Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis remains a hard-to-treat lung disease with limited effective drugs. A recent study in Engineering used machine learning to screen natural compounds and found dihydromyricetin, a flavonoid from herbs, can block the TGF-β/ALK5 signaling pathway. It alleviates fibrosis and inflammation in cell and mouse models, shows good safety, and offers a new natural-product-based direction for pulmonary fibrosis treatment.

Cardiac hypertrophy often progresses to heart failure, but the underlying link between lysosomes and mitochondria remains unclear. A new study in Engineering finds that the lysosomal protein TRPML1 is significantly reduced in hypertrophic hearts. It directly binds VDAC1 to maintain mitochondrial calcium balance and energy production, providing a potential target for treating pathological cardiac remodeling.

Statins are among the most effective medications for preventing cardiovascular disease, yet concerns about their safety continue to discourage many patients from treatment. A survey of 260 physicians conducted by researchers from Wroclaw Medical University found that fears of muscle damage and liver injury remain the most common reasons for statin refusal, despite extensive evidence supporting the drugs’ safety and effectiveness.

According to the physicians surveyed, misinformation and persistent myths play a major role in treatment discontinuation. Many patients also express concerns about dementia, cataracts, erectile dysfunction, prostate cancer, and diabetes, although current scientific evidence does not support most of these fears. Serious adverse effects were reported to occur in fewer than 10% of treated patients.

The authors conclude that improving patient education and addressing misinformation are essential for effective cardiovascular prevention. Patients at high cardiovascular risk benefit the most from statin therapy, yet they are also among those most likely to discontinue treatment because of misconceptions about adverse effects.