Category Archives: Epidemiology
Contribution of low CD4 cell counts and high HIV viral load to the efficacy of preferred first-line antiretroviral regimens for treating HIV infection: A systematic review and meta-analysis
We assessed whether low CD4 count and high viral load (VL) affect the response to currently preferred ART. We performed a systematic review of randomized, controlled clinical trials that analyzed...
Pneumocystis jiroveci Pneumonia: A review of management in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and non-HIV immunocompromised patients
Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia is an opportunistic fungal infection that was mainly associated with pneumonia in patients with advanced human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) disease. There has been a decline in Pneumocystis...
Disparities in healthcare access and utilization among people living with HIV in China: A scoping review and meta-analysis
Background Healthcare disparities hinder the goal of ending the HIV pandemic by 2030. This review aimed to understand the status of healthcare disparities among people living with HIV (PLWH) in...
The impact of needle and syringe exchange programs on HIV-related risk behaviors in low- and middle-income countries: A systematic review and meta-analysis examining individual- versus community-level effects
We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of the impact of needle and syringe exchange programs (NSP) on both individual- and community-level needle-sharing behaviors and other HIV-related outcomes in low-...
PrEP for women in Europe: A systematic literature review
BACKGROUND: Prevention of HIV transmission is fundamental to ending the HIV epidemic. Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) with oral tenofovir-emtricitabine (TDF-FTC) is an established HIV-prevention method; however, most PrEP services in Europe...
Progress of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries towards achieving the 95-95-95 UNAIDS targets: A review
BACKGROUND: In 2014, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) and partners launched the 90-90-90 targets. These were further updated to correspond to 95-95-95 by the year 2025. We...
Immunogenicity and reactogenicity of COVID-19 Pfizer-BioNTech (Bnt162b2) mRNA vaccination in immunocompromised adolescents and young adults: A systematic review and meta-analyses
Background: This study aimed to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of the BNT162b2 vaccine in immunocompromised adolescents and young adults. Research design and methods: The study conducted a meta-analysis of post-marketing studies...
Humoral immune response to two doses of COVID-19 mRNA-based vaccines in people living with HIV: A systematic review and meta-analysis
People living with HIV (PLWH) are susceptible to severe COVID-19 infection and hence this fragile population has prioritised vaccination. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to assess the humoral immune...
Immunogenicity, effectiveness and safety of SARS-CoV-2 vaccination in people living with HIV: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Objectives: People living with HIV (PLWH) experience a greater risk of morbidity and mortality following COVID-19 infection, and poorer immunological responses to several vaccines. We explored existing evidence regarding the immunogenicity,...
Human papillomavirus infection among pregnant women living with HIV: A systematic review and meta-analysis
BACKGROUND: In the general population, human papillomavirus (HPV) prevalence is reportedly increased during pregnancy, and emerging evidence suggests that it may be associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes. Women living with...
What factors are associated with willingness to use HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) among U.S. men who have sex with nen not on PrEP? A systematic review and meta-analysis
Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), an antiretroviral medication to prevent HIV, is becoming more widely available in the United States since the Federal Drug Administration approved it in 2012. However, PrEP use...
Performance of cardiovascular risk prediction models among people living with HIV: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Importance Extant data on the performance of cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk score models in people living with HIV have not been synthesized. Objective To synthesize available data on the performance of the...
