Effect of exogenous treatment with zaxinone and its mimics on rice root microbiota across different growth stages.

Enhancing crops productivity to ensure food security is one of the major challenges encountering agriculture today. A promising solution is the use of biostimulants, which encompass molecules that enhance plant fitness, growth, and productivity. The regulatory metabolite zaxinone and its mimics (MiZax3 and MiZax5) showed promising results in improving the growth and yield of several crops.

Floral developmental insights into two species of Erythrina (Fabaceae: Papilionoideae: Phaseoleae) pollinated by hummingbirds and passerines.

Erythrina is a Pantropical bird-pollinated genus of Fabaceae. Thus, its flowers are usually large, showy, red or yellowish, offering nectar as the principal resource. There are two main interaction systems with birds in Erythrina: in one, the inflorescences are erect and the flowers are horizontal, offering no landing platform; in the other, the inflorescences are horizontal and the flower parts are more exposed.

Endocrine-disrupting chemical, methylparaben, in environmentally relevant exposure promotes hazardous effects on the hypothalamus-pituitary-thyroid axis.

Methylparaben (MP) belongs to the paraben class and is widely used as a preservative in personal care products, medicines, and some foods. MP acts as an endocrine disrupting chemical (EDC) on the hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid (HPT) axis. However, the effects of MP have not yet been completely elucidated, as published results are scarce and controversial.

Embryonic dormancy in Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus (Diptera: Culicidae): a survival and dispersal mechanism.

Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus are the main vectors of arboviruses such as dengue, Zika virus, and chikungunya. Ae. aegypti is a widely spread mosquito in tropical and subtropical regions, whereas Ae.

Intranasal influenza-vectored vaccine expressing pneumococcal surface protein A protects against Influenza and Streptococcus pneumoniae infections.

Streptococcus pneumoniae and influenza A virus (IAV) are significant agents of pneumonia cases and severe respiratory infections globally. Secondary bacterial infections, particularly by Streptococcus pneumoniae, are common in IAV-infected individuals, leading to critical outcomes. Despite reducing mortality, pneumococcal vaccines have high production costs and are serotype specific.