Category Archives: Treatment
Life expectancy of HIV-positive people after starting combination antiretroviral therapy: A meta-analysis
OBJECTIVES: Life expectancy is an important indicator informing decision making in policies relating to HIV-infected people. Studies estimating life expectancy after starting combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) have noted differences between...
Barriers and facilitators of interventions for improving antiretroviral therapy adherence: A systematic review of global qualitative evidence
INTRODUCTION: Qualitative research on antiretroviral therapy (ART) adherence interventions can provide a deeper understanding of intervention facilitators and barriers. This systematic review aims to synthesize qualitative evidence of interventions for...
Interventions to reduce loss to follow-up during all stages of the HIV care continuum in sub-Saharan Africa: A systematic review
The continuum of care for successful HIV treatment includes HIV testing, linkage, engagement in care, and retention on antiretroviral therapy (ART). Loss to follow-up (LTFU) is a significant disruption to...
Probiotics in human immunodeficiency virus infection: A systematic review and evidence synthesis of benefits and risks
People living with human immunodeficiency virus frequently use dietary supplements, including probiotics, but concern exists about ingesting live organisms. We performed a systematic review of the benefits of probiotics and...
Therapy-emergent drug resistance to integrase strand transfer inhibitors in HIV-1 patients: A subgroup meta-analysis of clinical trials
BACKGROUND: Integrase strand transfer inhibitors (INSTIs) are a novel class of anti-HIV agents that show high activity in inhibiting HIV-1 replication. Currently, licensed INSTIs include raltegravir (RAL), elvitegravir (EVG) and...
Mortality in the first 3 months on antiretroviral therapy among HIV-positive adults in low- and middle-income countries: A meta-analysis
Previous meta-analyses reported mortality estimates of 12-month post-antiretroviral therapy (ART) initiation; however, 40%-60% of deaths occur in the first 3 months on ART, a more sensitive measure of averted deaths...
The efficacy and safety of tenofovir alafenamide versus tenofovir disoproxil fumarate in antiretroviral regimens for HIV-1 therapy: Meta-analysis
BACKGROUND: To date, a definite conclusion about efficiency and safety of tenofovir alafenamide for patients with HIV-1 is not available. The aim of the study was to investigate the efficacy...
Interventions to improve the rate or timing of initiation of antiretroviral therapy for HIV in sub-Saharan Africa: Meta-analyses of effectiveness
INTRODUCTION: As global policy evolves toward initiating lifelong antiretroviral therapy (ART) regardless of CD4 count, initiating individuals newly diagnosed with HIV on ART as efficiently as possible will become increasingly...
Effectiveness and safety of oral HIV preexposure prophylaxis for all populations
OBJECTIVE: Preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP) offers a promising new approach to HIV prevention. This systematic review and meta-analysis evaluated the evidence for use of oral PrEP containing tenofovir disoproxil fumarate as...
The effectiveness of mobile phone text messaging in improving medication adherence for patients with chronic diseases: A systematic review
CONTEXT: Medication non-adherence is a commonly observed problem in the self-administration of treatment, regardless of the disease type. Text messaging reminders, as electronic reminders, provide an opportunity to improve medication...
