Category Archives: Epidemiology
A scoping review of prevalence, incidence and risk factors for HIV infection amongst young people in Brazil
BACKGROUND: Despite young people being a key population for HIV prevention, the HIV epidemic amongst young Brazilians is perceived to be growing. We therefore reviewed all published literature on HIV...
Health outcomes associated with crack-cocaine use: Systematic review and meta-analyses
BACKGROUND: Crack-cocaine use is prevalent largely in socio-economically marginalized populations in the Americas. Its use has been associated with diverse health outcomes, yet no recent or systematic reviews of these...
Meta-analysis of alcohol and serodiscordant condomless sex among people living with HIV
While observational studies have found that alcohol consumption is associated with serodiscordant condomless sex among people living with HIV (PLHIV), no meta-analysis has yet examined this trend. We conducted a...
HIV and tuberculosis co-infection among migrants in Europe: A systematic review on the prevalence, incidence and mortality
BACKGROUND: International human migration has been rapidly growing. Migrants coming from low and middle income countries continue to be considerably vulnerable and at higher risk for infectious diseases, namely HIV...
A historical review of HIV prevention and care initiatives in British Columbia, Canada: 1996-2015
INTRODUCTION: British Columbia has made significant progress in the treatment and prevention of HIV since 1996, when Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy (HAART) became available. However, we currently lack a historical...
Prevalence of hepatitis D virus infection in sub-Saharan Africa: A systematic review and meta-analysis
BACKGROUND: Hepatitis D virus (also known as hepatitis delta virus) can establish a persistent infection in people with chronic hepatitis B, leading to accelerated progression of liver disease. In sub-Saharan...
Opportunities and gaps in primary care preventative health services for transgender patients: A systemic review
Purpose: Transgender people face barriers to accessing healthcare, resulting in population-level disparities in health outcomes. Little research is available to better understand the receipt of primary healthcare among transgender patients...
Shifting tasks from pharmacy to non-pharmacy personnel for providing antiretroviral therapy to people living with HIV: A systematic review and meta-analysis
OBJECTIVES: Lay people or non-pharmacy health workers with training could dispense antiretroviral therapy (ART) in resource-constrained countries, freeing up time for pharmacists to focus on more technical tasks. We assessed...
Does being drunk or high cause HIV sexual risk behavior? A systematic review of drug administration studies
HIV sexual risk behavior is broadly associated with substance use. Yet critical questions remain regarding the potential causal link between substance use (e.g., intoxication) and HIV sexual risk behavior. The...
Zoonotic and vector-borne infections among urban homeless and marginalized people in the United States and Europe, 1990-2014
INTRODUCTION: In high-income countries, homeless individuals in urban areas often live in crowded conditions with limited sanitation and personal hygiene. The environment of homelessness in high-income countries may result in...
