Category Archives: Biomedical interventions
A systematic review of the inclusion (or exclusion) of women in HIV research: From clinical studies of antiretrovirals and vaccines to cure strategies
INTRODUCTION: The effect of clinical interventions can differ due to sex/gender. Studies have shown that women are often underrepresented in medical research. The aim of this systematic literature review was...
Factors associated with parental non-adoption of infant male circumcision for HIV prevention in Sub-Saharan Africa: A systematic review and thematic synthesis
Infant male circumcision (IMC) may be more effective at preventing HIV than adult male circumcision as the procedure is carried out before the individual becomes sexually active. Successful scale-up will...
A meta-analysis of the performance of the Pima CD4 for point of care testing
BACKGROUND: The Alere point-of-care (POC) Pima CD4 analyzer allows for decentralized testing and expansion to testing antiretroviral therapy (ART) eligibility. A consortium conducted a pooled multi-data technical performance analysis of...
Metabolic complications of in utero maternal HIV and antiretroviral exposure in HIV-exposed infants
BACKGROUND: Despite a wide body of literature supporting the use of antenatal antiretrovirals (ARV) for the prevention of mother-to-child transmission, there remains a need for continued monitoring as the intrauterine...
Eliminating mother-to-child transmission of the human immunodeficiency virus in sub-Saharan Africa: The journey so far and what remains to be done
This review was carried out to provide a comprehensive overview of efforts toward elimination of mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) with respect to progress, challenges, and recommendations...
Vitamin A supplementation for reducing the risk of mother-to-child transmission of HIV infection
BACKGROUND: Mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) of HIV is the dominant mode of acquisition of HIV infection for children, currently resulting in more than 2000 new paediatric HIV infections each day worldwide....
Factors affecting adherence to short-course ARV prophylaxis for preventing mother-to-child transmission of HIV in sub-Saharan Africa: A review and lessons for future elimination
Despite the biomedical potential to eliminate vertical HIV transmission, drug adherence to short regimens is often sub-optimal. To inform future programmes, we reviewed evidence on the factors influencing maternal and...
Nonoxynol-9 spermicide for prevention of vaginally acquired HIV and other sexually transmitted infections: Systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials including more than 5000 women
We aimed to determine the effectiveness of the vaginally administered spermicide nonoxynol-9 (N-9) among women for the prevention of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs). We did a systematic...
Health promotion in the city: A structured review of the literature on interventions to prevent heart disease, substance abuse, violence and HIV infection in US metropolitan areas, 1980-1995
To achieve its national public health goals, the US must improve the health of low-income urban populations. To contribute to this process, this study reviewed published reports of health promotion...
A systematic review of interventions to reduce HIV-related stigma and discrimination from 2002 to 2013: How far have we come?
Introduction: HIV-related stigma and discrimination continue to hamper efforts to prevent new infections and engage people in HIV treatment, care and support programmes. The identification of effective interventions to reduce...
Sperm washing to prevent HIV transmission from HIV-infected men but allowing conception in sero-discordant couples
BACKGROUND: Sperm washing is a term used to describe the process in which individual spermatozoa are separated from the seminal fluid. Sperm washing is used to prevent HIV transmission but...
Effects of HIV counseling and testing on sexual risk behavior: A meta-analytic review of published research, 1985-1997
OBJECTIVES: This study examined whether HIV counseling and testing leads to reductions in sexual risk behavior. METHODS: The meta-analysis included 27 published studies that provided sexual behavior outcome data, assessed...
