Category Archives: Substance Use
HIV among female sex workers in the Central Asian Republics, Afghanistan, and Mongolia: Contexts and convergence with drug use
BACKGROUND: Central Asia is culturally and demographically diverse, both between and within its respective countries. That diversity is represented in the range of individual, network, community, and structural risks for...
Economic evaluation of drug abuse treatment and HIV prevention programs in pregnant women: A systematic review
Drug abuse and transmission of HIV during pregnancy are public health problems that adversely affect pregnant women, their children and surrounding communities. Programs that address this vulnerable population have the...
The efficacy of methadone maintenance interventions in reducing illicit opiate use, HIV risk behavior and criminality: a meta-analysis
XST: This is a critical abstract of a systematic review that meets the criteria for inclusion on DARE. Each critical abstract contains a brief summary of the review methods, results...
Does opioid substitution treatment in prisons reduce injecting-related HIV risk behaviours? A systematic review
OBJECTIVES: To review systematically the evidence on opioid substitution treatment (OST) in prisons in reducing injecting-related human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) risk behaviours. METHODS: Systematic review in accordance with guidelines of...
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....
Non-injection drug use and HIV disease progression in the era of combination antiretroviral therapy
Little is known about the effects of non-injection drug use (NIDU) on HIV antiretroviral treatment outcomes. We conducted a systematic literature search and identified nine publications from prospective cohort studies...
A systematic review of behavioral and treatment outcome studies among HIV-infected men who have sex with men who abuse crystal methamphetamine
Men who have sex with men (MSM) have the highest incidence of HIV infection in the United States. One of the contributing factors to HIV spread among this group is...
What data are available on the extent of illicit drug use and dependence globally? Results of four systematic reviews
BACKGROUND: We systematically reviewed availability and quality of data on the prevalence of use and dependence on meth/amphetamine, cannabis, cocaine and opioids. METHODS: Multiple search strategies: (a) peer-reviewed literature searches...
The effectiveness and safety of syringe vending machines as a component of needle syringe programmes in community settings
Syringe vending machines (SVMs) have been introduced in Europe and Australasia as part of the effort to increase the availability of sterile needles and syringes to injecting drug users (IDUs)....
Cancer and the ‘other’ noncommunicable chronic diseases in older people living with HIV/AIDS in resource-limited settings: A challenge to success
Objective: There is considerable research around the morbidity and mortality related to noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), particularly cardiovascular disease and diabetes, among people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) in resource-richer settings. Less...
