A dosing error made during an AstraZeneca-University of Oxford COVID-19 vaccine trial has led to a new dosage finding in mice, reports a new Northwestern Medicine study. The scientists tested the effect of a SARS-CoV-2 vaccine prime dose in mice and found that a lower-dose first shot, followed by a full-dose booster shot, significantly improved the potency of a SARS-CoV-2 vaccine.

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden have analysed the presence of SARS-CoV-2-specific antibodies and memory cells of the immune system in young adults. The results, published in The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, show that over one in four had antibodies due to the infection. Fewer of these individuals had measurable levels of memory B and T cells compared with other age groups. The researchers will now continue to study long COVID in young adults and the effects of vaccination on immunity.

Learning a second language is an effective and enjoyable way to improve brain health, reports a new study that was jointly conducted by Baycrest and York University. Researchers found that older adults who studied Spanish showed similar improvements in certain critical cognitive skills as did those who engaged in brain training activities that targeted those skills. These results are remarkable given that brain training focuses specifically on improving these aspects of cognition, while language learning does not. As well, those who learned Spanish reported greater enjoyment than those who engaged in brain training. This study is among the first to examine whether the process of learning a language can benefit brain health in similar ways as bilingualism.

Research from the University of Cincinnati finds a higher presence of mitochondria in fat tissue in females. The research suggests this provides women protection against obesity and metabolic diseases. The study was published in Nature Metabolism.

What The Study Did: This report describes methods used by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) to identify USPSTF recommendations that have sex or gender components and clarify the populations for which the recommendations should apply and also proposes an approach to making recommendations that are respectful of gender diversity.