Category Archives: Women
Immune responses to vaginal candidiasis in African women: A scoping review of cytokine profiles, T-cell activation, and gene expression
Background Recent immunological studies of vaginal candidiasis in African populations have revealed complex host‒pathogen interactions with implications for therapeutic development and HIV acquisition risk. Objective This scoping review synthesized evidence...
Health service utilization of Black immigrant women residing in the United States: A systematic review
Black immigrants constitute a rapidly growing population group in the U.S. A comprehensive understanding of health services used by Black immigrant women is necessary to support the complex needs of...
Pneumocystis infection in pregnant women: A scoping review
Pneumocystis jirovecii is an opportunistic fungus that causes severe pneumonia in immunosuppressed individuals. While Pneumocystis colonization, a subclinical form of infection, has been studied in different populations, its implications during...
Depression and associated factors among human immunodeficiency virus-positive pregnant women in sub-Saharan Africa: Systematic review and meta-analysis
BACKGROUND: Despite its severe impact on both maternal and fetal health, antenatal depression has not received as much attention in the healthcare community as postnatal depression. Comprehensive evidence is very...
Perinatal outcomes among pregnant women with HIV initiating antiretroviral therapy preconception and antenatally
OBJECTIVE: Increasingly, pregnant women with HIV (WHIV) initiate antiretroviral therapy (ART) before conception. We assessed the risk of adverse perinatal outcomes among pregnant WHIV initiating ART preconception or antenatally, compared...
Breast cancer clinical characteristics, management, and outcomes in women living with HIV/AIDS globally: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Although associations between HIV and breast cancer (BC) have been investigated, the global literature remains inconsistent regarding clinical features and outcomes in HIV-positive patients. This study aims to clarify the...
PrEP uptake and utilisation among adolescent girls and young women in Sub-Saharan Africa: A scoping review
Adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) are disproportionately affected by HIV. Despite the effectiveness of oral pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) in preventing HIV, uptake and effective utilisation...
Interventions and strategies to increase cervical cancer screening, treatment, and retention in care among persons with HIV in low- and middle-income countries: A systematic review
Cervical cancer (CC) and HIV pose two major public health challenges, with low and middle-income countries (LMICs) exhibiting the highest disease burden and mortality rate for both HIV and CC-related...
A scoping review: Forced/coerced sterilization as a socio-cultural risk factor for sexually transmitted HIV for older Black women
Understanding socio-cultural factors that influence older (age 50 and up) Black women’s risk for sexually transmitted HIV has often been absent from policies and programs. This scoping review asked: What...
The impact of HPV/HIV co-infection on immunosuppression, HPV genotype, and cervical cancer biomarkers
BACKGROUND: Human papillomavirus (HPV) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) co-infection present a significant impact on women’s health globally, especially in immunocompromised individuals. HIV-induced immunosuppression promotes the persistence of high-risk HPV...
Leveraging U=U in interventions for Black women living with HIV: A scoping review and call to action
Despite significant reductions in the incidence and prevalence of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) over recent decades, certain subgroups continue to experience disproportionate HIV-related health disparities. Cisgender Black women, in particular,...
