Category Archives: Treatment
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...
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),...
Directly observed antiretroviral therapy: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised clinical trials
BACKGROUND: Directly observed therapy has been recommended to improve adherence for patients with HIV infection who are on highly active antiretroviral therapy, but the benefit and cost-effectiveness of this approach...
Mortality of patients lost to follow-up in antiretroviral treatment programmes in resource-limited settings: Systematic review and meta-analysis
Background: The retention of patients in antiretroviral therapy (ART) programmes is an important issue in resource-limited settings. Loss to follow up can be substantial, but it is unclear what the...
Prevalence, severity, and duration of thrombocytopenia among HIV patients in the era of highly active antiretroviral therapy
Thrombocytopenia is a clinically relevant outcome in HIV. However, the epidemiology of this condition, including frequency, severity, and duration, has not been well-characterized in the era of highly active antiretroviral...
Etravirine (TMC-125): The evidence for its place in the treatment of HIV-1 infection
Introduction: Etravirine is a novel nonnucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI) specifically designed to suppress the replication of viruses resistant to the three currently approved NNRTIs efavirenz, nevirapine, and delavirdine. Aims:...
