The 75 years that the Department of Physiology has passed since its creation together with its native university are a path of continuous creative improvement, scientific and methodical growth, and gaining experience. We can be proud of the fact that the Department of Normal Physiology of the Bukovinian State Medical Institute (now the Y.D. Kirshenblat Department of Physiology of the Bukovinian State Medical University:) is a peer of our native university. It was created on November 24, 1944. During the years of its existence, the department was headed by B.V. Andreev, D.A. Kocherga, J.P. Sklyarov, Y.D. Kirshenblatt, V.I. Yasinskyi, O.L. Kukharchuk, G.I. Khodorovsky, S.S. Tkachuk, who made a significant contribution to the formation of the pedagogical process and science of the university. Today, the staff of the department includes 15 employees. Among them are three doctors of science, professors, four associate professors.

Teachers and support staff of the Department of Physiology (2014) (from left to right, top row: assistant professor M.A. Povar, associate professor S.I. Anokhina, associate professor O.V. Kuznetsova, senior laboratory technician Motruk M.P. , assistant professor Semenenko S.B., associate professor Kurovska V.O., associate professor Timofiichuk I.R., associate professor Savchuk T.P., 

bottom row: assistant professor S.V. Bostan, associate professor O.V. Yasinska, professor V.I. Shvets ., head of the department, prof. Tkachuk S.S., associate professor prof. Khodorovsky G. I., assistant professor V. V. Gordienko, assistant lab. Ostapchuk M. I.)

Teachers and support staff of the Department of Physiology (2020) (from left to right, top row: assistant professor  Yu. S. Bukataru, assistant professor S.V. Bostan, senior laboratory technician Motruk M.P., associate professor M.A. Povar, associate professor Semenenko S.B., assistant professor Savchuk T.P., associate professor Timofiichuk I.R., assistant professor O.V. Agafonova, assistant professor Shtefaniuk V.I., 

assistant professor S.O. Kysylytsa

bottom row: associate professor S.I. Anokhina, professor V.I. Shvets ., head of the department, prof. Tkachuk S.S., assistant professor V. V. Gordienko, associate professor O.V. Yasinska)

Professors Y.P. Sklyarov and Y.D. Kirshenblat played a particularly outstanding role in the creation of the Department of Normal Physiology, the organization of scientific work, and the training of scientific and medical personnel.

Sklyarov Yakiv Pavlovich worked at the Chernivtsi State Medical Institute (ChMI) from February 1946 to August 1952. During this period, as stated in his personal archive file, he "actually created the Department of Normal Physiology of the ChMI"

In 1954, the academic council of the Chernivtsi Medical Institute elected Prof. Ya.D. Kirshenblatt. Ya.D. Kirshenblat headed the department for 26 years. During this period, the most modern methods of electroencephalography, stereotaxic technique, spirometabolography, etc. were introduced into the educational process. The textbook "General Endocrinology", published in 1969 and republished in 1971, was the only textbook on endocrinology for students at the time, as well as "Practicum in Endocrinology", published in 1969. He was awarded the "Badge of Honor" order, six medals. On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Chernivtsi Medical Institute, his portrait was included in the gallery of portraits of founders of scientific schools of the institute. Since 1994, the institute has established an annual student scholarship named after Professor Y. D. Kirshenblatt.

In 1980-1987, 1989-1990, 2000-2005, the department was headed by a student of Y. D. Kirshenblat, Doctor of Medical Sciences, prof. G.I. Khodorovsky, a graduate of the Chernivtsi Medical Institute. During 1969-1973 pp. he is an associate professor of the Department of Physiology of the University of Zambia (Lusaka), in 1987-1989 pp. - professor-consultant to the rector of the Kabul Medical Institute, and later - to the Ministry of Health of Afghanistan, in 1990-1994 pp. - Deputy of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, Chairman of the Standing Committee, the first Ambassador of Independent Ukraine to India (1993-1998 pp.). After returning from India, G.I. Khodorovsky works as a professor, and since December 2000 - the head of his native department. Prof. G. I. Khodorovsky continued and continues to develop the traditions established by Y. D. Kirshenblat in organizational, educational, methodological and scientific work. He is the co-author of a textbook and five textbooks on normal physiology, awarded with the Order of Friendship of Peoples, two medals and the "Honored Worker of the Higher School of the Ukrainian SSR" sign. By decree of the President of Ukraine dated August 7, 1998, he was awarded the diplomatic rank of "Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine". He was awarded the award named after Indira Gandhi and the award of the Indo-European Association "For strengthening peace and friendship between peoples".

From 1987-1989 and from 1990-1997, the duties of the head of the department were performed by a student of professor Y.D. Kirshenblata, Candidate of Medical Sciences, Assoc. Viktor Ivanovich Yasinskyi. An experienced teacher and organizer, he made a significant contribution to the development and improvement of educational, methodological and educational work at the department.

From 1997 to 2000 p. the Department of Physiology was headed by Doctor of Medical Sciences, Prof. O.L. Scullion. A born scientist, Oleksandr Leonidovych paid considerable attention to educational and methodological work. Under his leadership, the staff of the department completely updated methodological developments and guidelines, he actively worked on the introduction of computer technology into the educational process.

From 2005 to the present, the department is headed by prof. S.S. Tkachuk, graduate of ChMI. The life path of S.S. Tkachuk has been inextricably linked with her native alma mater since 1979, when she began her postgraduate studies in the specialty "Normal Physiology". In 1984, Svitlana Serhiyivna defended her candidate's thesis, and in 2000, her doctoral thesis. The formation of her scientific interests and her development as a scientist took place in close cooperation with Professor Y.D. Kirshenblat of bright memory and Academician of the Academy of Medical Sciences of Ukraine, Corresponding Member of NASU, Professor O.H. Reznikov

Under the leadership of S.S. Tkachuk, the department started studying the neuroimmunoendocrine aspects of prenatal stress syndrome, diabetes, ischemia-reperfusion injury of the brain, completed and defended 9 candidate theses. She is the author and co-author of more than 310 printed works, including 5 monographs, 8 textbooks.

Svitlana Serhiivna is the head of the Chernivtsi branch of the Society of Physiologists of Ukraine, a member of the Plenum of Pathophysiologists of Ukraine.

She was awarded the Certificate of Honor of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine (2007), the Certificate of Honor of the Chernivtsi Regional Council (2008), the Certificate of Honor of the Chernivtsi Regional State Administration (2013), and the Certificate of Gratitude of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine (2011).

The Department of Physiology was one of the first to switch to teaching the disciplines studied at the department using the credit-module system, in connection with which all educational and methodological materials were updated. The department has a sufficient number of teachers who teach in English.

Professor Khodorovsky G.I. during a practical session with students of the Faculty of Medicine No. 3

Today, the team actively implements alternative methods of performing practical work, which allows compliance with the basic provisions of bioethics, declared to be dispensed with by the relevant directives. To ensure optimal conditions for mastering the subject by employees, more than 10 teaching and methodical manuals have been issued, work is constantly being carried out to fill the Moodle distance learning server.

In the first years of the existence of ChMI, the main efforts of the newly created educational institution were directed to the organization of the pedagogical process, therefore the establishment of scientific schools, including the physiological one, began somewhat later. In particular, active scientific research at the Department of Physiology, namely the study of the physiology of the digestive glands, was initiated by Prof. J.P. Sklyarov, who headed the department in the spring of 1946. This was the time of the continuation of the "Pavlovian" period in science, and his ideas of nervousness remained dominant. Therefore, it is not surprising that J.P. Sklyarov, a pupil of the scientific school of Professor Yu.V. Folbort, engaged in scientific research in the field of digestion physiology and directed the scientific research of the department's employees in this direction. J.P. Sklyarov, as an experienced experimenter, perfectly mastered the technique of surgical intervention on experimental animals, which he taught and demanded not only from the employees of the department, but also from students, because the physiology practicum for students included a large list of just such practical works.

A number of candidate and doctoral theses were performed on such animals. Among them was the doctoral dissertation of Olena Ilarionivna Samson, who soon herself headed the clinical direction of this problem at ChMI, became a famous gastroenterologist not only in the former USSR, but also in the world.

J.P. In 1949, Sklyarov completed his doctoral dissertation on the topic: "Materials for the analysis of the secretory function of the gastric glands during their long-term stimulation." He studied the importance of extra- and intragastric factors in the implementation of the secretory process. Mechanisms of inhibiting gastric secretion and nervous regulation of absorption in the small intestines were also studied at the department. Long after Yakiv Pavlovich had already left this department and worked at the Lviv Medical Institute, the Chernivtsi Medical Institute continued to develop the problem of the physiology of the digestive glands that he initiated. Candidate theses of O.D. were completed on the specified topic. Zhovnovatoi "Mechanism of Correlation of Stomach Function and Excretory Function of Kidneys" (1953), Z.V. Dovgan "Nervous mechanism of gastric gland excitation" (1954), A.P. Hrechyshkina (Klimkevich) "Physiological mechanisms of inhibition of gastric glands" (1955) and N.P. Semen (Davosyr) "Nervous regulation of the process of glucose absorption in the small intestines" (1957).

In 1954, the academic council of the Chernivtsi Medical Institute elected Prof. Ya.D. Kirshenblatt. He worked fruitfully in this position for a quarter of a century. Here his powerful scientific erudition was fully manifested, and for decades the further development of the educational, methodological and scientific work of the department was inextricably linked with his leadership. It is necessary to pay tribute to the scientific foresight of Yakov Davydovych, who, against the background of general worship of the imperative of the nervous system, focused attention on the humoral components of regulation and, first of all, on the endocrine system. At that time, endocrinology was a descriptive discipline, with an almost complete lack of scientific information about the etiology and pathogenesis of most endocrine diseases. The problem of regulating the functions of endocrine glands in normal and pathological conditions, the role of the nervous system and hormonal factors, the mechanism of hormone action, the interaction between endocrine glands and the nervous system form the circle of scientific interests of Y.D. Kirshenblat during his work at the Chernivtsi State Medical Institute. Until now, the monograph "Comparative ovarian endocrinology" published by him in 1973 has not lost its relevance.

The twentieth century was the "golden" period of the development of domestic and world endocrinology, to which B. Alyoshin, V.P. Komisarenko, S.M. Leytes, O.N. Nikolaev, M.A. Yudaev and many other scientists made a significant contribution. with whom Yakiv Davydovych maintained scientific relations.

During this period, the problem of the interaction of the nervous and endocrine systems developed very actively. Particularly fierce discussions took place around the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis. If the transhypophyseal pathway did not cause doubts, because it already had thorough experimental confirmation at that time, then parahypophyseal regulation was largely a priori and only accumulated scientific facts that confirmed its existence, through the efforts of Kirshenblatt Y.D., Alyoshin B.V., Akmaeva I .H., Naumenka E.V., Tronka M.D., Reznikova O.H. and their students. Today this is already a textbook fact, but at that time it was a revolutionary concept.

The fundamental endocrinological direction of scientific research was the most fruitful and formed the scientific school of Professor Ya.D. Kirshenblatt.

The problem of regulating the functions of endocrine glands in normal and pathological conditions, the role of the nervous system and hormonal factors, the mechanism of hormone action, the interaction between endocrine glands and the nervous system form the circle of scientific interests of Y.D. Kirshenblat during his work at the Chernivtsi State Medical Institute. The basis of research is the dissertation work of post-graduate students, doctoral students and employees of the Department of Normal Physiology and other departments of the university. Under the leadership of Y.D. Kirshenblat, complex studies of the role of steroid hormones in the functioning of the ovaries (P.S. Vakhnovan, S.F. Kharchenko), the influence of the autonomic nervous system on the functions of the gonads (Z.G. Chygrina, G.I. Khodorovsky, A.P. Grechishkina, N.P. Semen, V.N. Serbeniuk), the effects of steroid hormones on the bioelectrical activity of brain structures (N.M. Malyshenko), the influence of the structures of the hypothalamus and the limbic system on the functioning of the ovaries and testicles ( V.F. Myslytskyi, V.I. Yasinskyi, L.M. Kreschuk, I.P. Katerynchuk, S.S. Tkachuk).

For a long time, Y.D. Kirshenblatt applies an original approach to the study of neurohumoral regulatory mechanisms. Experiments are conducted, firstly, in parallel on adult and sexually immature animals, which differ significantly in their sensitivity to humoral and nervous influences, secondly, the method of determining the response of the sensitivity of the endocrine gland to exogenous and endogenous hormones in conditions of denervation or stimulation of the gland nerves is used. This approach makes it possible to supplement neuroendocrinology with new facts and, accordingly, a new vision of the mechanisms of relationships both between endocrine glands and between them and the nervous system. In particular, P.S. Vakhnovan established that complete removal of the adrenal glands completely eliminates the response of the ovaries of infantile rats to threshold doses of follitropin (FSH) and lutropin (LH), while removal of only the medulla provokes false pregnancy in adult rats and increases the sensitivity of the ovaries to of chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) in sexually immature rats. Administration of corticoid hormones to adrenalectomized animals restores ovarian response to gonadotropic hormones. Later S.F. Kharchenko proves that estradiol, testosterone, and progesterone increase the sensitivity of the ovaries to hCG, that these glands in adrenalectomized animals react more strongly to estradiol, and to testosterone - weaker compared to intact animals. In these works, the interdependence of the functioning of the endocrine glands is established, the effects of the hormones of one gland on others are demonstrated by changing their sensitivity to regulatory hormones.

In parallel with the mentioned studies, studies were conducted on the role of the autonomic nervous system in the functioning of the gonads, as well as complex experiments on rats and rabbits to study the effects of cutting and irritating the vagus nerves, removing borderline sympathetic trunks, cutting pelvic nerves (A.P. Grechishkina, G. I. Khodorovsky, S.S. Tkachuk, N.S. Karvatska), differentiated pharmacological exclusion or stimulation of the sympathetic or parasympathetic divisions of the nervous system on the structure and function of the ovaries and testes, as well as their sensitivity to gonadotropic hormones (HTH).

As a result of many years of research, it has been proven that in sexually immature animals, denervation leads to more negative consequences in the structure and function of the gonads and their reaction to hCG than in adult animals. At the same time, a number of features of the effects of the vagus nerve on the ovaries were revealed. Thus, cutting the right vagus nerve in the neck area of infantile rats affected ovarian sensitivity to hCG more significantly than cutting this nerve on the left. At the same time, bilateral transection of the vagus nerves under the diaphragm affected the ovaries of infantile rats more clearly than transection of these nerves in the neck area. Irritation by induction current of the peripheral end of the vagus nerve (both left and right) reduced the sensitivity of the response of both ovaries of rats to HCG. At the same time, in rabbits, such irritation is more noticeable on the side of the nerve cut, which indicated that in females of these animals, the ovaries are innervated by vagus nerves mainly ipsilaterally.

In the early 60s of the last century, the Department of Normal Physiology began researching the mechanisms of testicular function regulation. It has been established that in infantile male rats, subdiaphragmatic transection of the vagus nerves, removal of borderline sympathetic trunks and pelvic nerves disrupts the spermatogenic and hormone-producing function of the testes, and the mechanism of this effect of denervation consists in reducing the sensitivity of the gonads to HTG (G.I. Khodorovsky).

With the aim of more detailed characterization of the central mechanisms of endocrine gland regulation and the relationship between the central nervous system and endocrine glands, experiments are conducted to study the state of brain structures after the removal of endocrine organs, the introduction of hormones or irritation of mechano- and thermoreceptors of the gonads. This was greatly facilitated by the creation of an electrophysiological laboratory and the introduction of the method of electroencephalographic research, to the development of which Assoc. Malyshenko N.M. The Department of Normal Physiology was one of the first among the medical universities of the then USSR to introduce the stereotaxic technique, which made it possible to study the feedback relationship between the structures of the central nervous system and the glands of internal secretion. The technology of implanting electrodes into various nuclei of the hypothalamus, structures of the limbic system (amygdala nuclei, hippocampus, septum of the brain) was used for conducting chronic experiments. The first dissertation works using the stereotaxic technique were performed by V.F. Myslytskyi and V.I. Yasinskyi.

In chronic experiments with the implantation of electrodes into the brain structures, it is established that different areas of the brain in adult rats react with a change in electrical activity after castration, adrenalectomy, exclusion of the synthesis of thyroid hormones by the thyroid gland, administration of estradiol, testosterone, progesterone, hydrocortisone, ACTH and other hormones.

The participation of the paraventricular (PVY), supraoptic (SOY) and arcuate nuclei of the hypothalamus, amygdala and hippocampus in the relationship between the pituitary gland, ovaries and testes is being studied (V.F. Myslytskyi, V.I. Yasinskyi, I.P. Katerynchuk, L.M. Kreschuk, S.S. Tkachuk). A number of new facts are established regarding the role of each of the mentioned CNS structures in the functioning of the endocrine glands. Conclusions are formulated that the large cell nuclei (SOY and PWY), the corticomedial part of the amygdala and the hippocampus are involved in the regulation of the functions of the ovaries and testes, and affect their sensitivity to gonadotropic and sex hormones.

For the first time, a detailed comprehensive study of the features of the neurons of the central structures that regulate the function of the gonads is carried out, and it is established that the state of the neurons of the limbic structures of the rat brain (nuclei of the septum, diagonal tract, bed of the terminal strip) depends on the level of sex hormones (V.F. Myslicki). It has been shown that castration of males and androgenization of females during the postnatal critical period of brain development disrupts the sexual differentiation of these structures.

Based on the results of many years of research, the position is formulated about the special role of extra-hypothalamic limbic structures of the brain in the regulation of the functions of the endocrine glands and the existence of an extrahypothalamic-pituitary pathway of the central regulation of the structure and functions of the endocrine glands (S.S. Tkachuk), about the existence at the level of the organism of a complex multi-link system of organization the interaction of thyroid hormones and gonads, called the polydromic mechanism of the system-functional organization of the interaction of the thyroid and gonads (GI Khodorovsky).

With the election to the position of the head of the department, prof. G.I. Khodorovsky (1980) added a chronobiological aspect to the existing direction, in particular, the study of the chronobiological effects of endogenous hypoxia. Scientific ideas of Prof. G.I. Khodorovsky are embodied in candidate theses completed under his supervision (M.L. Kyrylyuk, I.I. Zamorskyi, N.S. Karvatska, O.V. Slavetnaya, I.D. Shkrobants, P.I. Yevstratov, O.V . Yasinskaia, R.R. Dmytrenko), as well as in monographs (Zelenskaya T.M., Khodorovsky G.I. Gonads and immunity. - Kyiv: Naukova dumka, 1994.-252 p., Khodorovsky G.I., Kolyasko I.V., Furkal E.S., Kuznetsova O.V., Yasinska O.V. Endogenous hypoxic respiration: theory and practice. - Chernivtsi, 2006.-144 p.).

One of the first students of Prof. Ya.D. Kirshenblatt - prof. V.F. Myslitsky, who for 19 years headed the Department of Pathological Physiology of our university. Eight dissertation studies were completed under his supervision: Gunkov S. V., Vatter N. K., Slonetskyi B. I., Khomko O. Y., Podolyan S. K., Terletska O. G., Tkachuk O. V., Hrebenyuk N. V.

O.L. Kuharchuk, author of more than 200 scientific papers, supervisor of seven candidate theses, co-author of 12 patents for inventions. With his advisory help and under his guidance, the dissertation works of L.V. Zabolotnoi, O.V. Kuznetsova, S.I. Anokhinoi, V.I. Shvetsia.

Ideas of Y.D. Kirshenblatt regarding the search for new mechanisms and new technologies for a more complete disclosure of neurohumoral regulation of functions, features of the interaction of endocrine glands between themselves and the nervous system are still being developed at the university today. Since the 90s, V.F. Myslitskyi, S.S. Tkachuk at the Department of Normal Physiology. the study of the role of epigenetic factors in the modification of the genetic program of the development of the neuroimmunoendocrine system is being conducted jointly with the Department of Endocrinology of Reproduction and Adaptation of the Institute of Endocrinology and Metabolism named after V.P. Commissioner of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, headed by academician of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, corresponding member of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, professor, honored worker of science and technology of Ukraine O.H. Reznikov. Research by S.S. Tkachuk, V.F. Myslitskyi, O.V. Tkachuka, L.D. Oliynyk, the theory of the development of prenatal stress syndrome as a consequence of a violation of hormone-mediated imprinting, formulated by O.G. Reznikov, supplemented by the concept of structural and functional disintegration of stress-realizing and stress-limiting systems of the body, neuroimmunoendocrine disintegration under this pathology. The result of the conducted research was the monograph "Prenatal stress and neuroendocrine pathology" (A.G. Reznikov, V.P. Pyshak, N.D. Nosenko, S.S. Tkachuk, V.F. Myslytskyi).

Commemorating the memory and summarizing the scientific achievements of Yakov Davydovych's school in the form of holding scientific and practical conferences (Scientific and practical conference with international participation "Physiology of regulatory systems", 2003; All-Ukrainian scientific and practical conference with international participation) is becoming traditional in our university dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the birth of Professor Y. D. Kirshenblatt "Physiology of the neuroimmunoendocrine system", 2012).

During the scientific and practical conference "Physiology of regulatory systems" dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the birth

Prof. Ya.D. Kirshenblatt (October 2012)

Ideas of Y.D. Kirshenblatt encouraged his students and followers to search for new scientific directions. In particular, the study of neuroimmuno-endocrine aspects of ischemic-reperfusion brain damage, diabetes mellitus, as well as the combined effect of these pathological conditions became an urgent problem of the late 20th and early 21st centuries. Therefore, since 2007, at the department of physiology under the leadership of the head, prof. Tkachuk S.S. scientific research in this area began, the result of which was the completion of doctoral theses (O.V. Tkachuk, T.I. Kmet) and eleven candidate theses (O.D. Shymkiv, V.A. Doroshko, I.R. Tymofiychuk, O. Lenkov. M., Sashchuk M.M., Boychuk T.I., Kurovska V.O., Galagdina A.A., Havaleshko V.P., Nika O.I., Povar M.A.). The obtained results made it possible to formulate new ideas about the role of early response genes, genes-inducers and repressors of apoptosis in the mechanisms of susceptibility of the brain to disorders of cerebral blood circulation under conditions of diabetes mellitus, the pathogenesis of impaired presentation of insulin in the thymus of rats with impaired cerebral blood circulation, diabetes mellitus and the combination of these pathological conditions conditions, which made it possible to formulate a fundamentally new view on the pathogenesis of hyperglycemia accompanying severe strokes, to supplement the existing ideas about autoimmune mechanisms of ischemic-reperfusion damage to the brain.

Experienced scientists of the department are constantly concerned about attracting young people to science. The work of the student research group (leader - S. B. Semenenko, PhD in Biology) is fruitful: our students have repeatedly become prize-winners of the All-Ukrainian competition for student scientific works (E. Ye. Kryzhevskyi, G. V. Sheshuryak, G. O. Myslicka , L.M. Melnyk), every year our Gurtkiv residents become prize-winners of student scientific conferences.

Meeting of the student scientific group