Category Archives: Engagement and Care Cascade
Optimal timing of antiretroviral therapy initiation for HIV-infected adults with newly diagnosed pulmonary tuberculosis: A systematic review and meta-analysis
BACKGROUND: Initiation of antiretroviral therapy (ART) during tuberculosis (TB) treatment remains challenging. PURPOSE: To assess evidence from randomized, controlled trials of the timing of ART initiation in HIV-infected adults with...
Leishmaniasis as a manifestation of immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome (IRIS) in HIV-infected patients: A literature review
INTRODUCTION: After the onset of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), some HIV-infected patients present a severe inflammation in response to a latent or a previously treated opportunistic pathogen termed immune...
Viral suppression in adolescents on antiretroviral treatment: Review of the literature and critical appraisal of methodological challenges
OBJECTIVE: Medication adherence is often sub-optimal for adolescents with HIV, and establishing correct weight-based antiretroviral therapy dosing is difficult, contributing to virological failure. This review aimed to determine the proportion...
The effect of tuberculosis treatment on virologic and CD4+ cell count response to combination antiretroviral therapy: A systematic review
OBJECTIVES: To determine the impact of tuberculosis (TB) treatment at the time of combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) initiation on virologic and CD4 cell count response to cART. METHODS:: Systematic review...
Retention of adult patients on antiretroviral therapy in low- and middle-income countries: Systematic review and meta-analysis 2008-2013
BACKGROUND: We previously published systematic reviews of retention in care after antiretroviral therapy initiation among general adult populations in sub-Saharan Africa. We estimated 36-month retention at 73% for publications from...
Efficacy of initial antiretroviral therapy for HIV-1 infection in adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis of 114 studies with up to 144 weeks’ follow-up
BACKGROUND: A comprehensive assessment of initial HIV-1 treatment success may inform study design and treatment guidelines. METHODS: Group-based, systematic review and meta-analysis of initial antiretroviral therapy studies, in adults, of...
Efficacy and biological safety of lopinavir/ritonavir based anti-retroviral therapy in HIV-1-infected patients: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials
Lopinavir/ritonavir (LPV/r) is the first ritonavir-boosted protease-inhibitor used in second-line anti-retroviral treatment (ART) in resource-limited regions. To evaluate the efficacy and safety outcomes of LPV/r in treatment-naive and -experienced HIV-infected...
New approaches to antiretroviral drug delivery: Challenges and opportunities associated with the use of long-acting injectable agents
Research on improved treatment of HIV infection and pre-exposure prophylaxis continues. Poor adherence to treatment is the critical risk factor for virological failure and resistance development, and long-acting formulations of...
Comparative safety and neuropsychiatric adverse events associated with efavirenz use in first-line antiretroviral therapy: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized trials
INTRODUCTION: Efavirenz (EFV) is widely used for the treatment of antiretroviral-naive HIV-positive individuals, but there are concerns about the risk of adverse neuropsychiatric events. We systematically reviewed the safety of...
Growth reconstitution following antiretroviral therapy and nutritional supplementation: Systematic review and meta-analysis
OBJECTIVE: As antiretroviral therapy (ART) expands for HIV-infected children, it is important to determine its impact on growth. We quantified growth and its determinants following ART in resource-limited (RLS) and...
