Category Archives: Substance Use
HIV prevention, treatment, and care services for people who inject drugs: A systematic review of global, regional, and national coverage
Background: Previous reviews have examined the existence of HIV prevention, treatment, and care services for injecting drug users (IDUs) worldwide, but they did not quantify the scale of coverage. We...
A systematic review to quantitatively evaluate ‘Stepping Stones’: A participatory community-based HIV/AIDS prevention intervention
This first independent systematic review examined evidence for the effectiveness of the stepping stones intervention in HIV prevention. To reduce HIV transmission it addresses gender roles and promotes equitable relationships....
Comparisons of disparities and risks of HIV infection in black and other men who have sex with men in Canada, UK, and USA: A meta-analysis
BACKGROUND: We did a meta-analysis to assess factors associated with disparities in HIV infection in black men who have sex with men (MSM) in Canada, the UK, and the USA....
Mortality among people who inject drugs: A systematic review and meta-analysis
OBJECTIVE: To systematically review cohort studies of mortality among people who inject drugs, examine mortality rates and causes of death in this group, and identify participant- and study-level variables associated...
Utilizing buprenorphine-naloxone to treat illicit and prescription-opioid dependence
OBJECTIVES: To review current evidence on buprenorphine-naloxone (bup/nx) for the treatment of opioid-use disorders, with a focus on strategies for clinical management and office-based patient care. QUALITY OF EVIDENCE: Medline...
Global epidemiology of injecting drug use and HIV among people who inject drugs: A systematic review
Background: Injecting drug use is an increasingly important cause of HIV transmission in most countries worldwide. Our aim was to determine the prevalence of injecting drug use among individuals aged...
Effectiveness of protease inhibitor monotherapy versus combination antiretroviral maintenance therapy: A meta-analysis
BACKGROUND: The unparalleled success of combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) is based on the combination of three drugs from two classes. There is insufficient evidence whether simplification to ritonavir boosted protease...
Redressing the epidemics of opioid overdose and HIV among people who inject drugs in Central Asia: The need for a syndemic approach
BACKGROUND: Accumulating evidence suggests that opioid overdose and HIV infection are burgeoning intertwined epidemics among people who inject drugs (PWID) in Central Asia. To date, however, research on overdose and...
Meta-analysis of interventions for reducing number of sexual partners and drug and alcohol abuse among people living with HIV/AIDS
OBJECTIVE: To perform a systematic review and meta-analysis of the efficacy of risk reduction interventions on HIV-related risk behaviors among people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA). METHODS: Studies included in the...
Effectiveness of interventions to improve the health and housing status of homeless people: A rapid systematic review
BACKGROUND: Research on interventions to positively impact health and housing status of people who are homeless has received substantially increased attention over the past 5 years. This rapid review examines...
