Basic Science and Pathogenesis.

Background: Ambroxol is an expectorant under study as a treatment for synucleinopathies, such as Parkinson's disease. It is a pharmacological chaperone of the lysosomal enzyme β-glucocerebrosidase (GCase), increasing this enzyme and subsequently reducing accumulation of alpha-synuclein. Although the mechanism of enhanced clearance is not fully understood, ambroxol stimulates lysosomal function through activation of transcription factor EB (TFEB), which drives hundreds of lysosomal genes.

A 20-Year Review of Biomechanical Experimental Studies on Spine Implants Used for Percutaneous Surgical Repair of Vertebral Compression Fractures.

A vertebral compression fracture (VCF) is an injury to a vertebra of the spine affecting the cortical walls and/or middle cancellous section. The most common risk factor for a VCF is osteoporosis, thus predisposing the elderly and postmenopausal women to this injury. Clinical consequences include loss of vertebral height, kyphotic deformity, altered stance, back pain, reduced mobility, reduced abdominal space, and reduced thoracic space, as well as early mortality.