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250th anniversary of A Word about the Use of Chemistry (M. V. Lomonosov, 1751).
200th anniversary of proof that the pressure of gas mixture is equal to the sum of the partial pressures of the gases that are included in the mixture (Dalton's partial pressures law, 1801).
150th anniversary of On Uric Acid and Its Diagnostic Value (S. A. Smirnov, 1851).
125th anniversary of the elaboration a method for determination of urea (Borodin's method, 1876).
125th anniversary of the publication of the main principles of fermentation theory (L. Pasteur, 1876).
100th anniversary of the awarding of the first Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine to the German bacteriologist Emile von Behring “for work on serum therapy, mainly for its application in the treatment of diphtheria” (1901).
100th anniversary of the description of the adrenalin glycosuria (1901).
100th anniversary of the proposition of the doctrine of cell poisons--cytotoxins (I. I. Mechnikov, 1901).
100th anniversary of the development of adsorption chromatography (M. S. Tsvet, 1901-1903).
100th anniversary of the preparation of proline from casein hydrolyzate (E. Fischer, 1901).
100th anniversary of the elaboration of the theory of protein structure (E. Fischer, W. Hofmeister, 1901-1902).
100th anniversary of the development of nutrient media--“MacConkey's media” (A. Th. MacConkey, 1901).
100th anniversary of the isolation of adrenalin in purified crystalline form--the preparation of adrenal cortical substance (J. Takamine, 1901).
100th anniversary of the isolation of the sphingomyelins--complex lipids in which the amino alcohol sphingosine is an organic part (L. J. W. Thudichum, 1901).
100th anniversary of the development of the method of biological differentiation of blood proteins in man and animals on the basis of a precipitation reaction (P. Uhlenhuth, 1901).
75th anniversary of the determination of the structural formula of thyroxin (C. Harrington, 1926).
75th anniversary of the development of the santonin test (S. Ishikawa, 1926).
75th anniversary of the isolation of vitamin B1 in crystalline form (B. Jansen, W. Donath, 1926).
75th anniversary of the disclosure of the hormonal connection between the hypophysis and the cortical substance of adrenals (adrenocorticotropic hormone, P. Smith, 1926).
75th anniversary of the isolation of the urease in crystalline form and the proof of the protein nature of this enzyme (J. B. Sumner, 1926).
75th anniversary of the synthesis of a group of bile pigments (H. Wieland, 1926).
75th anniversary of “Uber den Stoffwechsel der Tumoren” (Changes of Substances in Tumors, O. Warburg, 1926).
75th anniversary of Biokhimicheskii Zhurnal (Biochemical Journal) (Kiev, 1926).
50th anniversary of the introduction of a method for quantitative determination of protein in solutions and biological fluids (O. H. Lowry, 1951).
50th anniversary of the determination of the existence of alpha-helices in proteins and of the structure of polypeptide chains of proteins (L. Pauling, R. Corey, 1951).
50th anniversary of the synthesis of cholesterol (R. Robinson, 1951).
50th anniversary of the preparation of bicillin (J. Szabo, C. Edwards, W. Bruce, 1951).
50th anniversary of the de novo synthesis of cortisone (R. B. Woodward, 1951).
50th anniversary of Protein Bodies, Metabolism, and Nervous Regulation (Kh. S. Koshtoyants, 1951).
50th anniversary of founding of the Central Institute for the Study of Pharmaceutical Drugs in Lakhnau (India, 1951).
January 4 - 100th anniversary of the birth of Russian microbiologist Nikolai Dmitrievich Jerusalimskii (1901-1967, born in Tula), Academician of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR. He formulated the kinetic theory of the regulation of the growth of microorganisms using mathematical modeling of processes of continuous cultivation of microorganisms and the scientific basis for the development of a series of microbiological industries. He suggested methods for cultivation of microorganism in flowing media that were used for the study of the physiology and production of vitamin B12 and of the conditions of spore formation and other processes. He was awarded the State Prize (1971, posthumously) for participation in the elaboration of the scientific bases of microbiological production of proteins from hydrocarbons of oil. Bibliography and literature: see Great Medical Encyclopedia, Third Edition.
January 11 - 100th anniversary of birth of the Russian biochemist Georgii Efimovich Vladimirov (1901-1960, born in Kharkov), Academician of the Academy of Medical Sciences of the USSR. His scientific works are devoted to the embryochemistry, to metabolism in rarefied atmospheres and hot climates, to the chemistry of blood, to antibiotics, to the functional biochemistry of brain and muscles, to the engineering of bioenergetic processes. He established some biochemical laws of embryonic development, revealed acclimatizing variations of metabolism, and its influence on it the muscular work. He discovered the connection between the hemoglobin exchange and vitamin C. He studied the relationship between the functional state of an organism and the rate of metabolic processes in organs (brain, muscles). He specified the magnitude of the hydrolytic energy of adenosine triphosphate, earlier identified by other authors, and experimentally determined its value. He improved methods for determination of penicillin, preparation of drugs with continuous action, and traced their destiny by their introduction into an organism. Bibliography and literature: see Great Medical Encyclopedia, Third Edition; V. S. Shabunin (1966) G. E. Vladimirov: a Brief Essay of Life and Activities [in Russian], Leningrad.
February 22 - 65th anniversary of the birth of John Bishop (1936), American virologist and biochemist. Together with H. Varmus he found in normal cells a new class of genes named protooncogenes, from which active viral oncogenes arise. He showed that cancer is an illness of the genome, a result of genetic variations caused by various influences (by viruses, physical or chemical carcinogens), which make more active the protooncogenes which are present in normal cells. He is a Nobel Laureate of Physiology and Medicine for basic research on the cellular mechanisms of oncogenesis (1989, together with H. Varmus). Bibliography: D. Siehelin, R. W. Guntaka, J. M. Bishop, H. E. Varmus (1976) J. Mol. Biol., 101, 349-366. Literature: The Nobel Prize Winners in 1989 (1990) Priroda, No. 1, 96-98.
February 25 - 75th anniversary of the death of English pharmacologist Arthur Cushny (1866-1926). His basic works are devoted to the study of kidney functions and the actions on the body of some medicinal preparations. He developed the filtration-resorption theory of the kidney formulated by K. Ludwig. He showed the dependence of pharmacological actions of glycosides on an organism from their chemical structure and physical characteristics. He revealed that two substances, identical in chemical structure but distinguished only by optical activity, can considerably differ in pharmacological action. He described the basis of the determination of the activities of medicinal substances and the antagonism of drugs. He made a major contribution to the study of the mechanism of action of alkaloids (gelsemine, sparteine, strychnine, aconitine, etc.). Bibliography and literature: see Great Medical Encyclopedia, Third Edition.
February 28 - 100th anniversary of the birth of American biochemist Linus Pauling (1901-1994), member of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA, foreign member of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR (1958). In 1928 he put forward the theory of resonance or hybridization of chemical bonds in aromatic compounds. In 1934, together with A. Mirsky, he formulated the theory of the structure and function of proteins. He initiated the study of atomic and molecular structures of proteins and amino acids using X-ray crystallography. In 1942, together with his colleagues, he changed the chemical structure of some proteins that were contained in a blood and known as globulins after producing the first artificial antibodies. In 1952 he proved that it is possible to distinguish between normal hemoglobin and hemoglobin taken from patients with sickle cell disease using electrophoresis--a method for separation of different proteins in mixtures. In 1954 he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Chemistry “for the study of the nature of the chemical bond and its application for the determination of the structure of compounds”. In 1963 he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Peace. Bibliography: The Architecture of Molecules (1964) S. F.-L. (together with R. Hayward); The Chemical Bond (1967) N. Y.; Structural Chemistry and Molecular Biology (1968). Literature: The Nobel Prize Winners, in The Encyclopedia: M-Ya (1992) Progress, Moscow; F. M. White (1980) Linus Pauling, Scientist and Crusader; Great Medical Encyclopedia and Great Soviet Encyclopedia, Third Edition.
February 25 - 75th anniversary of the death of the English pharmacologist Arthur Nushny (1866-1926). His basic works are devoted to the study of kidney,s functions and actions on an organism of some medicinal means. He developed the filtrational-resorptive theory of urination formulated by K.Ludwig. He showed the depen-dence of pharmacological action of glycosides on an organism from their chemical stru-cture and physical characteristics. He revealed, that two substances, identical on a chemical structure, but distinguished only by optical activity, can considerably differ on pharmacological action. He described the base of the activity determination of medicinal substances, and antagonism of drugs. He made a major contribution to the study of the mechanism of action of alkaloids (gelsemin, sparteine, strychnin, aconitine and etc.). Bibliography and literature: see Great Medical Encyclopedia: Third Edition.
February 28 - 100th anniversary of the birth of the American biochemist Linus Pauling (L.Pauling, 1901-1994), member of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA, foreign member of the Academie of Sciences of the USSR (1958). In 1928 he put forward the theory of a resonance or hybridization of chemical intercommunications in aromatic compounds. In 1934 together with A.Mirsky he formulated the theory of the structure and function of protein. He put the beginning of the study of atomic and molecular structures of proteins and amino acids with application of x-ray crystallography. In 1942 together with the colleagues he changed the chemical structure of some proteins, which were contained in a blood and known as globulins after the receiving the first artificial antibodies.In 1952 he proved, that it is possible to distinguish the normal haemoglobin and haemoglobin taken from the patients of sickle cell disease with the help of electrophoresis - the method of dividing different proteins in their mixture. In 1954 he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Chemistry «for the study of the nature of a chemical intercommunication and its application for the determination of the compound structure». In 1963 he was awarded the Nobel Prize for the Peace for the second time. Bibliography: The Architecture of Molecules (1964) S.F.-L (together with R.Hayward); The Chemical Bond (1967) N.Y; Structural Chemistry and Molecular Biology (1968). Literature: The Nobel prize winners, in The Encyclopedia: I-Ya (1992) Progress, Moscow; White F.M. (1980) Linus Pauling, Scientist and Crusader; Great Medical Encyclopedia and Great Soviet Encyclopedia, Third Edition.
March 27 - 25th anniversary of the death of the Russian biochemist Vitalii Sergeevich Il'in (1904-1976, born in the village Djambai of the Gur'ev district of the Ural Region), Academician of the Academy of Medical Sciences of the USSR. His basic studies are devoted to the analysis of the mechanisms of nervous and hormonal regulation of enzymatic processes in animal tissues. He revealed the participation of a hemolytic factor in the process of blood coagulation. He isolated a fibrinolytic enzyme (fibrinogenase) in the pure state and showed that the activity of this enzyme in blood is regulated by the nervous system. He discovered (together with G. V. Titova) the immediate influence of insulin and also a series of neurohypophyseal and steroidal hormones on the conformation of enzyme proteins and isolated the hormone enzyme complex insulin-hexokinase. He formulated the concept of the unitary influence of insulin on metabolism. He studied the biochemical basis of nerve trophics. Bibliography and literature: see Great Medical Encyclopedia, Third Edition; To the Memory of V. S. Il'in (1976) Zh. Evolyuts. Biokhim. Fiziol., No. 5, 397-398; V. S. Il'in (1976) Vopr. Med. Khim., No. 7, 572-573.
April 1 - 100th anniversary of the death of Francoi Raoult (1830-1901), French chemist and physicist, Corresponding Member of the Parisian Academy of Sciences (1890), Corresponding Member of the Petersburg Academy of Sciences (1899). In 1882 he discovered the law of freezing-point depression of solutions. In 1886 he discovered the laws and the quantitative dependences which connect the concentration of a solution with the pressure of saturated solvent vapor or with variation of the temperature of boiling (freezing) of solution (Raoult laws). Raoult's laws find wide application in biological and medical studies for measuring the osmotic pressure in biological fluids, etc. Bibliography: Cryoscopie (1901) Paris. Literature: Great Medical Encyclopedia, Third Edition, Vol. 22, p. 17; Vol. 26, p. 315; Great Soviet Encyclopedia, Third Edition.
April 1 - 100th anniversary of the death of Francoi Raoult (1830-1901), French chemist and physicist, Corresponding Member of the Parisian Academy of Sciences (1890), Corresponding Member of the Petersburg Academy of Sciences (1899). In 1882 he discovered the law of freezing solutions temperature fall. In 1886 he discovered the laws and the quantitative dependences which connect the concentration of solution with the pressure of saturated steam solvent or with variation of the temperature of boiling (freezing) of solution (Raoult laws). The Raoult laws find wide application in medicobiological studies by measuring of the osmotic pressure in biological fluids and etc. Bibliography: Cryoscopie (1901) Paris. Literature: Great Medical Encyclopedia, Third Edition, Vol. 22, p. 17; Vol. 26, p. 315; Great Soviet Encyclopedia, Third Edition.
April 6 - 90th anniversary of the birth of the German biochemist Feodor Lynen (1911-1979), member of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA (1962). He studied intermediate metabolism, the oxidation and biosynthesis of fatty acids, and the synthesis of cholesterol and rubber. He was the first to isolate acetyl-CoA from yeast (1951). Together with colleagues he explained the mechanism of the biosynthesis of fatty acids. In the course of the study of cholesterol biosynthesis, he showed that the formation of cholesterol begins with the condensation of two molecules of acetyl-CoA and further compounds. On the other hand, because the accumulation in cells of cholesterol takes place in the GMG-CoA-reductase system, the quantity of synthesized cholesterol diminishes. In 1964 he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Physiology and Medicine (together with K. Bloch) “for discoveries connected with the mechanism and regulation of the metabolism of cholesterol and fatty acids”. Bibliography: Biosynthesis of Saturated Fatty Acids (1961) Fed. Proc., 20, 941. Literature: The Nobel Prize Winners, in The Encyclopedia: A-L (1992) Progress, Moscow; Science (1963) October 23; Great Medical Encyclopedia, Third Edition.
April 17 - 25th anniversary of the death of the Danish biochemist Henrick Dam (1895-1976). He studied the biochemistry of sterols and the metabolism of cholesterol in chickens. In cooperation with P. Karrer, in 1935 he isolated the nutritious factor from the chlorophyll-containing fraction of green leaves, which was unknown earlier, and described it as lipid-soluble vitamin K. He discovered that the synthesis of prothrombin--the protein from which the enzyme thrombin is formed and which is necessary for forming of a thrombus--depends on vitamin K. He found that intestinal bacteria make vitamin K in animals and man and the bleed due to its absence in food rations are rare because of the sufficient quantity of vitamin K synthesized in the majority of healthy humans. For the discovery of vitamin K, he was awarded in 1943 the Nobel Prize for Physiology and Medicine together with E. Doisy. Later he continued the study of vitamins K and E, lipids, cholesterol, and the conditions of formation of gallbladder calculuses. Bibliography: Some Studies on Vitamin E (1933) Copenhagen; Some Studies on Vitamin E (1941) Copenhagen. Literature: The Nobel Prize Winners, in The Encyclopedia: A-L (1992) Progress, Moscow; Great Medical Encyclopedia, Third Edition; New York Times (1976) April 25.
May 18 - 100th anniversary of the birth of American biochemist Vincent du Vigneaud (1901-1978), member of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA. He investigated the chemical composition of insulin. He revealed the amino acid cystine in insulin crystals. In 1936 (together with colleagues) he synthesized glutathione, a tripeptide which contains the amino acids cysteine, glycine, and glutamic acid. He investigated the structure of biotin (1945). In 1946, together with colleagues, he elaborated a method for the synthesis of penicillin. He was the first to crystallize oxytocin (he also was the first to synthesize this polypeptide hormone). In 1955 he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Chemistry “for work with biologically active compounds and especially for the first synthesis of polypeptide hormones”. Bibliography: A Trail of Research in Sulfur Chemistry and Metabolism and Related Fields (1952) New York; The Synthesis of Oxytocin (1954) J. Amer. Chem. Soc., 76, 3115. Literature: The Nobel Prize Winners, in The Encyclopedia: A-L (1992) Progress, Moscow; New York Times (1978) December 12; Great Medical Encyclopedia, Third Edition.
May 31 - 25th anniversary of the death of the French biochemist Jacques Monod (1910-1976). During his experiments with Escherichia coli,he found in 1940 that cell energy is used first of all for processes of a biosynthesis instead of for maintenance of cellular structures. His primary activity involved the study of enzyme adaptation. With colleagues at the Pasteur Institute, he elaborated an experimental system for analysis of biochemical genetics of cells. Together with F. Jacob, he proved the existence of messenger RNA--RNA molecules bearing genetic information from nuclear DNA to the cytoplasm. He showed that DNA is organized in collections of genes called operons, which consist of structural genes leading and controlling the synthesis of cellular enzymes, and regulatory genes or operators. Together with F. Jacob he studied in detail the catabolic system of E. coli which cleaves lactose into glucose and galactose. In 1965 he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Physiology and Medicine “for discoveries concerning the genetic control of the synthesis of enzymes and viruses” (together with F. Jacob and A. Lwoff). From 1971 he was the director of the Pasteur Institute in Paris. Bibliography: Selected Papers in Molecular Biology (1978). Literature: The Nobel Prize Winners, in The Encyclopedia: I-Ya (1992) Progress, Moscow; Current Biography (1971) July; Great Soviet Encyclopedia, Third Edition; Great Medical Encyclopedia, Third Edition, Vol. 2, p. 467; Vol. 14, p. 148; Vol. 17, p. 343.
June 8 - 85th anniversary of the birth of English biophysicist Francis Crick (1916), member of the Royal Society of London and of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA. In 1953, together with James D. Watson, he revealed the nature of the DNA model. In 1961 (together with colleagues), he proposed a method for comparing the genetic code of three RNA types: messenger, ribosomal, and transfer. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Physiology and Medicine of 1962 “for discoveries concerning the molecular structure of nucleic acids and their significance for the transmission of information in living systems”. In his book Life Itself: Its Origin and Nature (1981) he noted the surprising resemblance of all forms of life, where (except for mitochondria) the genetic code is identical in all alive objects studied up to that time. In 1965 he proposed a hypothesis that allowed to elaborate the common principles of the structure of the genetic code and to explain the mechanisms of conformity of codons to amino acids. Bibliography: Of Molecules and Men (1966). Literature: The Nobel Prize Winners, in The Encyclopedia: A-L (1992) Progress, Moscow; P. Weintraub (ed.) (1984) The Omni Interviews; Great Medical Encyclopedia, Third Edition.
June 13 - 75th anniversary of the birth of Jerome Lejeune (1926), French pediatrician and geneticist, member of the Royal Medical Society of England. His basic scientific works are devoted to the questions of genetics and cytogenetics of humans. He established (1959) that Down's syndrome is caused by trisomy of the 21st chromosome pair. He first described cases of the translocation of chromosomes D/G (1959) and D/D (1960) and also the cat cry syndrome--the partial deletion of a short arm of the fifth pair of chromosomes (Lejeune's syndrome), a syndrome of partial monosomy of the 21st chromosome pair (1964), a syndrome of partial deletion of the long arm of the 18th chromosome pair (1966). In the co-authorship with his students, he described chromosomal human illnesses due to various forms of trisomy of chromosome pairs 4, 8, and 9. He was the author of a series of works comparing chromosomes of man and the anthropoid apes, this showing paths of evolution of the human karyotype; about the biochemical mechanisms of a mental retardation in Down's syndrome; and also about the new methods for studies of human chromosomes. Bibliography and literature: see Great Medical Encyclopedia, Third Edition.
June 13 - 75th anniversary of the birth of Jerome Lejeune (1926), French pediatrist and geneticist, member of the Royal Medical Society of England. The basic scientific works are devoted to the questions of genetics and cytogenetics of the man. He established (1959) that the mongolism is conditioned by a trisomy on chromosome of the 21th pair. For the first time he described the cases of the translocation of chromosomes D/G (1959) and D/D (1960), and also the syndrome of cat cry (Cridu-chat) - the partial deletion of a short shoulder of the fifth pair of chromosome (Lejeune,s syndrome), syndrome of the partial monosomy of the chromosome 21th pair (1964), syndrome of the partial deletion of a long shoulder of the 18th pair chromosome (1966). In the co-authorship with followers he described chromosomical men illnesses conditioned by the various forms of the trisomy of the chromosomes of pairs 4th, 8th, and 9th. He was the author of some series of works about the comparison of chromosomes of the man and anthropoid apes, which showed the ways of evolution of the men karyotype; about the biochemical mechanisms of a mental backwardness by the mongolism; and also about the new methods of men chromosomes studies. Bibliography and literature: see. Great Medical Encyclopedia, Third Edition.
June 25 - 90th anniversary of the birth of the American biochemist William Stein (1911-1980), member of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA. He analyzed amino acids found in various proteins, concentrating his main efforts on ribonuclease. Together with S. Moore, he established the sequence of amino acids in ribonuclease. In 1972 he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Chemistry “for contributions to elucidation of the connection between chemical structure and catalytic action of the active center of ribonuclease” (together with S. Moore and C. Anfinsen). Bibliography: The Composition of Elastin (1938). Literature: The Nobel Prize Winners, in The Encyclopedia: M-Ya (1992) Progress, Moscow; Science (1972) November 3; Great Medical Encyclopedia, Third Edition, Vol. 3, p. 206; Vol. 16, p. 20; Great Soviet Encyclopedia, Third Edition, Vol. 24, p. 398.
June 30 - 75th anniversary of the birth of the American biochemist Paul Berg (1926). He studied the chemical composition of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and ribonucleic acid (RNA). He investigated in detail the genes of procaryotes and also of simian virus 40 (SV40), which provokes the appearance of tumors in monkeys and is closely connected with polyoma. In 1980 he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Chemistry “for basic studies of the biochemical properties of nucleic acids, in particular recombinant DNA” (together with W. Gilbert and F. Sanger). He is member of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA. Bibliography: Computers in Schools (1985) (as a coauthor). Literature: The Nobel Prize Winners, in The Encyclopedia: A-L (1992) Progress, Moscow; Chemical Engineering News (1984) August 13.
July 14 - 200th anniversary of the birth of Johannes Müller (1801-1858), German naturalist, one of the founders of modern physiology, morphology, embryology, and experimental medicine. He was a member of the Prussian Academy of Sciences, foreign Corresponding member of the Petersburg Academy of Sciences. He made fundamental discoveries in the field of human physiology. He was one of the pioneers of comparative anatomy and embryology of man and animals. He was the founder of the Berlin scientific school. He proposed a classification of tumors (1838) which was similar to the modern classification. Independently of M. Hall, he formulated (1833) the principal propositions of the reflex activity of the spinal cord and myelencephalon. He was one of the first to investigate physiological chemistry, in particular the chemical composition of blood, lymph, and cartilage (he discovered chondrin). He is the author of a two-volume guide to physiology (1833-1840). He was the founder and editor of the journal Archiv fur Anatomie, Physiologie und Wissenschaftliche Medizin. Bibliography and literature: see Great Medical Encyclopedia, Third Edition.
July 19 - 80th anniversary of the birth of the American biophysicist Rosalyn S. Yalow (1921). Together with S. Berson, she elaborated the radioimmunological method (RIM) including the use of radioactive substances for measuring the contents of various substances in blood plasma and in other tissues. In 1959, together with S. Berson, she published a description of RIM. Her basic works are devoted to the radioimmunological determination of insulin, parathyroid hormone, gastrin, and corticotrophin in blood and endocrine gland tissues. In 1977 she was awarded the Nobel Prize for Physiology and Medicine “for the development of radioimmunological methods of determination of peptide hormones”. The prize was shared with R. Guillemin and A. Schally “for discoveries concerning synthesis of peptide hormones by the brain”. Bibliography: Immunoassay of Endogenous Plasma Insulin in Man (1960) J. Clin. Invest., 39, 1157 (with S. A. Berson); Methods in Radioimmunoassay of Peptide Hormones (1976) (as a coauthor). Literature: The Nobel Prize Winners, in The Encyclopedia: M-Ya (1992) Progress, Moscow; Current Biography (1978) July; Great Medical Encyclopedia, Third Edition, Vol. 21, p. 468; Great Soviet Encyclopedia, Third Edition, Vol. 30, p. 499.
August 11 - 75th anniversary of birth of English biochemist Aaron Klug (1926), member of the Royal Society of London. He established that the tobacco mosaic virus is a broad helical structure with reiterative fragments of protein, genetic material being disposed along the inner surface of the protein. He elaborated a method called crystallographic electronic microscopy by which an image is exposed to laser radiation and the diffracted rays are studied. In 1981, together with colleagues, he proved that each of many histones is a cylindrical molecule with a region of a continuous helical DNA molecule twisted around it. In 1982 he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Chemistry “for elaboration of the method of crystallographic electronic microscopy and elucidation of the structure of biologically significant nucleic acid-protein complexes”. Bibliography: The Nucleosome (1981) Scientific American, February. Literature: The Nobel Prize Winners, in The Encyclopedia: A-L (1992) Progress, Moscow; Science (1982) November 12; Great Medical Encyclopedia, Vol. 22, p. 284.
August 23 - 70th anniversary of the birth of American geneticist Hamilton Smith (1931), member of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA. In 1968 he established that factors of virulence are complex biologically active substances. He studied the enzymatic mechanisms of restriction-modification systems using the bacterium Haemophilus influenzae. He isolated and purified the type-II restriction endonuclease; with colleagues, he was the first to classify the endonucleases. He established the specific nucleotide sequence of DNA that this enzyme recognizes and the part on which it acts. In 1978 he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Physiology and Medicine for “the discovery of restriction enzymes and their use for the solution of problems of molecular genetics” together with W. Arber and D. Nathans. Bibliography and literature: The Nobel Prize Winners, in The Encyclopedia: M-Ya (1992) Progress, Moscow; Great Medical Encyclopedia, Third Edition, Vol. 4, p. 223.
September 4 - 70th anniversary of the birth of Russian biochemist Alexander Sergeevich Spirin (1931, born in the town Kaliningrad in Moscow Region), Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences, member of the German Academy of Naturalists “Leopoldina”. He is a Laureate of the Lenin Prize of 1976 for participation in a series of works on the discovery and study of informosomes. His basic works are devoted to the biochemistry of nucleic acids and the biosynthesis of proteins. Together with A. N. Belozersky (1957), he predicted the existence of messenger RNA on the basis of systematic comparative analysis of the composition of bacterial DNA and RNA. He gave the first qualitative description of the macromolecular structure of high polymer RNA (1959-1961). He established structural transmutations of ribosomes and formulated one of the principles of their structure (1963). He suggested and experimentally substantiated a model of the quaternary structure of one of two ribosome subfractions (1978-1980). Bibliography: Structure of Ribosomes and Biosynthesis of Protein [in Russian] (1984) Biological Research Center, Pushchino; Molecular Biology: Structure and Biosynthesis of Nucleic Acids [in Russian] (1990) Moscow. Literature: see Great Medical Encyclopedia, Third Edition.
September 21 - 125th anniversary of the birth and 75th anniversary (March 14) of the death of the Russian pediatrician Sergei Ignat'evich Fedynskii (1876-1926, born in Plotsk). His scientific works are devoted to problems of microbes in pediatrics. His works on pediatric infections--diphtheria and scarlatina--are the most significant. He laid foundations in biochemical studies in the field of carbohydrate, cholesterol, salt, and nitrogen metabolism in nursing babies. He coauthored a series of works about foreign bodies in the upper respiratory tracts, about pathogenics of disorders of nutrition and digestion, and about the efficient treatment of pyloric stenosis nursing babies. Bibliography and literature: see Great Medical Encyclopedia, Second Edition.
September 22 - 100th anniversary of the birth of Charles Huggins (1901-1992), American surgeon and oncologist, member of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA (1949). In 1939, with colleagues, he surgically isolated the prostate gland of the dog. He and his colleagues found that testosterone, an androgenic steroid hormone, stimulates the growth and secretory activity of the prostate gland and can hasten the growth and metastasis of malignant tumors of the prostate gland, whereas estrogens or castration often inhibit these processes. He studied the influence of hormones on the development of mammary gland cancer, the biochemistry of enzymes, the interplay of tissues during growth, and the action of oncogenic substances on endocrine glands. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Physiology and Medicine of 1966 “for discoveries concerning the hormonal treatment of cancer of the prostate gland” (together with P. Rous). Bibliography: Studies on Prostatic Cancer (1941) (with C. Hodges) Cancer Res., 1, No. 4, p. 293. Literature: The Nobel Prize Winners, in The Encyclopedia: M-Ya (1992) Progress, Moscow; Great Medical Encyclopedia, Third Edition.
September 26 - 25th anniversary of the death of Leopold Ruzicka (1887-1976), Swiss organic chemist, foreign member of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA, member of the Royal Society of London, member of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR. He established the structure of farnesol, etc. He investigated terpenes--organic compounds found in oils secreted from plants. He determined the biosynthetic pathways of terpenoid compounds (“the isoprene rule”). In 1934 with colleagues he partially synthesized the human hormones androsterone and testosterone. In 1939 he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Chemistry “for works on polymethylenes and higher terpenes” (together with A. Butenandt). Bibliography and literature: The Nobel Prize Winners, in The Encyclopedia: M-Ya (1992) Progress, Moscow; Biographical Memoirs of Fellows of the Royal Society (1980) Vol. 26; Great Soviet Encyclopedia, Third Edition.
October 6 - 50th anniversary of the death of the German biochemist Otto Meyerhof (1884-1951), member of the Royal Society of London (1937) and the National Academy of Sciences of the USA (1949). He was the first to apply the concepts of thermodynamics for the analysis of cell reactions. In 1917 he showed that the enzyme systems carbohydrate metabolism in yeast and animal cells are similar, confirming in the way the concept of the biochemical unity of life. In 1923 he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Physiology and Medicine (together with A. Hill) “for discovery of the close connection between the process of oxygen absorption and the metabolism of lactic acid in muscle”. He discovered the disposition of transformation of lactic acid (the Pasteur-Meyerhof reaction). Together with K. Loman, he described the role of ATP in a muscle contraction. In 1932, with G. Embden, he revealed the basic pathways of carbohydrate metabolism in cells (the Embden-Meyerhof pathway). Bibliography: Die Chemischen Vorgange im Muskel (1930) Berlin; New Investigations on Enzymatic Glycolysis and Phosphorylation (1948) Experientia, Basel, Vol. 4, p. 169. Literature: The Nobel Prize Winners, in The Encyclopedia: M-Ya (1992) Progress, Moscow; Otto Fritz Meyerhof (1951) Lancet, Vol. 261, p. 790; Great Medical Encyclopedia and Great Soviet Encyclopedia, Third Edition.
November 30 - 75th anniversary of the birth of Andrew Schalley (1926), American biochemist (Polish by birth), member of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA. In 1966 he and his colleagues isolated the hypothalamic hormone provoking the releasing of thyrotropin from the hypophysis, activate the synthesis of hormones of the thyroid gland (TRH, thyrotropin-releasing hormone). In 1969, he and his colleagues found that TRH is a tripeptide. TRH is now used for diagnostics and treatment of some diseases connected with hormonal insufficiency. At the end of the 60s (also together with colleagues), he isolated a hypothalamic hormone which regulates the release by the hypophysis of gonadotropins--hormones causing the release from ovaries and testicles of female and male sexual hormones (GRH, gonadotropin-releasing-hormone). GRH was found to be a decapeptide. In 1977 he was awarded half of the Nobel Prize for Physiology and Medicine “for discoveries concerning the synthesis of peptide hormones by the brain” (together with R. Guillemin). The second half of the prize was awarded to R. Yalow for works on radioimmunological methods of peptide hormone determination. Literature: The Nobel Prize Winners, in The Encyclopedia: M-Ya (1992) Progress, Moscow; Science (1977) November 11.
December 21 - 100th anniversary of the birth of Russian biochemist Sergei Evgen'evich Severin (1901-1993, born in Moscow), Academician of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR and the Academy of Medical Sciences of the USSR. He is a laureate of the Lenin Prize in 1982 for a series of works “Basic Studies on the Biochemistry of Muscle” published in 1950-1980. His basic works are devoted to questions of the biochemistry of muscle tissue, enzymology, coagulation and preserving of blood, and clinical biochemistry. He investigated the natural imidazole-containing dipeptides carnosine and anserine and their biological role in exchange of energy and physiological functions of muscle tissue. A series of studies was devoted to analysis of the biological role of natural derivatives of imidazole. He carried out the works on the biochemistry of the myocardium in normalcy and experimental pathology. He was Editor-in-Chief of the journal Biokhimiya and President of the All-Union Biochemical Society of the USSR (from 1969). Bibliography and literature: see Great Medical Encyclopedia, Third Edition; Severin Sergei Evgen'evich [in Russian] (1982) Molecular Biology (Moscow), 16, No. 2, 440-442.
December 25 - 125th anniversary of the birth of the German biochemist Adolf Windaus (1876-1959). In cooperation with F. Knoop, he studied the reaction of sugars with ammonia and found the amino acid histamine, which provokes the dilation of blood vessels and plays a clear role in the origin of an allergy and inflammatory processes. He studied the vitamins. He established connections between biologically important chemical substances, investigated animal and vegetal sterols, deciphered the structure of the cholesterol, and investigated bile acids, sex hormones, cardiac poisons, provitamins D-ergosterol and 7-dehydrocholesterol, and some phytosterols. In 1928 he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Chemistry “for works on the study of the structure of sterols and their connection with the vitamin group”. Bibliography: Uber Cholesterin (1903) Freiburg; Abbau und Aufbauversuche im Gebiete der Sterine. Handbuch der Biologischen Arbeitsmethoden (1925) Abt. 1, Bd. 6, Berlin-Wien. Literature: The Nobel Prize Winners, in The Encyclopedia: A-L (1992) Progress, Moscow; Dictionary of Scientific Biography (1976).
100th anniversary of the death of Markel (Marzelii) Wilhelmovich Nencki (1847-1901), Russian biochemist, microbiologist, Polish by birth. From 1891 he lived and worked in St. Petersburg, where he organized and led the Department of Chemistry of the Institute of Experimental Medicine. He made a major contribution to the study of the biochemical role of various classes of organic compounds in animals. Working with I. P. Pavlov in St. Petersburg, he revealed the significant role of the liver in neutralization of ammonia and urea formation. He carried out the synthesis of indigo (from indole), isolated pure hemin from blood and established its elementary formula, and showed the communality of the structural elements of hemoglobin and chlorophyll. His name is given to the Institute of Experimental Biology in Warsaw. Bibliography and literature: see Great Medical Encyclopedia and Great Soviet Encyclopedia, Third Edition.
100th anniversary of the death of the English biochemist Johann Thudichum (1829-1901). He discovered glycolipids in animals. He isolated a series of complex lipids composing the great bulk of brain tissues: phosphatides, sphingomyelins (1901), plasmalogens, cerebrosides, cholesterides, and gangliosides. Literature: see Great Medical Encyclopedia, Third Edition, Vol. 3, p. 207; Vol. 6, p. 136; Vol. 24, p. 402.
75th anniversary of the death of Hungarian biochemist L. Liebermann (1852-1926). In 1885 he discovered a qualitative color reaction of cholesterol where glacial acetic and concentrated sulfuric acids and acetic anhydride provides a brilliant green coloring (Liebermann-Burchard reaction). Bibliography: Uber des Oxychinoterpan (1885) Ber. Dtsch. Chem. Ges., 1803. Literature: see Great Medical Encyclopedia, Third Edition, Vol. 13, p. 92.
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