[Alexey Ivanovich Polunin (1820-1888). On the occasion of the 200th birth anniversary]

The paper describes the life of A.I. Polunin (1820-1888), the first professor of an independent department of pathological anatomy in Russia, which was founded at Imperial Moscow University in 1849. It analyzes his doctoral dissertation on cholera and also gives the reviews of his key works. It is noted that the activities of A.I. Polunin as a scientist were greatly influenced by the humoral theory of pathology by Karl von Rokitansky (1804-1878), the doctrine of blood «crases», and by the works of representatives of the Viennese School of physicians who upheld the clinical and anatomical approach in medicine. At the same time, Professor A.I. Polunin is noted to be the first to familiarize Russian physicians with the theory of cellular pathology by R. Virchow (1821-1902).

[History of the study of amyloidosis: from the Rokitansky's theory to the present day]

In the history of amyloidosis studying the concept of liquids dyscrasia has been predominated and finally it is resulted in accepting a serum protein-precursor as a leading amyloidogenic factor in the disease pathogenesis. Consequently basic diagnostic and treatment strategy was aimed to find and eliminate this protein from the blood and this approach evidenced high effectiveness in most frequent AA and AL-amyloidosis characterized with anomaly high levels of precursors in the blood. At the same time there are less frequent and slower progressing inheritant forms of systemic amyloidosis including transthyretin induced, which are less depending on amyloidogenecity of amyloid precursor and because of that, in example, the effectiveness of transthyretin stabilizers or blockers of its synthesis is limited comparing with the precursor elimination in AA or AL. Developed in the middle of XX century a theory of local synthesis by macrophages is more preferable to describe the pathogenesis of these forms. And modern proteome analysis using give rise to confirm the key meaning of macrophage in the amyloidogenesis and proves necessity to know deeply mechanisms of macrophagial autophagia - basic tool of maintaining intracellular protein homeostasis. That is why it is difficult to hope on high effectiveness of chemical amyloid solvents in vivo, which being under macrophages regulation never could realize its chemical activities.