause of a long list of nasty diseases is irrefutable. We're talking not only heart disease, stroke, and chronic lung disease but also bladder, lung, and pancreatic cancer. Around 400,000 Americans die each year--one every 80 seconds--from tobacco-related illnesses.
If we know that smoking is harmful, why can't we stop doing it? Because nicotine is powerfully addictive, and the cigarette is one of the most efficient drug-delivery devices ever devised. When people try to quit, they often experience classic nicotine withdrawal symptoms: anxiety, irritability, headache, depression, and restlessness, to name a few.
But people can, and do, stop--once they find the right reason. One of my patients quit the day I told him he had lung cancer. Here's a list of 50 other reasons. Some are scientifically based, some a stretch. I hope there's one here that rings a bell with each of you.

1. I'll have fewer wrinkles.
2. After the first year, I'll have saved enough for a Caribbean cruise..
3. My breath will smell better than my dog's.
4. After the second year, I can spend the money I saved on the person I met on last year's Caribbean cruise.
5. I'll be around to see my grandchildren.
6. I won't have to worry about impotence with my new wife, whom I met on the Caribbean cruise two years ago. 7. I won't have to go outside between courses at a restaurant.
8. There are new drugs that can help, including bupropion (Zyban).
9. My physician won't need to "counsel" me anymore.
10. I'll live longer.
11. I won't feel like a leper in public.
12. I won't have to worry about how smoking is ruining my health.
13. The average person tries to stop smoking at least four times before succeeding. I'm on No. 3, and I don't want to be average.
14. I won't have to hide my habit from my children.
15. My fingers won't get frostbitten when I go outside.
16. I'll be able to exercise more.
17. In time, I'll have the same life expectancy as a nonsmoker.
18. My cat won't get emphysema.
19. I'll cough less.
20. I'll be able to taste and smell food again.
21. My children will have fewer ear and respiratory infections.
22. My lipstick won't smudge.
23. I won't have to wonder if my date is bothered by cigarette smoke.
24. My teeth will be whiter.
25. I won't waste time looking for a smoking area everywhere I go.
26. No more wheezing.
27. I won't have to listen to talk about what it's like to kiss an ashtray.
28. The same drug (Zyban) that can help me stop smoking can also help prevent weight gain, which in turn will save me from spending money on Medifast coupons.
29. My plants won't turn brown.
30. My baby will be at lower risk for sudden infant death syndrome.
31. My fingers won't turn brown, unless of course I've been eating messy food.
32. It's one less thing to carry around.
33. My lungs won't turn brown.
34. No more burning holes in my clothes.
35. My spouse will be less likely to develop heart disease or lung cancer.
36. I'll have to pull off the road only when I need gas.
37. My car won't reek.
38. I won't need to look forward to receiving oxygen through a nasal tube.
39. My house won't reek.
40. I'll save my unborn child from nicotine withdrawal.
41. I won't reek. Even if I take weird health supplements...I hope.
42. I'll be able to play with my grandchildren without gasping.
43. I won't have to feel second class anymore.
44. No more nicotine fits on airplanes.
45. I'll have more energy.
46. I'll save money on dry cleaning.
47. I'll make new friends.
48. I'll be able to get rid of something that is controlling my life.
49. I'll be a good role model for my children.
50. I'm ready.

     There's help available: medications, gums, and patches that can be tailored to your needs, as well as scores of effective programs that can increase your odds of success, including resident ones where you check in, stay for a week, and receive intensive intervention. At the Mayo program, our quit rates are around 45%. See your physician for help, and set a stop date today

                                   Be a free man...(live your life) :D

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Anti-smoking ads

    

      Anti-smoking ads. have gotten increasingly graphic, even gruesome in the past few years. If you have tried to quit smoking and failed before, take comfort in the fact that most smokers fail several times before quitting successfully. The photos below will ease your way and help insure that this is the last time you ever need to go through the quitting process. Some photos are extremely creative and inspiring for designer. Please feel free to tell us your favourite anti-smoking ads we have missed.

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About Smoking

About Smoking

     About Smoking - At British American Tobacco, we have long accepted that smoking is risky. Our business is not about persuading people to smoke; it is about offering quality brands to adults who have already taken the decision to smoke

      About Smoking - At British American Tobacco, we have long accepted that smoking is risky. Our business is not about persuading people to smoke; it is about offering quality brands to adults who have already taken the decision to smoke. We strongly believe that smoking should only be for adults who are aware of the risks.

     About Smoking - In a nutshell, our view on smoking is this:
British American Tobacco companies produce fine quality products that provide pleasure to many millions of adult smokers around the world. Along with the pleasures of cigarette smoking come real risks of serious diseases. We also recognise that, for many people, smoking is difficult to quit.

     Smoking is a cause of various serious and fatal diseases such as lung cancer, respiratory disease and heart disease. The risks associated with smoking are primarily defined by epidemiological (population statistical) studies that show that groups of lifetime smokers have far higher incidence of certain diseases than comparable groups of non-smokers.

     These risks tend to be greater in groups that start smoking younger, smoke for longer, and smoke more cigarettes per day. The statistics, however, do not tell us whether a particular individual smoker will avoid an associated disease by smoking less. and all smoking behaviours are associated with significantly increased health risks.

     Studies also show that the only way to avoid smoking-related risks is not to smoke in the first place, and the best way to reduce the risks is to quit. There is more about the health risks in Health risks of smoking. Click on the drop-down navigation bar.

     Can people quit smoking?
Smoking can be hard to quit. However, we believe it is important that smokers who decide to quit realise they can, provided they have the motivation to quit and the belief that they can.

      Many smokers are said to be dependent on cigarettes because they know the real risks of disease involved but still smoke frequently and find it very difficult to quit.

     It has been known for centuries that smoking is difficult to quit. Under international definitions for determining whether people are dependent on smoking, including those from the World Health Organisation, many smokers would be classified as being dependent.

     However, millions of smokers have quit without any medical help, and millions have modified how often, where and when they smoke in the light of differing social norms. In some countries, such as the UK, there are now as many ex-smokers as smokers.

    While smoking is commonly understood to be addictive, we believe it is important that smokers who decide to quit realise they can, provided they have the motivation to quit and the belief that they can. We believe that if you want to quit, you should.

    Various ways have been suggested to help people quit, including using ‘nicotine replacement therapy’ (patches and gums). While all these forms of assistance may be beneficial, the most important factors in successfully quitting are having the motivation to quit and the self-belief that you can do so.

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12 Reasons for anti-smoking

                               
                                                      
                                                           

     Before I begin this rant, I want to be clear about something: It’s not just the act of smoking I find revolting, it is the people who smoke that I really hate.
Some may say “they are helpless victims under the spell of a powerful and addictive drug”.
To that I say:

• “Do we all get to make choices in our lives?” Yes.
• “Do we all have the power to change?” Yes.
• “Are we all therefore choosing (through action or inaction) to be smokers or non-smokers?” Yes.

One more thing, I wanted to tell you that it took me a long time to write this headline:

• I started with “12 Reasons I Hate Smoking” but I realised that that headline suggested I was a smoker and I hated the fact I smoked.  I am not.
• I also considered “12 Reasons I Hate Smokers” but even though it’s true, I do actually hate smokers, most of the reasons in my list weren’t about the smokers, they were mostly about the act of smoking.
• I also considered “12 Reasons I Hate Cigarettes” but the word cigarettes is hard to spell. Are there two “g’s” or just one? Two “t’s” or just one?

12 Reasons I Am Anti-Smoking

#1: Smoking Kills Fresh Air

When it’s a beautiful sunny day and I want to go to a cafe and sit outside, I can’t, because smokers are defiling the fresh air.
So I sit just inside the door so at least I can see the sunny day from there, but smoke blows in the open door. grrr

#2 Cigarette Butts Kill Seahorses

Why don’t smokers think that throwing cigarette butts onto the street or into gardens is ok? It’s not ok. It’s littering.
Littering is a crime against the community. Some poor sod will have to pick up a soggy butt that has been in a smokers mouth.
Furthermore, many of those butts flush out to sea, just think of cute little sea horses choking to death on them! Poor little buggers, why should they suffer?

#3 Smoking Employees in Uniform Kills Brands

Employees who loiter around the front door (or back door) of their work place wearing their uniforms sucking in their cheeks and blowing out toxic clouds looks nasty.
And have you seen the tin cans that are often used for collecting cigarette butts but are seldom emptied? And sometimes they get kicked over and the butts spill out everywhere? Gross.

 

#4 Smoking Kills the Hotness of Smoking Hot Chicks

There’s nothing worse then spotting a smoking hot chick at a distance, taking a moment to have a perve (as you do), and then seeing her bring a cigarette up to her mouth. Yuck.
It just ruins the whole perving experience.
It makes super hot chicks in movies look old. It makes hot chicks look barely better than average. It makes average looking chicks look ugly. It makes ugly chicks look…
Along those lines, I’m sure we all fantasise about kissing hot chicks, but the thought of kissing an ashtray mouth shatters that fantasy.

#5 Smoke Gives Killer Headaches

Perhaps I am more sensitive to smoke than most people because if I am unfortunate to be engulfed in a cloud of smoke I get an instant headache.

#6 Smoking Kills Family Members

Smoking killed my grandmother. She died of breast cancer, which is very close to the lungs so I think her many years of smoking is to blame.
She lived a shorter life on this planet because of smoking. My family would have liked to have her around longer.

#7 Smoking Kills Poor Peoples Financial Priorities

I hate to see people on the unemployment benefit (who get paid with my taxes) buy a $18 packet of cigarettes and then realise after that purchase that they can’t afford bread and milk for their kids for breakfast so the kids either get nothing or get to share $3 worth of hot chips.

#8 Stop Smoking TV Ads Kill The Mood

You’re sitting there enjoying your favourite TV sitcom when the TV ads start with a stop smoking “shock” campaign. Images of diseased lungs and hearts fill the screen. I don’t even smoke and yet these images are in my face. Not fair.

#9 Smoking Breaks Kill Productivity

Have you noticed that smokers take more breaks at work? They are happy to leave us non-smokers to keep working while they go outside for some “fresh air”.

#10 Smoking Kills A Positive Image

A smoker’s clothes stink, their breath stinks, hair, house, car, pets, you name it. And their own sense of smell is so deadened they don’t even realise!
In a job interview situation do you think smelling like smoke decreases your chances of getting hired? I’m sure it does.
Doctors who smoke are the worst. How could you trust a Doctor to look after you when they can’t even look after themselves?
I love meeting new people, but if I catch a whiff that tells me they are a smoker I can’t help but think less of them. I think I perceive them as weak because they are addicted and can’t control themselves. It’s unfair to them, but I can’t help it.
Furthermore, I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve been asked by a smoker “do you mind if I smoke?” (to which I reply “actually yes, please refrain, thank you”). Why do so few ask this question? Are they so addicted that they can’t be courteous?

#11 Smokers Don’t Care That Smoking is Killing Them

 

If you give a smoker a list of 100 reasons to quit, present them with irrefutable medical evidence that smoking does indeed kill, impose ever increasing restrictions on where they can smoke, even after all that they keep smoking. That’s just annoying.

#12 The Best Alternatives To Smoking Are Killer Clever

Have you noticed that the most popular “smoking alternatives” contain nicotine and they are therefore just as addictive as smoking?
This is no co-incidence. Why are companies legally allowed to create products that are chemically addictive to their customers?
From a business point of view this is a licence to print money.
Governments not only tolerate these products, they endorse them.

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Prediction of lung cancer

Prediction of lung cancer using volatile biomarkers in breath.

Source

Menssana Research Inc, Fort Lee, NJ 07024-6510, USA.

Abstract

BACKGROUND:

   Normal metabolism generates several volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that are excreted in the breath (e.g. alkanes). In patients with lung cancer, induction of high-risk cytochrome p450 genotypes may accelerate catabolism of these VOCs, so that their altered abundance in breath may provide biomarkers of lung cancer.

METHODS:

     VOCs in 1.0 L alveolar breath were analyzed in 193 subjects with primary lung cancer and 211 controls with a negative chest CT. Subjects were randomly assigned to a training set or to a prediction set in a 2:1 split. A fuzzy logic model of breath biomarkers of lung cancer was constructed in the training set and then tested in subjects in the prediction set by generating their typicality scores for lung cancer.

RESULTS:

       Mean typicality scores employing a 16 VOC model were significantly higher in lung cancer patients than in the control group (p<0.0001 in all TNM stages). The model predicted primary lung cancer with 84.6% sensitivity, 80.0% specificity, and 0.88 area under curve (AUC) of the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. Predictive accuracy was similar in TNM stages 1 through 4, and was not affected by current or former tobacco smoking. The predictive model achieved near-maximal performance with six breath VOCs, and was progressively degraded by random classifiers. Predictions with fuzzy logic were consistently superior to multilinear analysis. If applied to a population with 2% prevalence of lung cancer, a screening breath test would have a negative predictive value of 0.985 and a positive predictive value of 0.163 (true positive rate =0.277, false positive rate =0.029).

CONCLUSIONS:

    A two-minute breath test predicted lung cancer with accuracy comparable to screening CT of chest. The accuracy of the test was not affected by TNM stage of disease or tobacco smoking. Alterations in breath VOCs in lung cancer were consistent with a non-linear pathophysiologic process, such as an off-on switch controlling high-risk cytochrome p450 activity. Further research is needed to determine if detection of lung cancer with this test will reduce mortality.

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What causes lung cancer

What causes lung cancer

Smoking

     The incidence of lung cancer is strongly correlated with cigarette smoking, with about 90% of lung cancers arising as a result of tobacco use. The risk of lung cancer increases with the number of cigarettes smoked over time; doctors refer to this risk in terms of pack-years of smoking history (the number of packs of cigarettes smoked per day multiplied by the number of years smoked). For example, a person who has smoked two packs of cigarettes per day for 10 years has a 20 pack-year smoking history. While the risk of lung cancer is increased with even a 10 pack-year smoking history, those with 30 pack-year histories or more are considered to have the greatest risk for the development of lung cancer. Among those who smoke two or more packs of cigarettes per day, one in seven will die of lung cancer.

Pipe and cigar smoking can also cause lung cancer, although the risk is not as high as with cigarette smoking. While someone who smokes one pack of cigarettes per day has a risk for the development of lung cancer that is 25 times higher than a nonsmoker, pipe and cigar smokers have a risk of lung cancer that is about five times that of a nonsmoker.

 

 

 

 

     Understanding Lung Cancer -- Symptoms--

In its early stages, lung cancer normally has no symptoms. When symptoms start to appear, they are usually caused by blocked breathing passages or the spread of cancer further into the lung, surrounding structures, other parts of the body. Lung cancer symptoms may include: Chronic, hacking, raspy coughing, sometimes with blood-streaked mucus Recurring respiratory infections, including bronchitis or pneumonia Increasing shortness of breath, wheezing, persistent chest pain Hoarsenes 

Read the Understanding Lung Cancer --What is lung cancer--

Tobacco smoke contains over 4,000 chemical compounds, many of which have been shown to be cancer-causing, or carcinogenic. The two primary carcinogens in tobacco smoke are chemicals known as nitrosamines and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. The risk of developing lung cancer decreases each year following smoking cessation as normal cells grow and replace damaged cells in the lung. In former smokers, the risk of developing lung cancer begins to approach that of a nonsmoker about 15 years after cessation of smoking. For more, please read the Smoking and Quitting Smoking article.

Passive smoking

      Passive smoking, or the inhalation of tobacco smoke from other smokers sharing living or working quarters, is also an established risk factor for the development of lung cancer. Research has shown that non-smokers who reside with a smoker have a 24% increase in risk for developing lung cancer when compared with other non-smokers. An estimated 3,000 lung cancer deaths occur each year in the U.S. that are attributable to passive smoking.

    Asbestos fibers

     Asbestos fibers are silicate fibers that can persist for a lifetime in lung tissue following exposure to asbestos. The workplace is a common source of exposure to asbestos fibers, as asbestos was widely used in the past for both thermal and acoustic insulation materials. Today, asbestos use is limited or banned in many countries including the Unites States. Both lung cancer and mesothelioma (a type of cancer of the pleura or of the lining of the abdominal cavity called the peritoneum) are associated with exposure to asbestos. Cigarette smoking drastically increases the chance of developing an asbestos-related lung cancer in exposed workers. Asbestos workers who do not smoke have a fivefold greater risk of developing lung cancer than non-smokers, and those asbestos workers who smoke have a risk that is 50 to 90 times greater than non-smokers.

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