http://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on Health and Medicine. Scientists have devised a method for delivering tumor cell-killing enzymes in a way that protects the enzyme until it can do its work inside the cell. In their study in mBio, the online open-access journal of the American Society for Microbiology, researchers assembled microscopic protein packages that can deliver an enzyme called PEIII to the insides of cells. By attaching a protein called ubiquitin to the enzyme, they were able to protect it from degradation by the cell, allowing the enzyme to complete its mission. The results indicate that ubiquitin may be a useful addition to targeted toxins. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-protein-efficacy-tumor-killing-enzyme.html Cancer Tue, 30 Apr 2013 00:00:01 EST news286480802 (Medical Xpress)—UC Irvine-led studies have revealed the cellular mechanism by which circadian rhythms – also known as the body clock – modify energy metabolism and also have identified novel compounds that control this action. The findings point to potential treatments for disorders triggered by circadian rhythm dysfunction, ranging from insomnia and obesity to diabetes and cancer. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-01-circadian-rhythms-potential-treatment-disorders.html Cardiology Tue, 22 Jan 2013 15:12:20 EST news278089921 The tumor suppressor protein p53 is an attractive target for drug developers. But this path has so far proven difficult, as most p53 regulatory proteins operate via protein-protein interactions, which make for poor drug targets, as opposed to ones based on enzymes. Now, researchers have identified a class of p53 target genes and regulatory molecules that represent more promising therapeutic candidates. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-01-cancer-suppressor-gene-links-metabolism.html Cancer Sun, 13 Jan 2013 13:00:20 EST news277297188 How sildenafil, the active ingredient in Viagra, can alleviate heart problems is reported by Bochum's researchers in cooperation with colleagues from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester (Minnesota) in the journal Circulation. They studied dogs with diastolic heart failure, a condition in which the heart chamber does not sufficiently fill with blood. The scientists showed that sildenafil makes stiffened cardiac walls more elastic again. The drug activates an enzyme that causes the giant protein titin in the myocardial cells to relax. "We have developed a therapy in an animal model that, for the first time, also raises hopes for the successful treatment of patients" says Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Linke of the RUB Institute of Physiology. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-12-viagra-heart-failure-mechanism.html Cardiology Fri, 23 Dec 2011 10:03:30 EST news243857003 UC Irvine researchers have found a new approach to the creation of customized therapies for virulent flu strains that resist current antiviral drugs. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-07-antiviral-resistance-influenza.html Medical research Tue, 12 Jul 2011 13:40:41 EST news229696828