Category Archives: Biomedical interventions
Female and younger subjects have lower adherence in PrEP trials: A meta-analysis with implications for the uptake of PrEP service to prevent HIV
OBJECTIVE: To estimate the medicine-taking compliance (MTC) level, explore its facilitators and barriers, and quantify the association between MTC level and pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) protective efficacy in individuals at risk...
Host molecular factors and viral genotypes in the mother-to-child HIV-1 transmission in Sub-Saharan Africa
Maternal viral load and immune status, timing and route of delivery, viral subtype, and host genetics are known to influence the transmission, acquisition and disease progression of human immunodeficiency virus-1...
Optimal anti-retroviral prophylaxis in infants at high-risk of acquiring human immunodeficiency virus: A systematic review
INTRODUCTION: The risk of perinatal HIV infection can be dramatically reduced through maternal antiretroviral therapy (ART) and infant antiretroviral (ARV) postnatal prophylaxis. The 2013 WHO guidelines recommended four to six...
Awareness and willingness to use HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis among men who have sex with men in low- and middle-income countries: A systematic review and meta-analysis
INTRODUCTION: To facilitate provision of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC), a better understanding of potential demand and user preferences is required. This review assessed awareness and...
Comprehensive review of the evidence regarding the effectiveness of community-based primary health care in improving maternal, neonatal and child health: 1. rationale, methods and database description
BACKGROUND: Community-based primary health care (CBPHC) is an approach used by health programs to extend preventive and curative health services beyond health facilities into communities and even down to households....
Does maternal HSV-2 coinfection increase mother-to-child transmission of HIV? A systematic review
BACKGROUND: Reducing HIV mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) is critical to ending the HIV pandemic. Reports suggest that herpes simplex virus-2 (HSV-2), a common coinfection in HIV-infected individuals, is associated with increased...
Mapping evidence of interventions and strategies to bridge the gap in the implementation of the prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV programme policy in sub-Saharan countries: A scoping review
BACKGROUND: Prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) of HIV is a life-saving public health intervention. Sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries have made significant progress in the programme, but little is known about...
Safety of oral tenofovir disoproxil fumarate-based HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis use in lactating HIV-uninfected women
INTRODUCTION: In settings where HIV is prevalent in heterosexual populations, pregnancy and postpartum breastfeeding periods can be associated with substantial HIV acquisition risk. Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) with daily oral tenofovir...
Elective cesarean section for women living with HIV: A systematic review of risks and benefits
OBJECTIVE AND DESIGN: To inform WHO guidelines, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to assess maternal and perinatal outcomes comparing cesarean section (c-section) before labor and rupture of membranes...
Critical review: Review of the efficacy, safety, and pharmacokinetics of raltegravir in pregnancy
Raltegravir was previously considered an alternative antiretroviral in pregnancy because of limited data, but recent pregnancy guidelines recommend raltegravir as a preferred integrase treatment option. Data from published articles and...
