Category Archives: Epidemiology
The safety and immunogenicity of vaccines administered to pregnant women living with HIV: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Background Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)-exposed uninfected (HEU) infants have a higher burden of infectious diseases related morbidity and mortality compared with HIV-unexposed uninfected (HUU). Immunization of pregnant women living with...
Scoping review of HIV-related intersectional stigma among sexual and gender minorities in sub-Saharan Africa
OBJECTIVES: Sexual and gender minority (SGM) populations in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) are disproportionately impacted by HIV and often face multiple HIV-related stigmas. Addressing these stigmas could reduce SGM HIV vulnerability...
Combined “Test and Treat” campaigns for human immunodeficiency virus, hepatitis B, and hepatitis C: A systematic review to provide evidence to support World Health Organization treatment guidelines
BACKGROUND: Worldwide, more than 39 million individuals are living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), 296 million with chronic hepatitis B (HBV), and 58 million with chronic hepatitis C (HCV). Despite...
CD4/CD8 ratio and CD8+ T-cell count as prognostic markers for non-AIDS mortality in people living with HIV. A systematic review and meta-analysis
BACKGROUND: In people living with HIV (PLHIV), the CD4/CD8 ratio has been proposed as a useful marker for non-AIDS events. However, its predictive ability on mortality over CD4 counts, and...
Association between genital mycoplasmas (Ureaplasma urealyticum and Mycoplasma hominis) and HIV infection: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Several studies have reported the occurrence of genital mycoplasmas (Ureaplasma urealyticum, Mycoplasma hominis, Mycoplasma genitalium, and Mycoplasma fermentans) among human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected patients, but findings are conflicting. The aim...
Effectiveness of linkage to care and prevention interventions following HIV self-testing: A global systematic review and meta-analysis
Over 38.4 million people were living with HIV globally in 2021. The HIV continuum includes HIV testing, diagnosis, linkage to combined antiretroviral therapy (cART), and retention in care. An important...
Global prevalence of depressive symptoms among people living with HIV/AIDS: A systematic review and meta-analysis of the past five years
A clear and accurate assessment of depressive symptoms among people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) in the past five years is essential to help develop reasonable and sound interventions to improve...
Endothelial dysfunction, a predictor of cardiovascular disease in HIV patients on antiretroviral therapy: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Aim Although antiretroviral therapy (ART) is available, the rate of new HIV infections is alarming. With this trend, it is anticipated that the use of ART will continue to rise,...
Recent advances in HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders: A focus on older adults and sub-Saharan Africa
PURPOSE OF REVIEW: We reviewed recent literature on prevalence and interventional approaches for cognitive impairment in the context of HIV infection alongside current controversies and challenges around its nomenclature, screening,...
Effect of intake of probiotics and probiotic fermented foods on clinical outcomes among people living with HIV: A systematic review and meta-analysis
OBJECTIVE: The objective of the study was to determine the effect of probiotics and of probiotic-fermented foods on CD4 T-cell count, viral load, anaemia and body mass index (BMI) among...
Prevention of viral hepatitis and HIV infection among people who inject drugs: A systematic review and meta-analysis
This study aimed to explore the current evidence on preventing blood-borne virus infections among people who inject drugs (PWID). We conducted a comprehensive search across three databases (PubMed, Embase, Cochrane...
