Category Archives: Women
Experiences integrating delivery of maternal and child health services with childhood immunization programs: Systematic review update
BACKGROUND: The World Health Organization and the United Nations Children’s Fund promote integration of maternal and child health (MCH) and immunization services as a strategy to strengthen immunization programs. We...
Intravaginal practices, vaginal infections and HIV acquisition: Systematic review and meta-analysis
BACKGROUND: Intravaginal practices are commonly used by women to manage their vaginal health and sexual life. These practices could, however, affect intravaginal mucosal integrity. The objectives of this study were...
Unit costs for delivery of antiretroviral treatment and prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV: A systematic review for low- and middle-income countries
As antiretroviral treatment (ART) for HIV/AIDS is scaled up globally, information on per-person costs is critical to improve efficiency in service delivery and to maximize coverage and health impact. The...
Adverse events associated with nevirapine use in pregnancy: A systematic review and meta-analysis
INTRODUCTION: The risk of adverse drug events associated with nevirapine (NVP) is suggested to be greater in pregnant women. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of severe adverse events...
Endocrine and metabolic disorders associated with human immune deficiency virus infection
BACKGROUND: Many reports have described endocrine and metabolic disorders in the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. This article reviewed various reports in the literature in order to increase the awareness...
Hepatotoxicity associated with long- versus short-course HIV-prophylactic nevirapine use: A systematic review and meta-analysis from the Research on Adverse Drug events And Reports (RADAR) project
Background and objective: The antiretroviral nevirapine can cause severe hepatotoxicity when used ‘off-label’ for preventing mother-to-child HIV transmission (PMTCT), newborn post-exposure prophylaxis and for pre- and post-exposure prophylaxis among non-HIV-infected...
Do spermicides containing nonoxynol-9 prevent sexually transmitted infections: A meta-analysis
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: There are conflicting opinions on whether to recommend spermicides containing nonoxynol-9 for prevention of sexually transmitted diseases, including human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). GOAL: To systematically review and...
A systematic review to quantitatively evaluate ‘Stepping Stones’: A participatory community-based HIV/AIDS prevention intervention
This first independent systematic review examined evidence for the effectiveness of the stepping stones intervention in HIV prevention. To reduce HIV transmission it addresses gender roles and promotes equitable relationships....
Contraception for the HIV-positive woman: A review of interactions between hormonal contraception and antiretroviral therapy
Background. Preventing unintended pregnancy in HIV-positive women can significantly reduce maternal-to-child HIV transmission as well as improve the woman’s overall health. Hormonal contraceptives are safe and effective means to avoid...
Mother’s CD4+ count moderates the risk associated with higher parity for late postnatal HIV-free survival of breastfed children: An individual patient data meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials
Risk association studies of late postnatal outcomes for children breastfed by HIV-1 positive mothers have had inconsistent findings and have not explored interactions among risk factors. This study addresses these...
A systematic review of health system barriers and enablers for antiretroviral therapy (ART) for HIV-infected pregnant and postpartum women
BACKGROUND: Despite global progress in the fight to reduce maternal mortality, HIV-related maternal deaths remain persistently high, particularly in much of Africa. Lifelong antiretroviral therapy (ART) appears to be the...
