Category Archives: Treatment
Electronic medication monitoring-informed counseling to improve adherence to combination anti-retroviral therapy and virologic treatment outcomes: A meta-analysis
BACKGROUND: Adherence to combination anti-retroviral therapy for HIV infection is a primary determinant of treatment success, but is often suboptimal. Previous studies have suggested that electronic medication monitoring-informed counseling is...
Pharmaceutical interventions in antiretroviral therapy: Systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials
WHAT IS KNOWN AND OBJECTIVE: High levels of adherence to antiretroviral therapy (ART) are needed to achieve the desired results. Because pharmaceutical care might contribute to improved adherence to treatment,...
Discontinuing pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia prophylaxis in HIV-infected patients with a CD4 cell count <200 cells/mm3
OBJECTIVE: To review the evidence for discontinuing primary and secondary Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia (PJP) prophylaxis in HIV-infected patients with a CD4 count <200 cells/mm3. DATA SOURCES: We conducted a literature...
The effect of sexually transmitted co-infections on HIV viral load amongst individuals on antiretroviral therapy: A systematic review and meta-analysis
BACKGROUND: Antiretroviral therapy (ART) markedly reduces HIV transmission, and testing and treatment programs have been advocated as a method for decreasing transmission at the population level. Little is known, however,...
Adherence to antiretroviral medications among persons who inject drugs in transitional, low and middle income countries: An international systematic review
Adherence to antiretroviral (ART) medication is vital to reducing morbidity and mortality among HIV positive persons. People who inject drugs (PWID) are at high risk for HIV infection in transitional/low/middle...
A meta-analysis investigating incidence and features of stroke in HIV-infected patients in the highly active antiretroviral therapy era
OBJECTIVE: Recent studies have suggested a close biological and clinical association between HIV infection and risk of myocardial infarction, whereas contrasting data have been reported about incidence of stroke and...
System factors as correlates of medication adherence in transplant and HIV populations: A systematic review
Purpose: Medication adherence (MA) is influenced not only by characteristics of the individual patient, but also by factors at the healthcare system level, i.e., micro- (e.g. healthcare worker, social support),...
A comparative systematic review of the optimal CD4 cell count threshold for HIV treatment initiation
HIV infection is no longer characterized by high morbidity, rapid progression to AIDS, and death as when the infection was first identified. While anti-retroviral drugs have improved the outcome of...
A systematic review of recent smartphone, Internet and Web 2.0 interventions to address the HIV continuum of care
eHealth, mHealth and “Web 2.0” social media strategies can effectively reach and engage key populations in HIV prevention across the testing, treatment, and care continuum. To assess how these tools...
Geographic and temporal trends in the molecular epidemiology and genetic mechanisms of transmitted HIV-1 drug resistance: An individual-patient- and sequence-level meta-analysis.
BACKGROUND: Regional and subtype-specific mutational patterns of HIV-1 transmitted drug resistance (TDR) are essential for informing first-line antiretroviral (ARV) therapy guidelines and designing diagnostic assays for use in regions where...
CD4 enumeration technologies: A systematic review of test performance for determining eligibility for antiretroviral therapy
BACKGROUND: Measurement of CD4+ T-lymphocytes (CD4) is a crucial parameter in the management of HIV patients, particularly in determining eligibility to initiate antiretroviral treatment (ART). A number of technologies exist...
Intimate partner violence and engagement in HIV care and treatment among women: A systematic review and meta-analysis
OBJECTIVE: We aimed to estimate the odds of engagement in HIV care and treatment among HIV-positive women reporting intimate partner violence (IPV). DESIGN: We systematically reviewed the literature on the...
