Category Archives: Epidemiology
HIV prevention interventions to reduce racial disparities in the United States: A systematic review
Racial and ethnic minorities are disproportionately affected by HIV/AIDS in the United States despite advances in prevention methodologies. The goal of this study was to systematically review the past 30...
A review of medical and substance use co-morbidities in Central Asian prisons: Implications for HIV prevention and treatment
BACKGROUND: HIV incidence in Central Asia is rising rapidly. People who inject drugs (PWIDs) contribute greatest to the epidemic, with more than a quarter of all HIV cases being in...
A systematic review of the frequency and correlates of partner abuse in HIV-infected women and men who partner with men
Partner abuse (PA) is a highly prevalent and devastating social phenomenon, extracting an economic toll of more than $8 billion annually in the United States due to lost productivity alone....
Hormonal contraception decreases bacterial vaginosis but oral contraception may increase candidiasis: Implications for HIV transmission
OBJECTIVE: A 2012 WHO consultation concluded that combined oral contraception (COC) does not increase HIV acquisition in women, but the evidence for depot medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA) is conflicting. We evaluated...
HIV-related behavioral studies of men who have sex with men in China: A systematic review and recommendations for future research
HIV prevalence among men who have sex with men (MSM) has increased significantly in China since early 2000, with MSM accounting for 32.5% of the newly infected HIV cases in...
Interferon-gamma release assays for the diagnosis of active tuberculosis in HIV-infected patients: A systematic review and meta-analysis
BACKGROUND: Interferon-gamma release assays (IGRAs) have provided a new method for the diagnosis of Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection. However, the role of IGRAs for the diagnosis of active tuberculosis (TB), especially...
Is early sexual debut a risk factor for HIV infection among women in sub-Saharan Africa? A systematic review
PROBLEM: In Africa, adolescent girls have high HIV risk. Early sexual debut may be a risk factor, although evidence has not been systematically compiled. METHODS: A systematic review was conducted....
Using respondent-driven sampling methodology for HIV biological and behavioral surveillance in international settings: A systematic review
To determine operational and analytical characteristics of respondent-driven sampling (RDS) in international settings and to explore factors that may affect recruitment of most-at-risk populations using RDS, we reviewed HIV biological...
Mortality of patients lost to follow-up in antiretroviral treatment programmes in resource-limited settings: Systematic review and meta-analysis
Background: The retention of patients in antiretroviral therapy (ART) programmes is an important issue in resource-limited settings. Loss to follow up can be substantial, but it is unclear what the...
