Echolocating bats rely upon spectral interference patterns in echoes to reconstruct fine details of a reflecting object's shape. However, the acoustic modulations required to do this are extremely brief, raising questions about how their auditory cortex encodes and processes such rapid and fine spectrotemporal details. Here, we tested the hypothesis that biosonar target shape representation in the primary auditory cortex (A1) is more reliably encoded by changes in spike timing (latency) than spike rates and that latency is sufficiently precise to support a synchronization-based ensemble representation of this critical auditory object feature space. To test this, we measured how the spatiotemporal activation patterns of A1 changed when naturalistic spectral notches were inserted into echo mimic stimuli. Neurons tuned to notch frequencies were predicted to exhibit longer latencies and lower mean firing rates due to lower signal amplitudes at their preferred frequencies, and both were found to occur. Comparative analyses confirmed that significantly more information was recoverable from changes in spike times relative to concurrent changes in spike rates. With this data, we reconstructed spatiotemporal activation maps of A1 and estimated the level of emerging neuronal spike synchrony between cortical neurons tuned to different frequencies. The results support existing computational models, indicating that spectral interference patterns may be efficiently encoded by a cascading tonotopic sequence of neural synchronization patterns within an ensemble of network activity that relates to the physical features of the reflecting object surface.BACKGROUND Cardioversion is a safe, commonly used procedure throughout the world. It is performed over 30 000 times per year in the United States, specifically for atrial fibrillation. Procedural risks from cardioversion include clot dislodgement, sedation effects, site pain, burns, hypotension, dysrhythmias, or heart failure. Generally, back pain is considered to be simple muscle soreness, and cardioversion consents therefore do not include discussion of back injuries. CASE REPORT A 46-year-old man with no prior back pain or injury history underwent a planned synchronized cardioversion for atrial fibrillation. He immediately reported new back pain following the procedure. No unusual event such as a fall occurred near the time of the procedure, but upon evaluation, he was found to have a new lumbar compression fracture that caused incapacitating pain for more than 6 weeks. CONCLUSIONS Cardioversion has been found to be a safe, effective treatment for atrial fibrillation. Adverse effects are generally minor, and the frequency of adverse effects appear to be low overall. The case reported here represents a rare, but possibly underreported adverse effect, namely, lumbar compression fracture due to cardioversion. Patients should be counseled on the possibility of back injury, even compression fracture, as a result of cardioversion. https://www.selleckchem.com/products/Temsirolimus.html It would also be prudent to broaden the differential diagnosis possibilities should a patient complain of back pain after cardioversion.BACKGROUND Sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL) is currently treated with a combination of drugs, predominantly with glucocorticoids (GCs). However, the mechanisms of action of GCs in SSNHL are unknown. This study aimed to analyze the role of endoplasmic reticulum stress (ERS) in SSNHL pathogenesis and prognosis. MATERIAL AND METHODS In this study, we evaluated the expression and activation status of the protein kinase RNA-like endoplasmic reticulum kinase (PERK)-C/EBP homologous protein (CHOP) pathway in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from patients with SSNHL and compared them with those in healthy controls. We also compared differences in expression of activating transcription factor 4 (ATF4) and CHOP before and after glucocorticoid treatment in patients with improved and unimproved SSNHL. RESULTS Treatment with GCs significantly improved hearing in 55% of patients with SSNHL. Levels of phosphorylated PERK (p-PERK) and phosphorylated eukaryotic initiation factor 2alpha were increased in PBMCs from patients with SSNHL compared with healthy controls. ATF4 and CHOP expression were also significantly elevated. After treatment, the amount of ATF4 and CHOP proteins in PBMCs in the patients whose SSNHL improved was significantly reduced compared with the levels measured before treatment in all patients with SSNHL. The expression of the ATF4 and CHOP proteins in PBMCs in the unimproved group, however, was not significantly changed relative to pretreatment levels. CONCLUSIONS ERS may play a significant role in the pathogenesis of SSNHL, and the responsiveness of the condition to GC-mediated mitigation of ERS may be one of the key factors that affect patient prognosis.The epidemiology of maxillofacial fractures is variable in different geographic regions. Economic and social conditions, laws and types of behavior can be considered the most important factors influencing these differences.Mandibular fractures were first cited in 1650 BC in an Egyptian papyrus. Today, these fractures are one of the most prevalent facial skeletal injuries.A 4-year retrospective study was performed and the trauma - related data were collected from medical and radiological archives. The analysis comprised patients admitted for mandibular fracture at Sapienza University of Rome - Policlinico Umberto I between January 1, 2016 and December 31, 2019. The data include age, sex, etiology, anatomical sites of the fractures, eventual maxillofacial associated fractures and treatment.We collected 172 patients, 138 males (80.2%) and 34 females (19.8%) with 270 mandibular fractures. The average age was 35.4 years. The youngest and oldest patients were aged 6 and 90 years, respectively. The age group 20 to 2surgical strategy.The results of this analysis agree to other studies and provide important clinical information that will help in study of these injuries.Dorsal hump reduction is one of most commonly performed operations among Caucasian patients because of their nose anatomy. Dorsal preservation techniques in hump reduction are highly favorable, and recent studies have focused on dorsal preservation techniques. In the present research, the authors describe novel approaches for the push-down and let-down techniques in which the cartilage is totally preserved. According to the inclusion and exclusion criteria, the records of 48 patients were assessed (40 females and 8 males). Twenty-seven partial modificated push-down and 21 partial let-down techniques were performed. Participants completed the ROE questionnaire before surgery and at their 1-year follow-up control. The ROE scores before and 1 year after surgery were compared. The median ROE score was 60.0 points before surgery and 93.6 points 1 year after surgery. The ROE score was increased significantly (Pā€Šā€Š85). The present study is the first to show total cartilage preservation with let-down and push-down techniques.