Category Archives: Determinants of Health
A systematic review of the engagement with social media-delivered interventions for improving health outcomes among sexual and gender minorities
BACKGROUND: Sexual and gender minority (SGM) persons face a number of physical and mental health disparities closely linked to discrimination, social stigma, and victimization. Despite the acceptability and increasing number...
Experience of chronic noncommunicable disease in people living with HIV: A systematic review and meta-aggregation of qualitative studies
BACKGROUND: An increasing number of people living with HIV (PLWH) have had chronic noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) over the last 5 years. However, robust evidence regarding the perception and challenges of...
HIV-sensitive social protection for vulnerable young women in East and Southern Africa: A systematic review
Introduction: Social protection programmes are considered HIV-sensitive when addressing risk, vulnerability or impact of HIV infection. Socio-economic interventions, like livelihood and employability programmes, address HIV vulnerabilities like poverty and gender inequality....
Barriers and facilitators of rendering HIV services by community health workers in sub-Saharan Africa: A meta-synthesis
OBJECTIVES: To synthesise qualitative studies that address the barriers to and facilitators of providing HIV services by community health workers (CHWs) in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). DESIGN: This meta-synthesis was guided...
The catastrophic HPV/HIV dual viral oncogenomics in concert with dysregulated alternative splicing in cervical cancer
Cervical cancer is a public health problem and has devastating effects in low-to-middle-income countries (LTMICs) such as the sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries. Infection by the human papillomavirus (HPV) is the...
The latent tuberculosis cascade-of-care among people living with HIV: A systematic review and meta-analysis
BACKGROUND: Tuberculosis preventive therapy (TPT) reduces TB-related morbidity and mortality in people living with HIV (PLHIV). Cascade-of-care analyses help identify gaps and barriers in care and develop targeted solutions. A...
Health programmes and services addressing the prevention and management of infectious diseases in people who inject drugs in Canada: A systematic integrative review
OBJECTIVES: People who inject drugs (PWID) experience a high burden of injection drug use-related infectious disease and challenges in accessing adequate care. This study sought to identify programmes and services...
Genetic factors associated with tuberculosis-related clinical outcomes in HIV-infected Black African patients: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Aim: To evaluate the genetic factors influencing tuberculosis (TB) clinical outcomes in HIV-infected Black African patients. Materials & methods: We systematically searched and identified eligible publications from >550 databases indexed...
Seroprevalence estimates of latent and acute toxoplasma infections in HIV(+) people-call for action in underprivileged communities
We undertook a comprehensive, systematic review of observational studies to estimate respective seroprevalences of latent and acute Toxoplasma gondii infections in HIV(+) people at the global, regional and country levels;...
The influence of HLA/HIV genetics on the occurrence of elite controllers and a need for therapeutics geotargeting view
The interaction of HIV-1, human leukocyte antigen (HLA), and elite controllers (EC) compose a still intricate triad. Elite controllers maintain a very low viral load and a normal CD4 count,...
Environmental pollutants, mucosal barriers, and pathogen susceptibility; the case for aflatoxin B(1) as a risk factor for HIV transmission and pathogenesis
HIV transmission risk is dependent on the infectivity of the HIV+ partner and personal susceptibility risk factors of the HIV- partner. The mucosal barrier, as the internal gatekeeper between environment...
