Category Archives: Biomedical interventions
Vitamin A supplements for reducing mother-to-child HIV transmission
BACKGROUND: Strategies to reduce the risk of mother-to-child transmission of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) include lifelong antiretroviral therapy (ART) for HIV-positive women, exclusive breastfeeding from birth for six weeks...
Ranking 93 health interventions for low- and middle-income countries by cost-effectiveness
BACKGROUND: Cost-effectiveness rankings of health interventions are useful inputs for national healthcare planning and budgeting. Previous comprehensive rankings for low- and middle- income countries were undertaken in 2005 and 2006,...
Does pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV prevention in men who have sex with men (MSM) change risk behavior? A systematic review
BACKGROUND: Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV has been available since 2012. Even so, PrEP has not been widely accepted among healthcare providers and MSM some of whom are convinced that...
Evidence on the cost-effectiveness of lifelong antiretroviral therapy for prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV: Implications for resource-limited countries in sub-Saharan Africa
INTRODUCTION: The 2016 World Health Organization (WHO) consolidated guideline recommends lifelong antiretroviral therapy (ART) for all HIV-infected pregnant and breastfeeding women for preventing mother-to-child HIV transmission (PMTCT). Ambiguity remains about...
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...
HIV-free survival at 12-24 months in breastfed infants of HIV-infected women on antiretroviral treatment
OBJECTIVE: To provide estimates of HIV-free survival at 12-24 months in breastfed children by maternal ART (6 months or lifelong) to inform WHO HIV and Infant Feeding guidelines. METHODS: Eighteen...
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...
