Category Archives: Prevention
Does capacity development increase demand for health services and rights among key populations affected by HIV? A systematic review of evidence from low and middle-income countries
Capacity development is a process by which individuals, organizations and societies develop abilities to perform functions, solve problems and achieve objectives. This systematic review sought to document capacity development interventions,...
A review of HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) programmes by delivery models in the Asia-Pacific through the healthcare accessibility framework
INTRODUCTION: In the Asia-Pacific, pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is a newly introduced public health intervention for minimizing HIV transmission, the coverage of which has remained limited. The best delivery models and...
Attributes of HIV infection over decades (1982–2018): A systematic review and meta-analysis
Understanding the risk factors for HIV infection is the foundation of successful preventive strategies, which must bundle sociocultural, behavioural and biomedical interventions to halt disease transmission. We aimed in this...
Delivery of sexual and reproductive health interventions in conflict settings: A systematic review
BACKGROUND: It is essential to provide comprehensive sexual and reproductive health (SRH) interventions to women affected by armed conflict, but there is a lack of evidence on effective approaches to...
Immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy for cancer patients infected with HIV: A systematic review
BACKGROUND: Immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) therapy represents a breakthrough in cancer treatment. However, clinical trials of ICI have usually excluded people living with HIV (PLWH). The efficacy and safety data...
Is sexual risk behaviour associated with an increased risk of transfusion-transmissible infections in blood donors from Western and Pacific countries? A systematic review and meta-analysis
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The donor medical questionnaire is designed to aid blood establishments in supporting a safe blood supply. According to blood donor deferral policies, sexual risk behaviour (SRB) leads...
A systematic review of mobile phone interventions (SMS/IVR/Calls) to improve adherence and retention to antiretroviral treatment in low-and middle-income countries
The use of mobile health technologies (mHealth) to ameliorate HIV care has considerably risen in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) since 2010. Yet, the discrepancies in the results of accompanying...
Therapeutic use of cannabis and cannabinoids: An evidence mapping and appraisal of systematic reviews
BACKGROUND: Although cannabis and cannabinoids are widely used with therapeutic purposes, their claimed efficacy is highly controversial. For this reason, medical cannabis use is a broad field of research that...
Systematic review of peer-reviewed literature on global condom promotion programs
Background: Globally, 1.7 million people were newly infected with HIV in 2018. Condoms are inexpensive, cost-effective, reduce HIV/STI incidence, morbidity, mortality, and unintended pregnancies, and result in health care cost...
Pharmacokinetics, placental and breast milk transfer of antiretroviral drugs in pregnant and lactating women living with HIV
BACKGROUND: Remarkable progress has been achieved in the identification of HIV infection in pregnant women and in the prevention of vertical HIV transmission through maternal antiretroviral treatment (ART) and neonatal...
Evidence on factors influencing contraceptive use and sexual behavior among women in South Africa: A scoping review
INTRODUCTION: Contraceptive use and sexual health behavior remain a prominent public health concern in South Africa (SA). Despite many government interventions, unintended pregnancies and termination of pregnancies remain relatively high....
