Category Archives: Treatment
Retention in HIV care during pregnancy and the postpartum period in the option B+ era: A systematic review and meta-analysis of studies in Africa
BACKGROUND: Under Option B+ guidelines for prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV (PMTCT), pregnant and breastfeeding women initiate antiretroviral therapy (ART) for lifelong use. The objectives of this study were:...
Universal antiretroviral therapy for HIV-infected children: A review of the benefits and risks to consider during implementation
BACKGROUND: The 2016 World Health Organization (WHO) consolidated guidelines on the use of antiretroviral drugs for treating and preventing HIV infection, recommended to start all HIV-infected children on antiretroviral therapy...
Effectiveness of protease inhibitor/nucleos(t)ide reverse transcriptase inhibitor-based second-line antiretroviral therapy for the treatment of HIV-1 infection in sub-Saharan Africa: Systematic review and meta-analysis
Background: In sub-Saharan Africa, 25.5 million people are living with HIV, representing 70% of the global total. The need for second-line antiretroviral therapy (ART) is projected to increase in the...
Candidates for inclusion in a universal antiretroviral regimen: Are lamivudine and emtricitabine interchangeable?
PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Lamivudine (3TC) and emtricitabine (FTC) are the most widely used antiretroviral medications worldwide and are considered by the WHO to be interchangeable. This article reviews evidence supporting...
Most common oral manifestations in pediatric patients HIV positive and the effect of highly active antiretroviral therapy
This integrative literature review aims to identify the main oral lesions affecting pediatric patients with HIV, and describe the effect of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) on these injuries, comparing...
CD4 count and tuberculosis risk in HIV-positive adults not on ART: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Background: CD4 cell count in adults with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection (PLHIV) not receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART) influences tuberculosis (TB) risk. Despite widespread use in models informing resource allocation,...
Interferon-free direct-acting antiviral therapy for acute hepatitis C virus infection in HIV-infected individuals: A literature review
Dramatic rises in hepatitis C virus (HCV) coinfection rates in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected individuals have been observed recently, largely attributable to increasing recreational drug use combined with increased testing...
Free software to analyse the clinical relevance of drug interactions with antiretroviral agents (SIMARV((R))) in patients with HIV/AIDS
BACKGROUND: Highly active antiretroviral therapy has extended the expected lifespan of patients with HIV/AIDS. However, the therapeutic benefits of some drugs used simultaneously with highly active antiretroviral therapy may be...
HIV-1 drug resistance before initiation or re-initiation of first-line antiretroviral therapy in low-income and middle-income countries: A systematic review and meta-regression analysis
BACKGROUND: Pretreatment drug resistance in people initiating or re-initiating antiretroviral therapy (ART) containing non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTIs) might compromise HIV control in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs). We aimed...
Tenofovir disoproxil fumarate safety for women and their infants during pregnancy and breastfeeding
OBJECTIVES: Pregnant/lactating women in some sub-Saharan Africa settings are at substantial risk of HIV acquisition and could benefit from preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP) with tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF), but safety data...
