Category Archives: Treatment
HIV-associated cardiovascular disease: Importance of platelet activation and cardiac fibrosis in the setting of specific antiretroviral therapies
HIV infection is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD). This risk is accentuated by certain combination antiretroviral therapies (cARTs), independent of their effects on lipid metabolism and insulin sensitivity....
Comparative safety and effectiveness of perinatal antiretroviral therapies for HIV-infected women and their children: Systematic review and network meta-analysis including different study designs
BACKGROUND: Nearly all newly infected children acquire Human Immunodeficiency virus (HIV) via mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) during pregnancy, labour or breastfeeding from untreated HIV-positive mothers. Antiretroviral therapy (ART) is the standard...
Evaluation of blood-based antibody rapid testing for HIV early therapy: A meta-analysis of the evidence
Background: Western blot (WB) assay is considered the gold standard test for HIV infection confirmation. However, it requires technical expertise and is quite time-consuming. WHO recommends blood-based rapid diagnosis to...
Social capital and HIV/AIDS in the United States: Knowledge, gaps, and future directions
Purpose: Social capital is a well-established predictor of several behavioral health outcomes. However, we know less about the relationship with prevention, transmission, and treatment of HIV/AIDS outcomes in the United...
Treatment outcome and adverse events of tenofovir disoproxil fumarate based regimens as compared to zidovudine based regimens among people living with HIV/AIDS: A systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies
Background: Findings from different studies report inferior clinical and virologic efficacy with TDF/3TC/NVP. But, some studies show that, there was no statistically significant difference in mortality among ZDV and TDF...
Outcomes of patients lost to follow-up in African antiretroviral therapy programs: Individual patient data meta-analysis
Background: Low retention on combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) has emerged as a threat to the Joint United Nations Programme on human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/AIDS (UNAIDS) 90-90-90 targets. We examined outcomes...
Comparison of 48-week efficacies of elvitegravir/cobicistat/emtricitabine/tenofovir alafenamide and nucleoside/nucleotide reverse transcriptase inhibitor-sparing regimens: A systematic review and network meta-analysis
OBJECTIVES: To compare nucleoside/nucleotide reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NRTI)-sparing regimens with tenofovir alafenamide (TAF)-based combinations in HIV-1-infected adults, we performed a network meta-analysis (NMA) to provide estimates of relative efficacy for...
Incidence of invasive pneumococcal disease in immunocompromised patients: A systematic review and meta-analysis
BACKGROUND: Invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) is associated with high morbidity and mortality, with immunocompromised patients (ICPs) at particular risk. Therefore, guidelines recommend pneumococcal vaccination for these patients. However, guidelines are...
A meta-analysis of effectiveness of interventions to improve adherence in pregnant women receiving antiretroviral therapy in sub-Saharan Africa
OBJECTIVE: We evaluated the effectiveness of interventions aimed at improving antiretroviral therapy (ART) adherence during pregnancy in sub-Saharan Africa. METHODS: For this meta-analysis, the following databases were searched: MEDLINE Complete,...
Use of antiretroviral therapy during pregnancy and adverse birth outcomes among women living with HIV-1 in low- and middle-income countries: A systematic review
BACKGROUND: Worldwide, nearly 18 million women of reproductive age are living with HIV-1. Although increased access to antiretroviral therapy (ART) during pregnancy has significantly reduced HIV-1 mother-to-child transmission (MTCT), a...
Comparison of antiretroviral therapy adherence among HIV-infected older adults with younger adults in Africa: Systematic review and meta-analysis
As access to antiretroviral treatment in low- and middle-income countries improves, the number of older adults (aged >/= 50 years) living with HIV is increasing. This study compares the adherence...
Mother-to-child transmission of HIV in Australia and other high-income countries: Trends in perinatal exposure, demography and uptake of prevention strategies
Virtual elimination of mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a global target. A review of the literature was conducted using medical databases and health department websites to...
