#amiloid

• Alzheimer's — The name of a progressive and irreversible neurodegenerative disease, representing the most common cause of dementia in older adults, clinically characterized by memory loss, severe cognitive decline, and behavioral changes; a medical eponym structurally named in honor of the German psychiatrist and neuropathologist Alois Alzheimer. This condition is pathologically marked by the accumulation of beta-amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles in brain tissue, leading to neuronal destruction and cortical atrophy.
• Amyloid — An insoluble protein macromolecular aggregate with a pathological fibrillar structure folded into beta-sheets, which abnormally deposits in the intercellular spaces of various organs and tissues. Although its historical name suggests a resemblance to starch due to its specific staining reaction with iodine, amyloid is composed of conformationally altered proteins and is directly responsible for the onset and progression of amyloidosis and severe neurodegenerative disorders, such as Alzheimer's disease.
• Amyloid — The feminine form of the adjective 'amiloid', used to describe a substance, degeneration, senile plaque, or organic infiltration that exhibits the structural, physicochemical, or tinctorial characteristics of amyloid. It is frequently encountered in established medical phrases such as 'amyloid substance' or 'amyloid plaque', indicating the presence of pathological protein polymers.
• Amyloidosis — A systemic or localized metabolic and progressive disorder characterized by the abnormal deposition of amyloid (faultily folded insoluble proteins in beta-sheets) within the extracellular spaces of vital organs, such as the kidneys, heart, liver, or nervous system. This structural accumulation causes progressive atrophy of the cellular parenchyma and severe dysfunctions or organ failures, classified into primary, secondary, hereditary, or aging-associated forms.