JP7248239B2 - Skin Injury Inspection Device, Skin Injury Inspection System - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an inspection device and an inspection system for inspecting the presence or absence of injury in the skin of a living body.

Conventionally, in the field of medical care and nursing care, how to deal with pressure ulcers in bedridden patients has been an issue. Pressure ulcers are ischemic necrosis of the skin and subcutaneous tissue caused by prolonged or frequent application (pressure and rubbing force). Commonly seen.

Pressure ulcers are in various stages from reddening of the skin, covering all skin layers, to necrosis of the subcutaneous muscle tissue. If the ulcer progresses severely, treatment requires a great deal of medical effort and cost. For this reason, it is very important to detect the occurrence of pressure ulcers at an early stage of reddening and to take appropriate measures. However, there is a problem that it is very difficult to distinguish redness in the early stages of a pressure ulcer from redness that disappears (blood congested) and worsening redness.

Conventionally known methods for judging whether or not the redness has disappeared (that is, whether or not the site is a pressure ulcer) include the finger pressing method and the glass plate pressure diagnosis method. Specifically, in the finger pressing method, the reddish area is pressed with a finger for 3 seconds, and it is observed whether it turns white. Judgment of redness, that is, decubitus ulcer. In the glass plate method, when a transparent plate is applied to the reddened part and lightly pressed, if the reddened part turns white, it is judged to be a decubitus ulcer.

Such a method can be easily performed, but both treatment and judgment depend on the individual. There is a problem that it is unclear whether or not In addition, there is a problem that it is not possible to keep a record of the pressing force, the degree of redness, etc. when the treatment is performed.

On the other hand, using the light absorption of hemoglobin in blood, the area to be inspected (redness) is irradiated with so-called blue light and photographed, and the difference in the presence and intensity of shadows in the redness in the photographed image. It has been proposed to determine the progress of a pressure ulcer by using the method (eg, Patent Documents 1 and 2).

JP 2017-104506 A Utility Model Registration No. 3211867

According to the methods disclosed in the above-mentioned patent documents, the above-described problems of the finger pressing method and the glass disc pressure diagnosis method are resolved, and even a person without specialized medical knowledge can make a diagnosis. However, simply irradiating a reddish area with blue light and photographing it may leave congested blood as noise in the photographed image, which may adversely affect accurate diagnosis. rice field.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the problems described above, an object of the present invention is to provide a technique capable of early and accurate detection of injury in the skin of a living body.

In order to solve the above-described problems, an inspection apparatus according to the present invention is an apparatus for inspecting injury in the skin of a living body, comprising a translucent plate-like member and a plate-like member extending from one thickness direction to the other in the thickness direction of the plate-like member. a first light source that irradiates white light, a second light source that irradiates blue light in the same direction as the direction in which the first light source irradiates the white light, and the first light source and the second light source and a photographing means having sensitivity to irradiated light and arranged to receive reflected light of the light irradiated from the first light source and the second light source.

The term “blue light” used herein is a term that means light in the short wavelength region of the near-ultraviolet region and visible light, and includes light in the wavelength region of 320 nm to 450 nm, for example. However, it is not limited to light within the wavelength range of 320 nm to 450 nm.

According to such a configuration, by performing the glass plate diagnosis method while irradiating both white light and blue light, it is possible to detect the presence or absence of redness disappearance due to pressure on the inspection site and the shadow due to the blue light image. A combined inspection can be performed. This makes it possible to accurately detect pressure ulcers at an early stage by suppressing the state (that is, noise) that would appear to be pressure ulcers in blue light transmission images alone, even if the redness disappears when pressure is applied. Become.

Moreover, the inspection device may further include a pressure sensor that measures the load in the thickness direction of the plate member.

Further, the inspection device includes a spring that is arranged to expand and contract in the thickness direction of the plate-like member, and that contracts to the limit when the load in the thickness direction of the plate-like member reaches a predetermined value. may be

The inspection apparatus may further include pressure value output means for outputting the value measured by the pressure sensor and/or image output means for outputting the image captured by the imaging means. .

Moreover, the inspection apparatus may further include communication means capable of transmitting at least the image photographed by the photographing means.

Moreover, the inspection apparatus may further include storage means capable of recording at least the image photographed by the photographing means.

Moreover, the inspection apparatus may further include image analysis means for determining the presence or absence and degree of injury in the skin at the location indicated by the image, based on the image captured by the image capturing means.

Further, the determination by the image analysis means is performed by a trained model that uses at least the image captured by the image capturing means and the diagnostic result of the presence and degree of injury in the skin at the location indicated by the image as teacher data. may be done.

The present invention can also be understood as a living body intra-skin injury inspection system including the inspection device described above.

Each of the above configurations and processes can be combined to form the present invention as long as there is no technical contradiction.

ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the technique which can detect the injury in the skin of a living body early and accurately can be provided.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an outline of a configuration example of an intra-skin injury inspection system according to Embodiment 1. FIG. FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram showing an outline of the functional configuration of the intraskin injury inspection system according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of an inspection apparatus according to Embodiment 1; FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a light source and camera arrangement relationship of the inspection apparatus according to the first embodiment. FIG. 5 is a flow chart showing the flow of inspection using the intraskin injury inspection system according to the first embodiment. 6A is a diagram showing the appearance of an inspection apparatus according to Embodiment 2. FIG. 6B is a functional block diagram illustrating an example of functions of the inspection apparatus according to the second embodiment; FIG. 7A is a diagram showing the appearance of an inspection apparatus according to a modification of Embodiment 2. FIG. 7B is a functional block diagram illustrating an example of functions of an inspection apparatus according to a modification of the second embodiment; FIG. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an outline of a configuration example of an intra-skin injury inspection system according to the third embodiment.

Hereinafter, specific embodiments of the present invention will be described based on the drawings.

<Embodiment 1>
First, a first example of an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4. FIG. However, unless otherwise specified, the dimensions, materials, shapes, relative positions, etc. of the components described in this embodiment are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention.

(System configuration)
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an outline of a configuration example of an in-skin injury inspection system 1 according to the present embodiment, and FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram showing an outline of a functional configuration of the in-skin injury inspection system 1. As shown in FIG. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 , the intraskin injury inspection system 1 includes an inspection device 100 , a control unit 200 and an information processing terminal 300 . The inspection apparatus 100, the control unit 200, and the information processing terminal 300 are communicably connected by communication lines. At least one of the control unit 200 and the information processing terminal 300 is also electrically connected to the inspection apparatus 100 by an electric line, and the inspection apparatus 100 is supplied with power through the electric line. receive.

(Inspection device)
The inspection apparatus 100 is an apparatus used to inspect the presence or absence and/or the degree of injury in the skin of a living body, and includes an imaging unit 110, a pressure sensor 120, a white light source unit 130, a blue light source unit 140, It is configured including the functional units of the communication unit 150 .

FIG. 3 is an exploded view explaining the structure of the inspection device 100. As shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 3, an inspection apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment generally includes a colorless and transparent glass plate 101, a glass holder 102 for holding the glass plate 101, a pressure sensor holding section 103 containing a pressure sensor, and a white light source section 130. and a light source circuit 104 including a blue light source unit 140, a camera 105 as a photographing means, a camera holder 106 for holding the camera 105, a device holder 107 for holding the components of the inspection apparatus 100, and a cap 108. ing. A cable port 109 is provided in the cap 108 , and communication lines and electric wires connected to the camera 105 , the light source circuit 104 , and the pressure sensor holding portion 103 are inserted through the cable port 109 .

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the inspection apparatus 100 viewed from the glass plate 101 side, and shows the positional relationship between the camera 105 and the white light source section 130 and the blue light source section 140 provided in the light source circuit 104. FIG. there is

Note that the camera 105 corresponds to the imaging unit 110, and a known camera such as a CCD camera can be used, but as will be described later, it is necessary to have an imaging device sensitive to blue light.

A pressure sensor 120 is provided in the pressure sensor holding portion 103 to measure the load in the thickness direction of the glass plate 101 . Although the type of sensor is not particularly limited, for example, a load cell using a metal strain gauge can be used.

The white light source unit 130 is a light source that emits white visible light, and the blue light light source unit 140 is a light source that emits blue light (for example, light in a wavelength range of 320 nm to 450 nm, preferably light of 405 nm). Known light-emitting means such as Emitting Diode) can be employed. As shown in FIG. 4, both the white light source unit 130 and the blue light source unit 140 are arranged in the light source circuit 104 and irradiate the glass plate 101 with light. In addition, in this embodiment, the white light source unit 130 corresponds to the first light source, and the blue light source unit 140 corresponds to the second light source.

The communication unit 150 transmits and receives information to and from the control unit 200 and the information processing terminal 300 via communication lines. Specifically, for example, the captured image data acquired by the imaging unit 110 is transmitted to the information processing terminal 300 and the pressure value acquired by the pressure sensor 120 is transmitted to the control unit 200 . It also receives control of light emission from each light source from the control unit 200 .

(control unit)
As shown in FIG. 2, the control unit 200 includes a control unit 210, a pressure value display unit 220, a white light control unit 230, a blue light control unit 240, a communication unit 250, and a storage unit 260. The control unit 200 can be configured as a computer including a CPU (Central Processing Unit), RAM (Random Access Memory), ROM (Read Only Memory), etc. (none of which are shown). correspond to Also, the RAM and ROM correspond to the storage unit 260 . The control section 210 controls each section of the control unit 200 and the inspection apparatus 100 .

The pressure value display unit 220 displays the pressure value measured by the pressure sensor 120 in real time. In addition, the white light adjustment unit 230 and the blue light adjustment unit 240 receive input from the user to turn ON/OFF the light emission of the corresponding light sources and adjust the light emission intensity. Also, the communication unit 250 transmits and receives information to and from the inspection apparatus 100 as described above via the communication line.

(Information processing terminal)
The information processing terminal 300 includes a control section 310 , an image display section 320 , an input section 330 , a storage section 340 and a communication section 350 . The information processing terminal 300 can be configured as a computer including a CPU, RAM, ROM, etc., and can employ a general-purpose information processing device such as a personal computer.

The control unit 310 controls each unit of the information processing terminal 300 . Also, the image display unit 320 is an output device that displays the image data acquired by the imaging unit 120, and can employ, for example, a liquid crystal display monitor. Note that the image data is received via the communication unit 350 .

The input unit 330 is various input means for accepting user operations on the information processing terminal 300, and can employ desired known input means such as a keyboard, mouse, and touch panel display (none of which are shown). .

Storage unit 340 is configured by a large-capacity storage device such as RAM, ROM, or HDD (Hard Disk Drive), and stores image data and the like received by communication unit 350 according to user instructions.

(Skin Injury Inspection Using System)
Next, based on FIG. 5, a method of inspecting an intra-skin injury of a living body using the intra-skin injury inspection system 1 according to the present embodiment will be described. In the following description, the test site is a site suspected of having an early pressure ulcer in the subject, but the test object of the present invention is not limited to the pressure ulcer.

FIG. 5 is a flow chart showing the flow of inspection of a skin lesion of a living body by the skin lesion inspection system 1 according to this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 5, first, the inspector presses the glass plate 101 of the inspection apparatus 100 against the inspection site of the subject to lightly press the inspection site (step S101). Next, the inspector checks the pressure value display section 220 of the control unit 200 while pressing the inspection apparatus 100, and adjusts the pressing force so that the pressure value becomes an appropriate value (step S102).

If the pressing force is too weak, the congested blood cannot be completely discharged, and there is a risk of a false positive result of residual redness, and the significance of pressing is diminished. On the other hand, if the pressing force is too strong, part of the bleeding will be forcibly pushed out to the surroundings and become white in early decubitus ulcers and intracutaneous injuries in the pre-stage thereof, which may result in false negatives and unnecessarily aggravate wounds. There is fear. For this reason, it is preferable to obtain an appropriate pressure value in advance, for example, through an experiment using a conventional glass plate compression method.

Subsequently, the inspector irradiates the inspected portion with light in each wavelength region from the white light source unit 130 and the blue light light source unit 140 (step S103). As a result, each irradiation light passes through the glass plate 101 and reaches the inspection point. The photographing unit 110 photographs the inspection area irradiated with the light in this way (step S104). At this time, since the photographed image is displayed on the image display unit 320 of the information terminal, the inspector (or the person who assists the inspection) operates the control unit 200 as necessary to adjust the intensity of illumination of each light source. should be adjusted.

Then, the examiner determines the presence or absence of a pressure ulcer and its degree at the inspection location based on the image of the inspection location that is pressed with appropriate pressure and illuminated with white light and blue light as described above (step S105). .

It should be noted that in the flow of the inspection described above, the order of the processes in step S102 and step S103 may be reversed. Note that the photographing by the photographing unit 110 (step S104) may also be performed all the time.

With the configuration of the intra-skin injury inspection system 1 according to the present embodiment as described above, the inspection site is irradiated with blue light and white light after removing congested blood by pressing the inspection site with an appropriate pressure. image can be obtained, it is possible to inspect the injury in the skin using an image with less noise. Therefore, an injury in the skin of the living body can be detected early and accurately.

<Embodiment 2>
Next, another embodiment of the present invention will be described based on FIG. FIG. 6A is a schematic diagram showing the appearance of an inspection apparatus 500 according to this embodiment, and FIG. 6B is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the inspection apparatus 500 according to this embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 6, an inspection apparatus 500 according to this embodiment includes a main body 501 with a handle 502 and a glass plate 503 on the side opposite to the handle 502 . In addition, the inspection apparatus 500 includes a control unit 510, an imaging unit 520, a pressure sensor 530, a white light source unit 541, a blue light source unit 542, a wireless communication unit 550, a pressure value display unit 560, a power supply unit 570, an input unit 580, Each function part is included.

Among these components, the photographing unit 520, the pressure sensor 530, the white light source unit 541, and the blue light source unit 542 have the same functions and configurations as the inspection apparatus 100 of the first embodiment. detailed description is omitted.

The control unit 510 is configured by a CPU (not shown) or the like, and controls each unit of the inspection apparatus 500 . Also, the wireless communication unit 550 performs information communication with an information processing terminal (not shown), other devices, etc. by a wireless communication method. Specifically, the image captured by the imaging unit 520 may be transmitted to an external display device or the like, and the image of the inspection location may be displayed on the display device. As the wireless communication method, known methods such as Bluetooth (registered trademark), Wi-Fi (registered trademark), infrared communication, etc. can be adopted, and the wireless communication unit 550 supports each wireless communication method. antenna.

The pressure value display unit 560 displays the pressure value measured by the pressure sensor 530 in real time. Also, the power source unit 570 is a power source that supplies power to each unit of the inspection apparatus 500, and a portable battery such as a dry battery or a storage battery can be employed. Also, a terminal that can be electrically connected to an external power supply may be provided.

Further, the input unit 580 is an operation unit that receives user input regarding power ON/OFF of the inspection apparatus 500 itself, power ON/OFF of the light emission of the white light source unit 541 and the blue light light source unit 542, adjustment of light intensity, and the like. , and desired switches, buttons, and the like can be employed. Alternatively, a touch panel display may be employed to serve as the pressure value display unit 560 as well.

When inspecting an injury in the skin of a living body using the inspection apparatus 500 according to this embodiment, the handle 502 is gripped and the glass plate 503 is pressed against the inspection site. Then, the pressure value display section 560 is checked, and the pressing force is adjusted so that the pressure value becomes an appropriate value. Subsequently, light is emitted from the white light source unit 541 and the blue light source unit 542 toward the inspected location, and the photographing unit 520 captures an image of the inspected location irradiated with the light. Since the captured image is transmitted to an external display device (not shown) by the wireless communication unit 550, the examiner refers to the image to determine the presence or absence of injury in the skin and its degree.

As described above, the inspection apparatus 500 according to this embodiment has a configuration in which all the configurations of the control unit 200 according to the first embodiment are incorporated. For this reason, equipment necessary for inspection can be omitted, and an inspection system excellent in portability can be configured.

(Modification)
Next, based on FIG. 7, a modified example of the inspection apparatus of Embodiment 2 will be described. FIG. 7A is a schematic diagram showing the appearance of an inspection device 600 according to this modification, and FIG. 7B is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the inspection device 600 according to this modification.

As shown in FIG. 7, an inspection device 600 according to this modification includes a gun-grip handle 603 on a main body 601, and a pressing portion 602 is provided on the opposite side of the handle 603 via a pressure sensor portion 630. It has Although not shown, the pressing portion 602 is provided with a glass plate, a light source circuit, and a camera.

The inspection apparatus 600 also includes a control unit 610, an imaging unit 620, a pressure sensor unit 630, a white light source unit 641, a blue light source unit 642, a wireless communication unit 650, a display unit 660, a storage unit 670, a power supply unit 680, an input unit. 690, including each functional unit.

The inspection apparatus 600 according to the present modification is significantly different from the inspection apparatus 500 of the second embodiment in terms of the form, the functions of the display unit 660, and the storage unit 670. different. Since other functional units are the same as those of the inspection apparatus 500, detailed description thereof will be omitted.

The display unit 660 of the inspection device 600 is different from the pressure value display unit 560 of the inspection device 500 in that it can display not only the pressure value but also the image data acquired by the imaging unit 620 . Moreover, the storage unit 670 can be configured by a ROM, a flash memory, or the like, and stores image data and the like acquired by the imaging unit 620 .

In other words, the inspection device 600 according to this modified example has all the functional configurations of the intraskin injury inspection system 1 according to the first embodiment. Therefore, the inspection can be completed only by the inspection apparatus 600, and the user's convenience can be greatly improved.

In addition, the inspection apparatus 600 according to this modification includes a gun-grip type handle 603, which is operated by pressing it in the direction of the white arrow in FIG. It is easy to use and can improve operability.

<Embodiment 3>
Next, still another embodiment of the present invention will be described based on FIG. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an outline of an intra-skin injury inspection system 2 according to this embodiment. The intra-skin injury inspection system 2 includes an inspection device 500, an image analysis device 700, and a doctor-side terminal 800, which are interconnected by a network N1. For the network N1, for example, a WAN (Wide Area Network), which is a worldwide public communication network such as the Internet, or another communication network may be adopted. Also, the network N1 may include a telephone communication network such as a mobile phone and a wireless communication network such as Wi-Fi.

Since the inspection apparatus 500 has the same configuration as that described in the second embodiment, description thereof is omitted. The image analysis apparatus 700 can be configured as a computer including a CPU, RAM, ROM, etc., and has a function of performing image analysis by AI learned by, for example, a deep learning method, as described later. A doctor-side terminal 800 is an information processing terminal that a doctor can access at any time. It may be a stationary terminal, but it may also be a portable terminal such as a notebook computer or a tablet terminal. Alternatively, an information processing terminal, such as a smart phone, that can be carried by a doctor at all times may be used.

In the skin injury inspection system 2, the image of the inspection object inspected using the inspection device 500 and the pressure value at the time of inspection are sent to the image analysis device 700 and/or the doctor side terminal 800 via the network N1. sent.

The image analysis apparatus 700 uses a plurality of images (hereinafter also referred to as already-examined images) of inspection locations for which inspection results have been obtained in advance (for example, a doctor's diagnosis has been confirmed), and extracts feature amounts from the images. And, a trained model is implemented that performs machine learning using test results (presence and degree of injury in the skin) as teacher data. Note that the pressure value at the time of image acquisition may also be used as teacher data.

Specifically, the above learned model is for causing a computer to output quantified values regarding the presence and degree of injury in the skin based on the input inspection image. It consists of a neural network and a second neural network coupled to receive the output from the first neural network.

The image analysis apparatus 700 uses input data (for example, the amount of pixels having a luminance value equal to or less than a predetermined value obtained from inspection image data) input to the input layer of the first neural network in accordance with instructions from the trained model. , calculations are performed based on the weighting coefficients and response functions that have already been learned in the first and second neural networks, and the results from the output layer of the second neural network (values quantified for the presence and extent of injury in the skin , for example, "Stage 2").

Then, the results output as described above are transmitted to the examination apparatus 500 and/or the doctor side terminal 800 via the network N1. It should be noted that the input data and the output results input at this time may be further used as teacher data to update the learned model.

By referring to the determination result of the image analysis apparatus 700, the person who treats and cares for the subject can obtain a guideline for response even in a situation where a doctor's diagnosis cannot be obtained. .

Also, the doctor-side terminal 800 receives the inspection image and the pressure value transmitted from the inspection device 500 and displays them based on the doctor's instructions. This enables the doctor to diagnose the presence or absence and degree of injury in the skin of the person to be inspected who is in a remote location, based on the inspection image and the pressure value.

The doctor's diagnosis result is transmitted to the examination device 500 and/or the image analysis device 700 via the network N1. The image analysis apparatus 700 can further use the diagnosis result and the image data of the diagnosis target, which are transmitted in this manner, as teacher data.

This will make it possible to seek a doctor's diagnosis regarding the presence and extent of skin injuries even in remote areas where there are no medical professionals, or when providing home medical care or nursing care. .

<Others>
The above description of each example is merely illustrative of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to the specific forms described above. Various modifications and combinations are possible for the present invention within the scope of its technical ideas.

For example, in each of the above-described embodiments, the pressure sensor measures the pressing force when the inspection device is pressed against the inspection location by the pressure sensor, and while referring to this value, it is possible to adjust the pressing force to an appropriate level. However, it is not always necessary to do it this way. Specifically, in place of the pressure sensor, or in combination with the pressure sensor, a spring having a spring constant that contracts to the limit when an appropriate pressure is applied may be provided. By doing so, the inspector can grasp that the appropriate pressure is being applied by the fact that the spring has fully contracted. Therefore, anyone can perform the inspection by applying appropriate pressure.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1, 2... Intraskin injury inspection system 100, 500, 600... Inspection apparatus 101, 503... Glass plate 102... Glass holder 103... Pressure sensor holding part 104... Light source circuit 105 ... camera 106 ... camera holder 107 ... device holder 108 ... cap 109 ... cable port 200 ... control unit 300 ... information processing terminal 501, 601 ... main body 502, 603 ... Handle 602 ... Pressing part 700 ... Image analysis device 800 ... Doctor side terminal

Claims (11)

An inspection device for inspecting the presence and degree of injury in the skin of a living body,
a plate-like member having translucency and used for pressing the inspection site of the subject ;
a first light source that irradiates white light from one side of the plate member to the other in the thickness direction;
a second light source that emits blue light in the same direction as the direction in which the first light source emits the white light;
a photographing means having sensitivity to the light emitted from the first light source and the second light source and arranged to receive reflected light of the light emitted from the first light source and the second light source;
inspection device. 2. The inspection apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a pressure sensor for measuring the load in the thickness direction of said plate member. 3. The inspection apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising pressure value output means for outputting the value measured by said pressure sensor. A spring arranged to expand and contract in the thickness direction of the plate-shaped member and contracting to the limit when the load in the thickness direction of the plate-shaped member reaches a predetermined value, The inspection device according to any one of claims 1 to 3. 5. The inspection apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising image output means for outputting an image photographed by said photographing means. 6. The inspection apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising communication means capable of transmitting at least the image photographed by said photographing means. 7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising image analysis means for determining, based on the image photographed by said photographing means, the presence or absence and degree of injury in the skin at the location indicated by said image. The inspection device according to item 1. The determination by the image analysis means is performed by a trained model using as training data at least images captured by the imaging means and diagnosis results regarding the presence or absence and degree of injury in the skin at locations indicated by the images. 8. The inspection apparatus according to claim 7, characterized by: The inspection apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the blue light is light in a wavelength range of 320 nm to 450 nm. An in-vivo skin damage inspection system comprising the inspection device according to any one of claims 1 to 9. 11. The method according to claim 10, further comprising an image analysis device for determining, based on an image captured by said imaging means of said inspection device, the presence or absence and degree of injury in the skin at a location indicated by said image. in-vivo skin injury inspection system.

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