Category Archives: Epidemiology
HIV/STI risk among venue-based female sex workers across the globe: A look back and the way forward
Female sex workers (FSWs) continue to represent a high-risk population in need of targeted HIV prevention interventions. Targeting environmental risk factors should result in more sustainable behavior change than individual-level...
Rethinking the heterosexual infectivity of HIV-1: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Studies of cumulative HIV incidence suggest that cofactors such as genital ulcer disease, HIV disease stage, and male circumcision influence HIV transmission; however, the heterosexual infectivity of HIV-1 is commonly...
Safety of hormonal and intrauterine methods of contraception for women with HIV/AIDS: A systematic review
OBJECTIVE: To determine from the literature whether HIV-infected women who use hormonal or intrauterine contraception are at increased risk of HIV disease progression, other adverse health outcomes, or HIV transmission...
Forced sexual initiation, sexual intimate partner violence and HIV risk in women: A global review of the literature
Coerced or forced sexual initiation and sexual intimate partner violence (sexual IPV) contribute significantly to a woman’s risk for HIV infection. This review systematically examines global research (n = 21...
Performance of commercial herpes simplex virus type-2 antibody tests using serum samples from Sub-Saharan Africa: A systematic review and meta-analysis
BACKGROUND: Several commercial type-specific serologic tests are available for herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2). Poor specificity of some tests has been reported on samples from sub-Saharan Africa. METHODS: To...
Population-based interventions for reducing sexually transmitted infections, including HIV infection
BACKGROUND: Sexually transmitted infections (STI) are common in developing countries. The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that in 1999, 340 million new cases of syphilis, gonorrhoea, chlamydial infection and trichomoniasis...
A critical literature review to identify possible causes of higher rates of HIV infection among young black and Latino men who have sex with men
Black and Latino young men who have sex with men (YMSM) are disproportionately impacted by HIV infection; however, the reason for this disparity is unclear. To identify possible causes of...
Intergenerational sex as a risk factor for HIV among young men who have sex with men: A scoping review
An emerging body of evidence suggests that intergenerational sexual partnerships may increase risk of HIV acquisition among young men who have sex with men (YMSM). However, no studies have comprehensively...
Disparities and risks of sexually transmissible infections among men who have sex with men in China: A meta-analysis and data synthesis
BACKGROUND: Sexually transmitted infections (STIs), including Hepatitis B and C virus, are emerging public health risks in China, especially among men who have sex with men (MSM). This study aims...
Incident HIV during pregnancy and postpartum and risk of mother-to-child HIV transmission: A systematic review and meta-analysis
BACKGROUND: Women may have persistent risk of HIV acquisition during pregnancy and postpartum. Estimating risk of HIV during these periods is important to inform optimal prevention approaches. We performed a...
Intravaginal practices, vaginal infections and HIV acquisition: Systematic review and meta-analysis
BACKGROUND: Intravaginal practices are commonly used by women to manage their vaginal health and sexual life. These practices could, however, affect intravaginal mucosal integrity. The objectives of this study were...
Antiretroviral therapy and the prevalence of osteopenia and osteoporosis: A meta-analytic review
INTRODUCTION: Prevalence estimates of osteopenia and osteoporosis (reduced bone mineral density; BMD) in HIV-infected patients and the role of antiretroviral therapy (ART) varies in the literature. METHODS: We conducted a...
