Category Archives: Epidemiology and Determinants of Health
Are Candida albicans isolates from the oral cavity of HIV-infected patients more virulent than from non-HIV-infected patients? Systematic review and meta-analysis
Candida albicans is the main causative agent of oral lesions in HIV-infected patients and its oral colonization is a potential source of systemic dissemination. Although the high prevalence of lesions...
ART uptake and adherence among women who use drugs globally: A scoping review
OBJECTIVE: To assess the state of peer-reviewed literature surrounding uptake and adherence of antiretroviral therapy (ART) among HIV-positive women who use drugs (WWUD). METHODS: Consistent with PRISMA-ScR guidelines, we conducted...
Implications of COVID-19 in high burden countries for HIV/TB: A systematic review of evidence
BACKGROUND: The triple burden of COVID-19, tuberculosis and human immunodeficiency virus is one of the major global health challenges of the twenty-first century. In high burden HIV/TB countries, the spread...
Hepatitis E seroprevalence and viremia rate in immunocompromised patients: A systematic review and meta-analysis
BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Hepatitis E is an infectious disease of the liver caused by the hepatitis E virus (HEV). Immunocompromised patients present a particular risk group, as chronification of hepatitis...
Risk of failure in dual therapy versus triple therapy in naive HIV-patients: A systematic review and meta-analysis
BACKGROUND: Several attempts have been made to test different drug-sparing strategies to reduce the drug-burden and drug-related toxicities. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this meta-analysis was to evaluate the relative risk...
The relationship between potentially traumatic or stressful events, HIV infection and neurocognitive impairment (NCI): A systematic review of observational epidemiological studies
BACKGROUND: HIV/AIDS and potentially traumatic events (PTEs) or stressful life events (SLEs) and/or PTSD are independently associated with neurocognitive impairment (NCI). Literature suggests that HIV and PTE/SLE exposure independently and...
The prevalence of latent and acute toxoplasmosis in HIV-infected pregnant women: A systematic review and meta-analysis
OBJECTIVE: HIV in pregnancy is not only important for mother-to-child HIV transmission, but also it assumes additional importance because HIV increases susceptibility to opportunistic infections, leading to increased morbidity and...
Meta-synthesis of qualitative research of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) adherence among men who have sex with men (MSM)
The aim of the study was to consolidate evidence on barriers and facilitators to PrEP adherence among men who have sex with men. PubMed, Science Direct, and EBSCO host were...
Prevalence and type distribution of human papillomavirus recovered from the uterine cervix of Nigerian women: A systematic review and meta-analysis
BACKGROUND: Infection with an oncogenic type of human papillomavirus is a prerequisite for the development of precancerous cervical lesions and its subsequent progression to cervical cancer. With an alarming increase...
Methadone maintenance therapy service components linked to improvements in HIV care cascade outcomes: A systematic review of trials and observational studies
BACKGROUND: The beneficial links between engagement in methadone maintenance therapy (MMT) and HIV treatment outcomes have been extensively described. Nevertheless, people who use drugs (PWUD) continue to experience suboptimal HIV...
