Publications by authors named "K Simpkins"

Introduction: The future of training in second trimester surgical abortions with dilation and evacuation (D&E) procedures faces ongoing legal and political scrutiny; thus, adjuncts to standard clinical experiences are exceedingly important. We sought to build medical trainees' surgical familiarity with D&Es using a realistic simulation model.

Methods: The simulation began with an instructional video reviewing accessible and affordable materials used to build the fetal model (vaginal swabs, styrofoam ball, and putty) and the uterine model (collapsible water bottle).

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Food systems comprise interconnected webs of processes that together transform inputs (land, labour, water, nutrients and genetics, to mention just a few) into outputs such as nutrition and revenue for human societies. Perfect systems do not exist; rather, global food systems operate in the presence of hazards, biotic and abiotic alike, and under the constraint of limited resources to mitigate these hazards. There are, therefore, inefficiencies in these systems, which lead to losses in terms of monetary, nutritional, health and environmental values and create additional negative externalities in the health, social and environmental spaces.

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Although activation of calcium-activated neutral protease (calpain) by the NMDA receptor has been suggested to play critical roles in synaptic modulation and neurologic disease, the nature of its substrates has not been completely defined. In this study, we examined the ability of calpain to cleave the NMDA receptor in cultured hippocampal neurons. Activation of the NMDA receptor by agonist application led to rapid calpain-specific proteolysis of spectrin and decreased levels of NR2A/2B subunits.

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Two women on warfarin anticoagulation experienced urinary retention following urethral collagen bulk injections. Both women developed implant site hematomas, with urinary retention and intravesical hemorrhage. One woman was supratherapeutic and the other was therapeutic on warfarin therapy.

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