Displaying publications 1 - 20 of 36 in total

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  1. Othman, M. R., Mohammad Roose, A.R, Abdullah, S., Abdul Majid, N. N., Mohd Razali, I. S., Wan Husin, W.N.I.
    MyJurnal
    This study explores the use of Adolescent Problems and Risk Behaviours Inventory (IPERI) to predict the relationship of personal problems on risky behaviour among adolescence aged 14 to 17. The objective of this research is to analyse the influence of personal problems such as study problems, family support, financial problems, career indecision, peer influence, spiritual management and health condition on the development of risky behaviours among adolescents. The risky behaviours comprise of eight (8) behaviours which include discipline problems, physical bulling, suicidal thoughts, free sex, tobacco consumption, alcohol abuse, drug abuse and media influence. A survey using Adolescent Problems and Risk Behaviours Inventory (IPERI) is administered to three hundred and seventy-nine (379) respondents, age between 14 to 17. The analysis of Pearson Correlation Coefficient and Standard Multiple Regression showed the existence of significance between all the problem variables, study problems (r = .316), family support (r = .256), financial problems (r = .240), health condition (r = .134), peer influence (r = .189), career indecision (r = .185) and spiritual management (r = .242), with the risky behaviour variables. This research contributes to the profiling of adolescents’ risky behaviours which can guide the development of interventions in tackling adolescent’s risky behaviours.
  2. Hasanpourghadi M, Abdul Majid N, Rais Mustafa M
    PeerJ, 2018;6:e5577.
    PMID: 30245930 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.5577
    Combination Index (CI) analysis suggested that MBIC and doxorubicin synergistically inhibited up to 97% of cell proliferation in ER+/PR+MCF-7 and triple negative MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cell lines. Moreover, treatment of the breast cancer cells with the combined drugs resulted in lower IC50 values in contrast to the individual drug treatment. Small noncoding microRNAs (miRNA) may function as non-mutational gene regulators at post-transcriptional level of protein synthesis. In the present study, the effect of the combined treatment of MBIC and doxorubicin on the expression level of several miRNAs including miR-34a, miR-146a, miR-320a and miR-542 were evaluated in MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cell lines. These miRNAs have the potential to alter the protein level of survivin, the anti-apoptotic protein and reduce the metastatic activity in human breast cancer cell lines by interfering with the nuclear accumulation of NF-κB. Our results demonstrated the several fold changes in expression of miRNAs, which is drug and cell line dependent. This finding demonstrated a functional synergistic network between miR-34a, miR-320a and miR-542 that are negatively involved in post-transcriptional regulation of survivin in MCF-7 cells. While in MDA-MB-231 cells, changes in expression level of miR-146a was correlated with inhibition of the nuclear translocation of NF-κB. The overall result suggested that alteration in protein level and location of survivin and NF-κB by miR-34a, miR-320a, miR-146a and miR-542, remarkably influenced the synergistic enhancement of combined MBIC and doxorubicin in treatment of aggressive and less aggressive human breast cancer cell lines.
  3. Lai MY, Abdul-Majid N, Lau YL
    Acta Parasitol, 2019 Sep;64(3):575-581.
    PMID: 31165984 DOI: 10.2478/s11686-019-00066-4
    Toxoplasma gondii is one of the most successful human pathogens. To eliminate the infection, identification of receptors or binding partners from humans is indeed urgent. T. gondii surface antigen is the ultimate component involved during the attachment of parasite into host cell. However, mechanism of invasion between SAG and host-cell membrane remains unclear. Yeast two-hybrid experiment was used to identify the binding partners from cDNA human library by using T. gondii SAG1 as bait. Mated yeast cells were plated on DDO/X plates to confirm only prey plasmid that expressing interacting protein was selected. We detected 39 clones interacted with SAG1 based on a series of the selection procedures. After colony PCR, only 29 clones were positive and subsequently sent for sequencing. The yeast plasmids for true positive clones were rescued by transformation into E. coli TOP 10F' cells. Twenty-two clones were further examined by small-scale Y2H experiment. The results indicated that a strong interaction existed between Homo sapiens lysine-rich coil-coiled and SAG1 protein, which could activate the expressions of the reporter genes in diploid yeast. Co-immunoprecipitation experiment result indicated the binding between this prey and SAG1 protein was significant (Mann-Whitney U test, Z = - 1.964, P = 0.05). H. sapiens lysine-rich coil-coiled protein was found to be interacted with SAG1. This prey protein may serve as the potential drug target in vaccination study.
  4. Badroon NA, Abdul Majid N, Alshawsh MA
    Nutrients, 2020 Jun 12;12(6).
    PMID: 32545423 DOI: 10.3390/nu12061757
    Liver cancer is the sixth most common cancer in terms of incidence and the fourth in terms of mortality. Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) represents almost 90% of primary liver cancer and has become a major health problem globally. Cardamonin (CADMN) is a natural bioactive chalcone found in several edible plants such as cardamom and Alpinia species. Previous studies have shown that CADMN possesses anticancer activities against breast, lung, prostate and colorectal cancer. In the present study, the mechanisms underlying the anti-hepatocellular carcinoma effects of CADMN were investigated against HepG2 cells. The results demonstrated that CADMN has anti-proliferative effects and apoptotic action on HepG2 cells. CADMN showed potent cytotoxicity against HepG2 cells with an IC50 of 17.1 ± 0.592 μM at 72 h. Flow cytometry analysis demonstrated that CADMN arrests HepG2 cells in G1 phase and induces a significant increase in early and late apoptosis in a time-dependent manner. The mechanism by which CADMN induces apoptotic action was via activation of both extrinsic and intrinsic pathways. Moreover, the findings of this study showed the involvement of reactive oxygen species (ROS), which inhibit the NF-κB pathway and further enhance the apoptotic process. Together, our findings further support the potential anticancer activity of CADMN as an alternative therapeutic agent against HCC.
  5. Majid NA, Phang IC, Darnis DS
    Environ Sci Pollut Res Int, 2017 Oct;24(29):22827-22838.
    PMID: 28150147 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-017-8484-9
    Identification of Pelargonium radula as bioindicator for mercury (Hg) detection confers a new hope for monitoring the safety of drinking water consumption. Hg, like other non-essential metals, inflicts the deterioration of biological functions in human and other creatures. In the present study, effects of Hg on the physiology and biochemical content of P. radula were undertaken to understand the occurrence of the morphological changes observed. Young leaves of P. radula were treated with different concentrations of Hg-containing solution (0.5, 1.0 and 2.0 ppb) along with controls for 4 h, prior to further analysis. Elevated Hg concentration in treatment solution significantly prompted an increased accumulation of Hg in the leaf tissues. Meanwhile, total protein, chlorophyll and low molecular mass thiol contents (cysteine, glutathione and oxidized glutathione) decreased as Hg accumulation increased. However, phytochelatin 2 productions were induced in the treated leaves, in comparison to the control. Based on these findings, it is postulated that as low as 0.5 ppb of Hg interferes with the metabolic processes of plant cells, which was reflected from the morphological changes exhibited on P. radula leaves-the colour of the Hg-treated leaves changed from green to yellowish-brown, became chlorosis and wilted. Changes in the tested characteristics of plant are closely related to the Hg-induced morphological changes on P. radula leaves, a potential bioindicator for detecting Hg in drinking water.
  6. Ma ZF, Abdul Majid N, Yamaoka Y, Lee YY
    Front Microbiol, 2016;7:1232.
    PMID: 27512393 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2016.01232
    [This corrects the article on p. 368 in vol. 7, PMID: 27047479.].
  7. Mohd Zulkifli SWH, Samsudin HB, Majid N
    Sci Rep, 2024 Sep 09;14(1):21030.
    PMID: 39251631 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-63591-x
    Numerous studies have been conducted in other countries on the health effects of exposure to particulate matter with a diameter of 10 microns or less P M 10 , but little research has been conducted in Malaysia, particularly during the haze season. This study intends to investigate how exposure of P M 10 influenced hospital admissions for respiratory diseases during the haze period in peninsula Malaysia and it was further stratified by age group, gender and respiratory diseases categories. The study includes data from all patients with respiratory diseases in 92 government hospitals, as well as P M 10 concentration and meteorological data from 92 monitoring stations in Peninsula Malaysia starting from 1st January 2000 to 31st December 2019. A quasi-poison time series regression with distributed lag nonlinear model (DLNM) was employed in this study to examine the relationship between exposure of P M 10 and hospital admissions for respiratory diseases during the haze period. Haze period for this study has been defined from June to September each year. According to the findings of this study, P M 10 was positively associated with hospitalisation of respiratory disease within 30 lag days under various lag patterns, with lag 25 showing the strongest association (RR = 1.001742, CI 1.001029,1.002456). Using median as a reference, it was discovered that females were more likely than males to be hospitalized for P M 10 exposure. Working age group will be the most affected by the increase in P M 10 exposure with a significant cumulative RR from lag 010 to lag 030. The study found that P M 10 had a significant influence on respiratory hospitalisation in peninsula Malaysia, particularly for lung diseases caused by external agents(CD5). Therefore, it is important to implement effective intervention measures to control P M 10 and reduce the burden of respiratory disease admissions.
  8. Golbabapour S, Gwaram NS, Al-Obaidi MM, Soleimani AF, Ali HM, Abdul Majid N
    Biomed Res Int, 2013;2013:703626.
    PMID: 24298554 DOI: 10.1155/2013/703626
    Schiff base complexes have appeared to be promising in the treatment of different diseases and disorders and have drawn a lot of attention to their biological activities. This study was conducted to evaluate the regulatory effect of Schiff base metal derivatives on the expression of heat shock proteins (HSP) 70 and BAX in protection against acute haemorrhagic gastric ulcer in rats. Rats were assigned to 6 groups of 6 rats: the normal control (Tween 20 5% v/v, 5 mL/kg), the positive control (Tween 20 5% v/v, 5 mL/kg), and four Schiff base derivative groups named Schiff_1, Schiff_2, Schiff_3, and Schiff_4 (25 mg/kg). After 1 h, all of the groups received ethanol 95% (5 mL/kg) but the normal control received Tween 20 (Tween 20 5% v/v, 5 mL/kg). The animals were euthanized after 60 min and the stomachs were dissected for histology (H&E), immunohistochemistry, and western blot analysis against HSP70 and BAX proteins. The results showed that the Schiff base metal derivatives enhanced the expression of HSP70 and suppressed the expression of BAX proteins during their gastroprotection against ethanol-induced gastric lesion in rats.
  9. Golbabapour S, Hajrezaie M, Hassandarvish P, Abdul Majid N, Hadi AH, Nordin N, et al.
    Biomed Res Int, 2013;2013:974185.
    PMID: 23781513 DOI: 10.1155/2013/974185
    The investigation was to evaluate gastroprotective effects of ethanolic extract of M. pruriens leaves on ethanol-induced gastric mucosal injuries in rats. Forty-eight rats were divided into 8 groups: negative control, extract control, ulcer control, reference control, and four experimental groups. As a pretreatment, the negative control and the ulcer control groups were orally administered carboxymethylcellulose (CMC). The reference control was administered omeprazole orally (20 mg/kg). The ethanolic extract of M. pruriens leaves was given orally to the extract control group (500 mg/kg) and the experimental groups (62.5, 125, 250, and 500 mg/kg). After 1 h, CMC was given orally to the negative and the extract control groups. The other groups received absolute ethanol. The rats were sacrificed after 1 h. The ulcer control group exhibited significant mucosal injuries with decreased gastric wall mucus and severe damage to the gastric mucosa. The extract caused upregulation of Hsp70 protein, downregulation of Bax protein, and intense periodic acid schiff uptake of glandular portion of stomach. Gastric mucosal homogenate showed significant antioxidant properties with increase in synthesis of PGE2, while MDA was significantly decreased. The ethanolic extract of M. pruriens leaves was nontoxic (<5 g/kg) and could enhance defensive mechanisms against hemorrhagic mucosal lesions.
  10. Abd Hamid IJ, M Iyen MI, Ibrahim NR, Abd Majid N, Ramli N, Van Rostenberghe H
    J Paediatr Child Health, 2013 May;49(5):375-9.
    PMID: 23573836 DOI: 10.1111/jpc.12192
    The use of reflecting curtains with single phototherapy has not yet been directly compared with double phototherapy (DP). The objective of this study is to compare the efficacy of single phototherapy with reflecting curtains (SPRC) and DP in treating neonatal jaundice.
  11. Karam DS, Arifin A, Radziah O, Shamshuddin J, Majid NM, Hazandy AH, et al.
    ScientificWorldJournal, 2012;2012:641346.
    PMID: 22606055 DOI: 10.1100/2012/641346
    Deforestation leads to the deterioration of soil fertility which occurs rapidly under tropical climates. Forest rehabilitation is one of the approaches to restore soil fertility and increase the productivity of degraded areas. The objective of this study was to evaluate and compare soil biological properties under enrichment planting and secondary forests at Tapah Hill Forest Reserve, Perak after 42 years of planting. Both areas were excessively logged in the 1950s and left idle without any appropriate forest management until 1968 when rehabilitation program was initiated. Six subplots (20 m × 20 m) were established within each enrichment planting (F1) and secondary forest (F2) plots, after which soil was sampled at depths of 0-15 cm (topsoil) and 15-30 cm (subsoil). Results showed that total mean microbial enzymatic activity, as well as biomass C and N content, was significantly higher in F1 compared to F2. The results, despite sample variability, suggest that the rehabilitation program improves the soil biological activities where high rate of soil organic matter, organic C, N, suitable soil acidity range, and abundance of forest litter is believed to be the predisposing factor promoting higher population of microbial in F1 as compared to F2. In conclusion total microbial enzymatic activity, biomass C and biomass N evaluation were higher in enrichment planting plot compared to secondary forest. After 42 years of planting, rehabilitation or enrichment planting helps to restore the productivity of planted forest in terms of biological parameters.
  12. Maran S, Lee YY, Xu S, Rajab NS, Hasan N, Mustaffa N, et al.
    Hepatogastroenterology, 2013 Jan-Feb;60(121):124-8.
    PMID: 22829558
    Using genome-wide case-control association approach, the current study aimed to determine whether genetic polymorphism(s) is/are associated with H. pylori infection among ethnic Malays from the north-eastern region of Peninsular Malaysia, a region with an exceptionally low prevalence for H. pylori infection and gastric cancer.
  13. Jeffery Daim LD, Ooi TE, Ithnin N, Mohd Yusof H, Kulaveerasingam H, Abdul Majid N, et al.
    Electrophoresis, 2015 Aug;36(15):1699-710.
    PMID: 25930948 DOI: 10.1002/elps.201400608
    The basidiomycete fungal pathogen Ganoderma boninense is the causative agent for the incurable basal stem rot (BSR) disease in oil palm. This disease causes significant annual crop losses in the oil palm industry. Currently, there is no effective method for disease control and elimination, nor is any molecular marker for early detection of the disease available. An understanding of how BSR affects protein expression in plants may help identify and/or assist in the development of an early detection protocol. Although the mode of infection of BSR disease is primarily via the root system, defense-related genes have been shown to be expressed in both the root and leafs. Thus, to provide an insight into the changes in the global protein expression profile in infected plants, comparative 2DE was performed on leaf tissues sampled from palms with and without artificial inoculation of the Ganoderma fungus. Comparative 2DE revealed that 54 protein spots changed in abundance. A total of 51 protein spots were successfully identified by LC-QTOF MS/MS. The majority of these proteins were those involved in photosynthesis, carbohydrate metabolism as well as immunity and defense.
  14. Chong DWQ, Iqbal AR, Kaur Jaj B, Zainab A, Nordin A, Abd Majid ND, et al.
    Med J Malaysia, 2020 11;75(6):691-697.
    PMID: 33219179
    INTRODUCTION: The quality of information and efficiency in the practice and care environments are important aspects of nursing care. The use of a reliable and valid scale can monitor the quality of handover and provide information for continuous improvement of practice. This study aims to describe the perception of nurses, on the domains of quality of information, efficiency, interaction and support and patient involvement.

    METHOD: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted among 450 nurses from 37 wards in Hospital Kuala Lumpur. Nurses on shift duty were recruited by convenience sampling from the Medical, Surgery, Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Orthopaedic and Paediatric wards. Using a validated questionnaire (Handover Evaluation Scale), nurses self-rated their perceptions using a 7-point scale and provided open-ended responses to the strengths and challenges that they faced. Descriptive and inferential analyses were done while open-ended questions were summarised based on key themes.

    RESULTS: A total of 414 nurses completed the survey (92.0% response rate). Nurses had an overall mean (SD) perception score of 5.01 (SD 0.56). They perceived good interaction and support during handover and on the quality of information that they received, with mean scores of 5.54 (SD 0.79) and 5.19 (SD 0.69), respectively. There was an association between the departments where the nurses worked and their overall perceptions on nursing handover (p<0.001). Interruptions being the most common theme emerged from the open-ended section.

    CONCLUSION: Despite having substantial interaction and support amongst nurses, opportunities for improvements were noted. Improvements in the quality of handover information and reducing interruptions should be the main emphases as these were perceived to be essential in the current handover practices by nurses.

  15. Mohd Zain MZ, Ismail NH, Ahmad N, Sulong S, Karsani SA, Abdul Majid N
    Mol Biol Rep, 2020 Oct;47(10):7735-7743.
    PMID: 32959195 DOI: 10.1007/s11033-020-05848-y
    Telomerase is a cancer promoting ribonucleoprotein complex and is a potential therapeutic target for cancer. In this study, the effects of telomerase downregulation on the whole cell proteome were investigated. Understanding how the effect of downregulation on the whole proteome profile will generate a greater understanding of the possible roles played by telomerase in cancer. Downregulation was achieved by RNA interference (RNAi), targeting the telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) subunits of telomerase. Transfection of TERT siRNA downregulates TERT gene expression and induced downregulation of telomerase activity. Investigation of the effect of silencing TERT in telomerase was further validated through proteomic analysis by performing 2-dimension electrophoresis (2DE) coupled with MALDI-TOF/TOF. 12 protein spots in HeLa cells were reported to be significantly differentially expressed with 11 of them were upregulated and 1 downregulated. Through STRING analysis, differentially expressed proteins demonstrated strong associations with endoplasmic reticulum stress marker and mitochondrial energy production marker. In conclusions, the result exhibited novel integrated proteomic response involving endoplasmic reticulum stress and mitochondrial energy production in response to the TERT downregulation in cervical cancer cells.
  16. Abd Majid N, Rainis R, Sahani M, Mohamed AF, Abdul Ghani Aziz SA, Muhamad Nazi N
    Geospat Health, 2021 03 11;16(1).
    PMID: 33706498 DOI: 10.4081/gh.2021.915
    In recent decades, dengue outbreaks have become increasingly common around the developing countries, including Malaysia. Thus, it is essential for rural as well as urbanised livelihood to understand the distribution pattern of this infection. The objective of this study is to determine the trend of dengue cases reported from the year 2014 to 2018 and the spatial pattern for this spread. Spatial statistical analyses conducted found that the distribution pattern and spatial mean centre for dengue cases were clustered in the eastern part of the Bangi region. Directional distribution observed that the elongated polygon of dengue cluster stretched from the Northeast to the Southwest of Bangi District. The standard distance observed for dengue cases was smallest in the year 2014 (0.017 m), and largest in 2016 (0.019 m), whereas in the year 2015, 2017 and 2018, it measured 0.018 m. The average nearest neighbour analysis also displayed clustered patterns for dengue cases in the Bangi District. The three spatial statistical analyses (spatial mean centre, standard distance and directional distribution) findings illustrate that the dengue cases from the year 2014 to 2018 are clustered in the Northeast to the Southwest of the study region.
  17. Parveez GK, Masri MM, Zainal A, Majid NA, Yunus AM, Fadilah HH, et al.
    Biochem Soc Trans, 2000 Dec;28(6):969-72.
    PMID: 11171275
    Oil palm is an important economic crop for Malaysia. Genetic engineering could be applied to produce transgenic oil palms with high value-added fatty acids and novel products to ensure the sustainability of the palm oil industry. Establishment of a reliable transformation and regeneration system is essential for genetic engineering. Biolistic was initially chosen as the method for oil palm transformation as it has been the most successful method for monocotyledons to date. Optimization of physical and biological parameters, including testing of promoters and selective agents, was carried out as a prerequisite for stable transformation. This has resulted in the successful transfer of reporter genes into oil palm and the regeneration of transgenic oil palm, thus making it possible to improve the oil palm through genetic engineering. Besides application of the Biolistics method, studies on transformation mediated by Agrobacterium and utilization of the green fluorescent protein gene as a selectable marker gene have been initiated. Upon the development of a reliable transformation system, a number of useful targets are being projected for oil palm improvement. Among these targets are high-oleate and high-stearate oils, and the production of industrial feedstock such as biodegradable plastics. The efforts in oil palm genetic engineering are thus not targeted as commodity palm oil. Due to the long life cycle of the palm and the time taken to regenerate plants in tissue culture, it is envisaged that commercial planting of transgenic palms will not occur any earlier than the year 2020.
  18. Samad MA, Saiman MZ, Abdul Majid N, Karsani SA, Yaacob JS
    Molecules, 2021 Jan 13;26(2).
    PMID: 33450878 DOI: 10.3390/molecules26020376
    Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the most common cancer among males and females, which is associated with the increment of telomerase level and activity. Some plant-derived compounds are telomerase inhibitors that have the potential to decrease telomerase activity and/or level in various cancer cell lines. Unfortunately, a deeper understanding of the effects of telomerase inhibitor compound(s) on CRC cells is still lacking. Therefore, in this study, the aspects of telomerase inhibitors on a CRC cell line (HCT 116) were investigated. Screening on HCT 116 at 48 h showed that berberine (10.30 ± 0.89 µg/mL) is the most effective (lowest IC50 value) telomerase inhibitor compared to boldine (37.87 ± 3.12 µg/mL) and silymarin (>200 µg/mL). Further analyses exhibited that berberine treatment caused G0/G1 phase arrest at 48 h due to high cyclin D1 (CCND1) and low cyclin-dependent kinase 4 (CDK4) protein and mRNA levels, simultaneous downregulation of human telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) mRNA and human telomerase RNA component (TERC) levels, as well as a decrease in the TERT protein level and telomerase activity. The effect of berberine treatment on the cell cycle was time dependent as it resulted in a delayed cell cycle and doubling time by 2.18-fold. Telomerase activity and level was significantly decreased, and telomere erosion followed suit. In summary, our findings suggested that berberine could decrease telomerase activity and level of HCT 116, which in turn inhibits the proliferative ability of the cells.
  19. Golbabapour S, Hajrezaie M, Hassandarvish P, Abdul Majid N, Hadi AHA, Nordin N, et al.
    Biomed Res Int, 2018;2018:1509057.
    PMID: 30515386 DOI: 10.1155/2018/1509057
    [This corrects the article DOI: 10.1155/2013/974185.].
  20. Osman HA, Hasan H, Suppian R, Hassan S, Andee DZ, Abdul Majid N, et al.
    Turk J Med Sci, 2015;45(4):940-6.
    PMID: 26422871
    BACKGROUND/AIM: The severity of disease outcome in dyspepsia has been attributed to Helicobacter pylori virulence genes. The aim of this study was to determine the distribution of H. pylori virulence genes (cagA, babA2, and dupA) and to determine whether or not there arises a significant correlation with clinical dyspepsia outcomes.

    MATERIALS AND METHODS: H. pylori genotypes cagA, babA2, and dupA were identified by polymerase chain reactions from gastric biopsy samples in 105 H. pylori-positive patients.

    RESULTS: The positive rates for cagA, babA2, and dupA genes in H. pylori dyspeptic patients were 69.5%, 41.0%, and 22.9%, respectivel cagA was more prevalent in Indians (39.7%), babA2 was more prevalent in Malays (39.5%), and dupA detection occurred more frequently in both Indians and Malays and at the same rate (37.5%). The Chinese inhabitants had the lowest prevalence of the three genes. Nonulcer disease patients had a significantly higher distribution of cagA (76.7%), babA2 (74.4%), and dupA (75.0%). There was no apparent association between these virulence genes and the clinical outcomes.

    CONCLUSION: The lower prevalence of these genes and variations among different ethnicities implies that the strains are geographically and ethnically dependent. None of the virulence genes were knowingly beneficial in predicting the clinical outcome of H. pylori infection in our subjects.

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