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Helminthic therapy, hookworms, whipworms and how I achieved remission from Crohn's

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HS1231
Regular Member
Joined : May 2010
Posts : 117
Posted 9/27/2010 9:30 AM (GMT -7)

I read a lot of the posts on various forums on helminthic therapy and it's terrible to see the amount of misinformation that's floating around. I have done quite a lot of research on the subject, tried all 3 available organisms used in helminthic therapy, and achieved remission from severe Crohn's, so I'd like to clarify the situation.

There are a total of 3 microscopic organisms used in treatment of a variety auto-immune diseases, in particular we are going to be discussing CD and UC here. There is nothing gross or disgusting about them. We have billions of bacteria living inside of us and we wouldn't be able to live very long without them. We humans lived with other organisms, including helminthic parasites, for millions of years and only started getting rid of them over the last 70-80 years in the developed world. Undeveloped countries (most of Africa and South America) still have them and Crohn's and Ulcerative Colitis are virtually unknown there. Granted, they have a host of other problems and diseases but they don't suffer from auto-immune illnesses. Balance is needed. Modern humans survived to this day because we evolved to have strong immune systems that could keep the number of parasitic organisms in our bodies very low. Those that couldn't, died out and we are descendants of those who survived. Parasitic organisms in turn tried to live as long as possible and since the immune system fight invaders using inflammatory response, they evolved to suppress this inflammation and kept our immune system in check. Now that we got rid of them, after evolving to live in a symbiotic relationship with them for millions of years, our immune systems go haywire and go into uncontrolled inflammatory responses. There has been a lot of research on helminthic therapy over the last few years. I am working on a wiki site on which I am posting articles from major medical journals. If you google "open source helminth therapy" and then click on the "Helminth Wiki", on the "Studies & Papers" on top there's a link to google docs repository of all these articles. Some are very heavy on immunology but are highly interesting.

The 3 organisms used are: 1. Trichuris suis ova (TSO) is produced by a German company Ovamed, and distributed by a Thailand company Biomonde. It costs a few thousand euro (I think about 3 or 4) for a 3 month supply. It's basically eggs (ova) of a pig parasite that can't live in humans for more than a couple of weeks. It's extremely safe and the remission rates in CD and UC are over 55% which is amazing. However, it needs to be taken every 2 weeks and the remission lasts only while you're taking them. Good but very expensive.

2. Necator Americanus (human hookworm) Here's the description of the lifecycle of this organism:

 Eggs are passed in the stool , and under favorable conditions (moisture, warmth, shade), larvae hatch in 1 to 2 days. The released rhabditiform larvae grow in the feces and/or the soil , and after 5 to 10 days (and two molts) they become filariform (third-stage) larvae that are infective . These infective larvae can survive 3 to 4 weeks in favorable environmental conditions. On contact with the human host, the larvae penetrate the skin and are carried through the blood vessels to the heart and then to the lungs. They penetrate into the pulmonary alveoli, ascend the bronchial tree to the pharynx, and are swallowed . The larvae reach the small intestine, where they reside and mature into adults. Adult worms live in the lumen of the small intestine, where they attach to the intestinal wall with resultant blood loss by the host .

It's really not as scary as it sounds. I received a tiny vial with what appeared to be 3-4 drops of clear liquid. I applied it to a gauze which I affixed to the inside of my arm with a band-aid. A minor itch developed (Benadryl really helped a lot to get rid of it). A few small red dots were visible for a few days after I took off the band-aid 12 hours later. There was no cough, diarrhea, pain or any other symptoms or side effects.

It lives in people for 3-5 years, though there were documented cases when it was eliminated after 1 year or lived for over 7 years. It's very cheap as it's a one time application every few years and the therapy provider guarantees infection for 3 years and will provide additional doses if needed. So the costs is extremely low, only a couple of dollars a day. Remission rates for CD in the small intestine are over 85%. I hope you realize that's nothing short of a miracle to have such high cure rates for CD.

3. Trichuris trichiura (human whipworm) Lifecycle:

The unembryonated eggs are passed with the stool . In the soil, the eggs develop into a 2-cell stage, an advanced cleavage stage, and then they embryonate; eggs become infective in 15 to 30 days. After ingestion (soil-contaminated hands or food), the eggs hatch in the small intestine, and release larvae that mature and establish themselves as adults in the colon. The adult worms (approximately 4 cm in length) live in the cecum and ascending colon. The adult worms are fixed in that location, with the anterior portions threaded into the mucosa. The females begin to oviposit 60 to 70 days after infection. Female worms in the cecum shed between 3,000 and 20,000 eggs per day.

There's nothing gross about this. Helminthic therapy provider washes the ova in an anti-microbial and anti-biotic solution and they are provided suspended in a few milliliters of a buffer solution. Essentially, I drank half a cup of clear liquid that tasted like water. That was not disgusting at all and I am very thankful I did it since I am now in complete remission.

Remission rates from UC and Crohn's in the colon are over 85% - again, a miracle to have such high rates. Remission rates from a combined therapy of both hookworm and whipworm, and raising vitamin D levels to at least 50ng/ml are over 90%.

I don't feel them, I don't see them, just like I don't feel and see billions of bacteria in the pro-biotic yogurt I eat every day. We live in a very complicated world and getting rid of all these organisms over the last few years is clearly messing with our bodies and our immune systems. I just restored the balance in my body - it's up to you if you want to do the same.

~~~

I had Crohn's for over 15 years(3 surgeries, blood transfusion after GI bleeding, endoscopies, colonoscopies, prednisone, Remicade, Humira, etc) - I went through a lot. You name it, I've done it. I had severe food allergies for over 10 years, I had severe seasonal allergies and I am now in remission. All I take are some supplements: vitamin D, omega-3 fish oil, magnesium/calcium, B12.

Let me know if you have any questions - I'll be glad to answer them.

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kazbern
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Posted 9/27/2010 10:10 AM (GMT -7)
wow.

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sr5599
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Joined : Aug 2007
Posts : 1202
Posted 9/27/2010 12:15 PM (GMT -7)
Thank you for the detailed information! I've considered the therapy as none of the medications have really worked for me. I tend to only want to try one thing at a time so it's clear what's helped and what hasn't. This is one that I have waited on, for fear and just worrying about the potential risk (is that all fear based?). I would like to have my GI's support, but I think he would. He's had a patient who participated in a trial, and he supported that person.

You've answered my biggest question! I was unsure which type of worms I would try for the colon/rectum area. It seems a waste to spend the money and ingest worms that will not help based on which area the Crohn's is attacking. So, which type do you use? All of them? Where is your Crohn's located?
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Zanne
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Posts : 3763
Posted 9/27/2010 12:37 PM (GMT -7)
I'm glad you have found success and are feeling well. But just to be clear here, you tried all three therapies? They all have these remarkable cure rates? Why did you need to do all three then? How far apart did you do them? Did you have success with each one? Was your CD so vastly spread out that you needed that many worms? And when did you do this? How long has this remission lasted for you? If I'm even going to think about something so off the beaten path and expensive (ie not covered by my insurance) I would like to know more about the actual whys of your story.
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HS1231
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Joined : May 2010
Posts : 117
Posted 9/27/2010 12:43 PM (GMT -7)
email me at helminthictherapy@gmail.com and I'll give you more info.

I have Crohn's in my small intestine but I chose to do both organisms because I wanted to cover all my bases. They each have a slightly different mechanism of action and a minor systemic effect, not just localized.
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tsitodawg
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Posts : 845
Posted 9/27/2010 1:44 PM (GMT -7)
What is your connection to those doing the study or working on a patent? Every single one of your past posts has to do with this subject/
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Roni
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Joined : May 2003
Posts : 2481
Posted 9/27/2010 1:57 PM (GMT -7)
How do these organisms affect ppl with heart disease? Are there any cases/studies?
I'm particularly interested in if they can increase heart rate or decrease heart function in susceptible ppl.

I would also like to know what your connections are to the clinics or ppl doing the studies? In the past, I contacted the clinic in mexico and also Dr. Joel Weinstock, but the treatment/studies were newer then so not enough info was available on other health conditions.

Thanks for sharing! I love hearing about this treatment.
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HS1231
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Joined : May 2010
Posts : 117
Posted 9/27/2010 2:03 PM (GMT -7)
I have no connection to those doing the study or working on a patent. There's not really any money in this, at least not in the hookworm/whipworm treatment. TSO on the other hand is already patented, or rather the method of making it and delivering it. It's produced by Ovamed.

You can't patent a biological organism and it's extremely easy and simple to produce, so if it ever got approved by FDA, anyone would be able to mass produce for a very small amount of money. However, it takes about $100 million dollars and 8-12 years for a drug to make it through all the medical trials and get approved. No pharmaceutical company would do that if they can't recoup their costs. Additionally, all the medications that people with auto-immune diseases( such as asthma, allergies, type-1 diabetes, CD, UC, Celiac disease, multiple sclerosis, Sjogren's syndrome) take cost a lot and insurance companies cover it. Humira alone is $1800 per dose. Imagine if something comes to market, something that you can't patent and you take every 3-5 years and it eliminates all symptoms. Big pharmaceutical companies would lose billions of dollars, whole factories would close - it would be terrible for them. They will do all in their power to make sure this never sees the light of day.

I am just a patient who achieved remission and wants to help as many people as possible do the same. I am also trying to spread the word about hookworm/whipworm treatment hoping that if enough people try it and achieve remission, it will somehow rise above critical mass at some point in the future and become more available. Personally, I don't advocate for TSO, even though it did help me because it's not a human parasite and as such isn't adapted to the human immune system as well. It's also more expensive as it needs to be taken every 2 weeks as opposed to every few years.

There are a lot of studies with real scientific evidence and they can be found here: http://opensourcehelminththerapy.org/mediawiki2/index.php?title=Studies
If you want all the docs, click on the google docs link at the top of the page.
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HS1231
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Joined : May 2010
Posts : 117
Posted 9/27/2010 2:11 PM (GMT -7)
I don't know of any connection between helminthic therapy and heart disease or increasing/decreasing heart function. All the studies had to do with the immune system and aut-immune diseases. You can do a search on PubMed if you're curious. I only have 120 studies and they are found at the link in my previous post. As far as I know, they don't have any effect on the heart at all in the numbers in which the therapy is provided (extremely light infection).

I tried TSO in 2004. I purchased it from Detlev Goj for 3600 euro which was extremely expensive. I obtained hookworm in April from Autoimmune Therapies (Jasper Lawrence) based in UK and I got whipworm in August from him as well.

I met Dr Weinstock for the first time in person last week at the UN conference for Autoimmune diseases: http://unitednationsautoimmunitymeeting.eventbrite.com I just registered as a regular visitor. We spoke briefly during the break - he knows about the other 2 organisms and he knows that they are as safe as TSO but I think he is financially invested in Ovamed and TSO. He said that he doesn't think hookworm and whipworm therapy will ever be approved in the USA.

Roni said...
How do these organisms affect ppl with heart disease? Are there any cases/studies?
I'm particularly interested in if they can increase heart rate or decrease heart function in susceptible ppl.

I would also like to know what your connections are to the clinics or ppl doing the studies? In the past, I contacted the clinic in mexico and also Dr. Joel Weinstock, but the treatment/studies were newer then so not enough info was available on other health conditions.

Thanks for sharing! I love hearing about this treatment.

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HS1231
Regular Member
Joined : May 2010
Posts : 117
Posted 9/27/2010 2:21 PM (GMT -7)
I tried all the therapies. TSO was way too expensive - 3600 euro when I tried it in 2004 every 3 months. Hookworm and whipworm I need take every few years, so that only came out to about 3 dollars a day. Hookworm lives in the small intestine, whipworm lives in the colon - that's why I deicded to do both to cover all my bases. I don't have many worms - only 35 hookworms and a couple of hundred whipworms. It's considered to be an extremely light infection and CDC doesn't even recommend treating it in cases when it's so light. I had no side effects from the worms. However, if I wanted to get rid of them, a single dose of albendazole would do the trick.

I am now in remission and what was really interesting my food allergies to avocado, cherries, plums, apricots, nectarines and peaches also disappeared. My seasonal allergies are also gone - goodbye claritin, zyrtec, benadryl, patanol, etc!

I am hoping this remission willlast forever - I certainly plan to host the worms for the rest of my life.

It's NOT expensive - some people buy a pack of cigarettes a day for $7. This comes out to less than $3 a day and I am sure your health is worth at least that much!

Zanne said...
I'm glad you have found success and are feeling well. But just to be clear here, you tried all three therapies? They all have these remarkable cure rates? Why did you need to do all three then? How far apart did you do them? Did you have success with each one? Was your CD so vastly spread out that you needed that many worms? And when did you do this? How long has this remission lasted for you? If I'm even going to think about something so off the beaten path and expensive (ie not covered by my insurance) I would like to know more about the actual whys of your story.

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Roni
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Joined : May 2003
Posts : 2481
Posted 9/27/2010 3:12 PM (GMT -7)
I've read on the mexico clinic website that this treatment is not okay for people who have intestinal obstructions. Do you know why?
I'm probably having surgery soon so I'll definitely consider worm therapy again later.
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HS1231
Regular Member
Joined : May 2010
Posts : 117
Posted 9/27/2010 3:19 PM (GMT -7)
If you have an extremely narrow stricture, there's a danger that during the initial immune response when you first get the worms before the worms have a chance to dampen the inflammatory response and start modulating your imune system, there's a very minor chance that it might aggravate the stricture and cause an obstruction. However, if you take 20mg of prednisone during the initial 3 week period, it will make sure this doesn't happen.
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jeanneac
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Posts : 1930
Posted 9/27/2010 3:30 PM (GMT -7)
You could probably drink the water in Mexico and get the worms for free! Sorry, I had to say that, didn't mean to be insensitive. I don't know if I could bring myself to do that. I'd have to live on enteral nutrition for the rest of my life.
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Roni
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Posts : 2481
Posted 9/27/2010 3:36 PM (GMT -7)
jeaneac,

how long have you been on VSL3 and how do you find it? Any chance it put you in remission?
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Roni
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Posts : 2481
Posted 9/27/2010 3:39 PM (GMT -7)
HT: I should think it would be advisable to get the stricture fixed first? Even if someone's CD goes into remission, the scar tissue has already formed...?
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HS1231
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Joined : May 2010
Posts : 117
Posted 9/27/2010 3:43 PM (GMT -7)
That is correct. However, there is a new technique that lets you avoid surgery: use a double-balloon endoscopy to go to the stricture and use a balloon to dilate the stricture. I had this procedure done twice as I had a lot of scar tissue after 3 surgeries. It dilated my stricture from 3mm to 12mm. You need to make sure there is no inflammation when you go for the procedure though as it could rip the intestine in that case.
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NiceCupOfTea
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Posts : 11145
Posted 9/27/2010 6:07 PM (GMT -7)
I'm interested. I'm not even particularly squeamish about it. It's just that I balk at the cost involved for something that I don't know will definitely work. It's no good citing the cost per day, as you don't pay for it that way, and the total lump sum is scarily expensive for those who aren't well off.

I'm just too much of a coward to gamble my meagre savings on the unknown, I suppose. On top of that you have to get a doctor's approval and I doubt the highly conservative NHS doctors that I've come across would give their approval.

That said, I am just staggered that promising treatments can be swept under the carpet like this. Nobody could be more sceptical about conspiracy theories than me, normally speaking. But I'm beginning to wonder whether the tinfoil hat wearers really do have a valid point about pharmaceutical companies, chronic diseases and expensive and ineffectual maintenance treatments which half the time seem to create more symptoms than they get rid of.
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HS1231
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Posts : 117
Posted 9/27/2010 7:08 PM (GMT -7)
I totally understand you. I spent 3 years reading the yahoo board where people were discussing this therapy. Only after I witnessed over 200 people enter remission, I decided to bite the bullet and to plunk down $3900 to get the combination therapy of both NA and TT. I read all the papers that I posted on my wiki site (over 120 in total) before I really proved to myself that the science behind it is solid. That we really are meant to live in symbiotic relationship with various organisms with which we evolved for millions of years and which we eradicated over the last 100. Now I am sorry I didn't do this earlier.

Do your research. Read the papers I posted. Join the yahoo board and ask the patients there - over 250 people participate there now. The board has over 650 members and it's growing quickly. Ask questions here, I will be glad to answer and help with anything I know. Some of the research papers are quite dense and require a fairly high level of immunology. I spent a LOT of time looking up various terms in wikipedia.

If you really can't afford it, I am aware of some people who are replicating what Jasper did and are growing hookworm and whipworm themselves at home. It's not very complicated and there's a DIY section on the wiki page that explains how to do it. It doesn't require a microbiology degree - just some equipment, some free time and a donor wiling to give you the initial supplies. Obviously, that would be with no guarantees and completely at your own risk.
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Gumart1
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Posted 9/27/2010 7:17 PM (GMT -7)
I e-mailed Biomonde twice this summer and did not receive any replies. Are you in the US, and how did you acquire the worms? How is your dosage verified and who's care are you under for the treatment?
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HS1231
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Posts : 117
Posted 9/27/2010 7:34 PM (GMT -7)
I have a regular gastroenterologist, I get regular blood tests, specifically for C-Reactive protein, CBC, B12 vitamin, vitamin D, hemoglobin, iron, etc.
Crohn's and UC are symptomatic diseases - if I have no symptoms, and my markers of inflammation(CRP and ESR) are down, then I am getting better.

I am in the US (NYC) and I got the worms from AutoImmune Therapies. I trusted the provider to give me the correct dosage. They don't reproduce inside the body, so the count stays constant.
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kazbern
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Posted 9/27/2010 8:09 PM (GMT -7)
My CBCs are normal, my CRP is normal and my sed rate is normal, yet I have joint pain that is increasing and now belly pain under my rib cage on the right. Bowel movements are soft, partly formed and either absent or 2-3 times/day. My GI says I'm fine, which is extremely annoying because I clearly am NOT.

Aside from the blood work you cite above, showing no problems, how are you FEELING?

I live in the subtropics. Maybe I should dig around in some dirt, walk barefoot in the dog park....perhaps I can get hookworm for free? ;-)

I'm really intrigued and will read the papers you've posted.
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HS1231
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Joined : May 2010
Posts : 117
Posted 9/27/2010 8:26 PM (GMT -7)
You can do an endoscopy and/or colonoscopy with biopsies. That alone can definitively confirm if you have a flare-up.
Which country do you live in? You don't want to pick up some weird parasite that will cause harm and you don't want to have too many hookworms either. 35 is a good number - it's high enough to have a therapeutic effect and low enough to have zero symptoms. The therapy gives you a controlled number. Too few or too many isn't good. Also, you want Necator Americanus - the New World hookworm and not Ancylostoma duodenale which is the Old World hookworm and significantly worse for you. Drinks a lot of blood and lives under 6 months.

I am feeling great - I haven't felt like this in years. Total and complete remission. That's why I am on the forums trying to spread the word and let others take advantage of it. Did you find my wiki page? Have you read the stuff on it?
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dragonfly137927
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Posted 9/27/2010 10:21 PM (GMT -7)
lol it is giardia that is in the water in mexico
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Stef17
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Posted 9/28/2010 7:54 AM (GMT -7)
I'm fascinated by all of this. I would TOTALLY pay a couple of thousand dollars to take something that would put me into remission. I'm just super heebed-out at the idea of taking in a parasite. It seems so contraindicated since what we suffer from is a bowel disease, ya know?

I have CD in the colon. It's pretty severe. Would it be possible to only take the TT and not do combo therapy? Also - do you ever pass any worms/parasites? Not to sound ignorant or disgusting, but I'm very uneducated on this - if I took this therapy am I ever going to see a parasite in the toilet??? Also have mild stricture in the rectum, would this pose a problem? Also - were you on meds when you started therapy? If so, how did you stop taking them? Did you wean, did you stop cold turkey? Also - is it ever possible for the people you live with to catch the parasite from you (the infected person)?

Post Edited (Stef17) : 9/28/2010 9:13:35 AM (GMT-6)

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Roni
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Posted 9/28/2010 8:22 AM (GMT -7)
Stef, my understanding is the worms are as thin or thinner than a strand of hair. And not very long either. You'll probably never be able to see them, even if they come out. If they are expelled, it is through the stool where they will be flushed down the toilet and never seen or heard from again. lol.
When I looked all this up, I worried about infecting my family too.

HT will probably have more detailed info than I.
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