A neurodegenerative disease is caused by the progressive loss of structure or function of neurons, in the process known as neurodegeneration. Such neuronal damage may ultimately involve cell death. Neurodegenerative diseases include amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, multiple sclerosis, Parkinsons disease, Alzheimers disease, Huntingtons disease, multiple system atrophy, and prion diseases. Neurodegeneration can be found in the brain at many different levels of neuronal circuitry, ranging from molecular to systemic. Because there is no known way to reverse the progressive degeneration of neurons, these diseases are considered to be incurable; however research has shown that the two major contributing factors to neurodegeneration are oxidative stress and inflammation. Biomedical research has revealed many similarities between these diseases at the subcellular level, including atypical protein assemblies (like proteinopathy) and induced cell death. These similarities suggest that therapeutic advances against one neurodegenerative disease might ameliorate other diseases as well. Within neurodegenerative diseases, it is estimated that 55 million people worldwide had dementia in 2019, and that by 2050 this figure will increase to 139 million people. Specific disorders
Alzheimers disease
Alzheimers disease (AD) is a chronic neurodegenerative disease that results in the loss of neurons and synapses in the cerebral cortex and certain subcortical structures, resulting in gross atrophy of the temporal lobe, parietal lobe, and parts of the frontal cortex and cingulate gyrus. It is the most common neurodegenerative disease. Even with billions of dollars being used to find a treatment for Alzheimers disease, no effective treatments have been found.
Thiotepa (INN), sold under the brand name Tepadina, is a medication used to treat cancer.Thiotepa is an organophosphorus compound with the formula (C2H4N)3PS. It is an analog of N,N′,N′′-triethylenephosphoramide (TEPA), which contains tetrahedral phosphorus and is structurally akin to phosphate. It is manufactured by heating aziridine with thiophosphoryl chloride. Medical uses
Thiotepa is indicated for use in combination with other chemotherapy agents to treat cancer. This can be with or without total body irradiation (TBI), as a conditioning treatment prior to allogeneic or autologous hematopoietic progenitor cell transplantation (HPCT) in hematological diseases in adults and children. These diseases include Hodgkins disease and leukaemia. Thiotepa is also used with high-dose chemotherapy with HPCT support to treat certain solid tumors in adult and children.Thiotepa is used in the palliation of many neoplastic diseases. The best results are found in the treatment of adenocarcinoma of the breast, adenocarcinoma of the ovary, papillary thyroid cancer and bladder cancer. Thiotepa is used to control intracavitary effusions caused by serosal neoplastic deposits. Intravesical use
Thiotepa is used as intravesical chemotherapy in bladder cancer.It may be used prophylactically to prevent seeding of tumor cells at cystoscopic biopsy; as an adjunctive agent at the time of biopsy; or as a therapeutic agent to prevent recurrence after cystoscopic resection of bladder tumor (transurethral resection of bladder tumor, TURBT). Efficacy in tumor control may reach 55%. The main toxicity of this therapy is bone marrow suppression due to systemic absorption of the drug.