Publications by authors named "Iva Esparza"
Article Synopsis
- SARS-CoV-2 vaccinations have decreased hospitalization and death rates in nursing home residents, but effectiveness is challenged by new variants and reduced immunity.
- A study evaluated the immune response to the XBB.1.5 monovalent vaccine in nursing home residents and healthcare workers, focusing on those with prior infections.
- Results showed a significant increase in neutralizing antibody levels, especially in nursing home residents who had a previous infection, indicating the vaccine's ability to enhance immunity against Omicron variants.
Background: SARS-CoV-2 vaccination has reduced hospitalization and mortality for nursing home residents (NHRs). However, emerging variants coupled with waning immunity, immunosenescence, and variability of vaccine efficacy undermine vaccine effectiveness. We therefore need to update our understanding of the immunogenicity of the most recent XBB.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDespite the fact that sleep disturbances are common in veterans with Gulf War Illness (GWI), there has been a paucity of published sleep studies in this veteran population to date. Therefore, the present study examined subjective sleep quality (assessed with the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index), insomnia severity (assessed with the Insomnia Severity Index), and risk for obstructive sleep apnea (assessed with the STOP questionnaire) in 98 Gulf War veterans. Veterans with GWI, defined either by the Kansas or Centers for Disease Control and Prevention criteria, had greater risk for obstructive sleep apnea (i.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: We previously reported evidence of reduced cortical gray matter (GM), white matter (WM), and hippocampal volume in Gulf War (GW) veterans with predicted exposure to low-levels of nerve agent according to the 2000 Khamisiyah plume model analysis. Because there is suggestive evidence that other nerve agent exposures may have occurred during the Gulf War, we examined the association between the self-reported frequency of hearing chemical alarms sound during deployment in the Gulf War and regional brain volume in GW veterans.
Methods: Ninety consecutive GW veterans (15 female, mean age: 52±8years) participating in a VA-funded study underwent structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) on a 3T scanner.