Category Archives: Epidemiology and Determinants of Health
Effectiveness of the female condom in preventing HIV and sexually transmitted infections: A systematic review and meta-analysis
BACKGROUND: The effectiveness of female condoms for preventing HIV and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) remains inconclusive. We examined the effects of female condoms on the acquisition of HIV and STIs....
Ventriculoperitoneal shunt insertion in human immunodeficiency virus infected adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis
BACKGROUND: Hydrocephalus is a common, life threatening complication of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-related central nervous system opportunistic infection which can be treated by insertion of a ventriculoperitoneal shunt (VPS). In...
Prevalence estimates of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection among visceral leishmaniasis infected people in Northwest Ethiopia: A systematic review and meta-analysis
BACKGROUND: In Ethiopia, by the end of 2018, an estimated 690,000 people are infected with HIV and the annual cases of Visceral Leishmaniasis (VL) is estimated to be between 4000...
Neurocysticercosis and HIV Infection: What can we learn from the published literature?
OBJECTIVE: Infections caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and by the larvae of Taenia solium (i.e., cysticercosis) are still widespread in many developing countries. Both pathologies modify host immune...
Antiretroviral therapy and detection of high-grade cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN2+) at post-CIN management follow-up among women living with HIV: A systematic review and meta-analysis
BACKGROUND: We evaluated the association of antiretroviral therapy (ART), CD4+ count and HIV plasma viral load (PVL) on high-grade cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN2+) detection at follow-up after CIN management among...
Pharmacokinetics, placental and breast milk transfer of antiretroviral drugs in pregnant and lactating women living with HIV
BACKGROUND: Remarkable progress has been achieved in the identification of HIV infection in pregnant women and in the prevention of vertical HIV transmission through maternal antiretroviral treatment (ART) and neonatal...
Risk factors for loss to follow-up from antiretroviral therapy programmes in low- and middle-income countries: A systematic review and meta-analysis
INTRODUCTION: Loss to follow up (LTFU) rates from antiretroviral treatment (ART) programmes in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) are high, forming an important risk factor for poor treatment outcomes and...
Dental care as a risk factor for transfusion transmissible infections in blood donors: A systematic review and meta-analysis
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The deferral policy for blood donation after dental care is based on the precautionary principle. The aim of this systematic review is to give an overview of...
A global meta-analysis of the prevalence of HIV, hepatitis C virus, and hepatitis B virus among people who inject drugs — Do gender-based differences vary by country-level indicators?
BACKGROUND: Women-specific factors exist that increases vulnerability to drug-related harms from injection drug use, including blood-borne viruses (BBVs), but gender-based differences in BBV prevalence have not been systematically examined. METHODS:...
HIV-1 subtype frequency in Northeast Brazil: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Information on human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) molecular epidemiology is required to verify HIV/AIDS (acquired immune deficiency syndrome) epidemic dynamics in different regions, as well as provide support for response to...