Category Archives: Epidemiology and Determinants of Health
What palliative care-related problems do patients experience at HIV diagnosis? A systematic review of the evidence
CONTEXT: Palliative care is an essential element of HIV care throughout the disease trajectory, but there is a lack of information to guide clinical care at HIV diagnosis. OBJECTIVES: This...
A systematic review of the use of atazanavir in women infected with HIV-1
BACKGROUND: Despite increasing numbers of women with HIV worldwide, females are under-represented in clinical trials of antiretrovirals and literature addressing gender differences in clinical outcomes, treatment discontinuation, adverse events and...
A systematic review of strategies for partner notification for sexually transmitted diseases including HIV/AIDS
This review compares the effects of various sexually transmitted disease (STD) partner-notification strategies. Using review methods endorsed by the Cochrane Collaboration, it updates previous reviews, and addresses some of their...
What is the potential for bisexual men in China to act as a bridge of HIV transmission to the female population? Behavioural evidence from a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Background: HIV prevalence among men who have sex with men (MSM) in China has rapidly increased in recent years. It is suggested that MSM could be a potential bridge of...
Intravaginal practices, bacterial vaginosis, and women’s susceptibility to HIV infection: Epidemiological evidence and biological mechanisms
Intravaginal practices such as “dry sex” and douching have been suggested as a risk factor that may increase women’s susceptibility to HIV infection. These behaviours appear common in different populations...
Association between polymorphism of SDF1 (CXCL12) gene and HIV-1 susceptibility: A meta-analysis
Studies on the association between SDF1 genotype and HIV-1 susceptibility have generated inconclusive results. Therefore, we conducted a meta-analysis to summarize the findings of different studies. Articles reporting SDF1 gene...
Moderators of the relationship between internalized homophobia and risky sexual behavior in men who have sex with men: A meta-analysis
Research on internalized homophobia (IH) has consistently linked it to both mental and physical health outcomes, while research on its relationships with other variables has been inconsistent. Some research and...
Hepatitis B/C and HIV in sub-Saharan Africa: an association between highly prevalent infectious diseases. A systematic review and meta-analysis
OBJECTIVES: Hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV), and the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) are endemic in Africa. However, hepatitis co-infection rates among HIV-infected individuals remain controversial. The aim...
Iron supplementation for reducing morbidity and mortality in children with HIV
BACKGROUND: The most prevalent haematologic disturbance associated with HIV in children (apart from CD4 lymphocytopenia) is anaemia. Anaemia associated with HIV arises from multiple mechanisms, including the direct inhibitory effect...
The effectiveness of needle exchange programmes in modifying hiv-related outcomes: A systematic review of the evidence, 1997-1999
Objective: To examine the effectiveness of needle exchange programs (NEPs) in modifying HIVrelated outcomes in injection drug users (IDUs). Methods: On-line computer searches of six electronic databases, hand searches of...
