Category Archives: Treatment
The effects of viral load and antiretroviral medications on sexual transmission of HIV
Key take-home messages Several studies have noted differences in viral load levels when comparing blood plasma to semen, cervicovaginal secretions and rectal mucosa. Despite an undetectable blood plasma viral load...
Challenges faced by HIV-positive youth transitioning to adult care and evidence-based practices to address them
Key take-home messages The barriers to successful transition to adult HIV care include lack of preparation, psychosocial stressors, loss of relationships, stigma, and barriers within the adult health care system...
Venom as therapeutic weapon to combat dreadful diseases of 21(st) century: A systematic review on cancer, TB, and HIV/AIDS
Cancer and infectious diseases are the preeminent causes of human morbidities and mortalities worldwide. At present, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, immunotherapy, and gene therapy are considered as predominant options in order to...
Adherence to methadone maintenance treatment and antiretroviral therapy
Key take-home messages HIV-positive intravenous drug users (IDUs) are at greater risk of non-adherence to highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) compared to the general HIV population. Psychological problems, active drug...
Does per-act HIV-1 transmission risk through anal sex vary by gender? An updated systematic review and meta-analysis
Quantifying HIV-1 transmission risk per-act of anal intercourse (AI) is important for HIV-1 prevention. We updated previous reviews by searching Medline and Embase to 02/2018. We derived pooled estimates of...
Repurposing medications for use in treating HIV infection: A focus on valproic acid as a latency-reversing agent
WHAT IS KNOWN AND OBJECTIVE: Combined antiretroviral therapy (ART) reduces human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) RNA plasma levels below the limit of detection. However, HIV-1 persists in latently infected...
AIDS-affected orphans in Sub-Saharan Africa: A scoping review on outcome differences in rural and urban environments
Currently, there are more than 11 million AIDS-affected orphans that suffer from various adverse effects, most of whom reside in sub-Saharan Africa. The difference between whether a child resides in...
The association between antiretroviral therapy and selected cardiovascular disease risk factors in sub-Saharan Africa: A systematic review and meta-analysis
BACKGROUND: With increasing adverse cardiovascular disease (CVD) outcomes in HIV/AIDS patients, the possible contribution of antiretroviral therapy (ART) to the prevailing CVD epidemic in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) through its effect...
The effect of bariatric surgery on patients with HIV infection: A literature review
Obesity among human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected individuals is on the rise. Bariatric procedures such as Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) and sleeve gastrectomy (SG) alter the GI tract. Whether this alteration...
Barriers to antiretroviral therapy adherence in developed countries: A qualitative synthesis to develop a conceptual framework for a new patient-reported outcome measure
Suboptimal adherence to antiretroviral therapy (ART) remains common. Patient-centered tools are needed to comprehensively assess adherence barriers in HIV clinical practice. Thus, we conducted a research synthesis to produce a...
Mindfulness-based interventions for adults living with HIV/AIDS: A systematic review and meta-analysis
This meta-analysis examined the effects of mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) on stress, psychological symptoms, and biomarkers of disease among people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA). Comprehensive searches identified 16 studies that met...
