Category Archives: Health Systems
Human milk oligosaccharides, microbiome, antiretroviral therapy and HIV infected mothers: Reasons to still promote breastfeeding in HIV context of lactating countries, a mini-narrative review
Breastfeeding is the preferred feeding for newborns during the first 6 months of life and until the age of 2 years or beyond. The benefits of breastfeeding remain significant, even in cases...
An integrative review of PrEP promotion strategies at historically Black colleges and universities to reduce HIV disparities
PURPOSE OF REVIEW: We searched PubMed, CINAHL Plus, Embase, Scopus, Web of Science, and ERIC to identify peer-reviewed studies published between 2015 and 2025 that discussed PrEP at HBCUs. We...
The association between different levels of suppressed viral load and the risk of sexual transmission of HIV among serodiscordant couples on antiretroviral therapy: A systematic review
The risk of sexual transmission of HIV in serodiscordant couples when the partner living with HIV (PLHIV) uses antiretroviral therapy (ART) and maintains a suppressed viral load (VL) (< 200...
Viral load suppression after enhanced adherence counseling among HIV patients on antiretroviral therapy (2019–2024): A systematic review and meta-analysis in East Africa
Introduction Viral load suppression is essential for reducing human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) related morbidity and mortality. To eliminate the HIV epidemic and enhance adherence to antiretroviral therapy (ART) globally, the...
Unveiling the underestimated prevalence of HIV, HBV and TB triple infection in Asia, South America, and Africa: A systematic review and meta-analysis
BACKGROUND: Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a genus of retroviruses that targets immune cells and may eventually cause immune-deficiency illness. Triple infection of HIV/hepatitis B virus (HBV) /tuberculosis (TB) leads...
The effect of Chinese medicine therapeutics on HIV/AIDS: A systematic review and network meta-analysis
Background Although antiretroviral therapy (ART) effectively suppresses HIV, incomplete immune reconstitution affects 20%–30% of adherent patients. Chinese Medicine (CM) demonstrates potential as a complementary therapy for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/acquired...
Influences of gender-based stigma on HIV prevention and care among older women: A scoping review
Older women living with HIV are uniquely situated at multiple marginalized intersections because of their gender, age, and HIV status. However, research into how gender-based stigma (GBS) affects HIV prevention...
HIV self-testing and partner notification strategies for key populations in low- to upper-middle-income countries: A mixed-methods systematic review
BACKGROUND: HIV self-testing (HIVST) enhances case diagnosis, but information on its integration for index testing to partner notification is limited. Assessing the acceptability and feasibility of index HIVST and partner...
Moxibustion for human immunodeficiency virus and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome and its complications: A systematic review of randomized controlled trials
OBJECTIVE: To comprehensively evaluate randomized controlled trials (RCTs) investigating the effects of moxibustion on people with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) disease. METHODS: A systematic search was conducted across eight electronic...
Burden and challenges of managing hypertension in people living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection in sub-Saharan African: A mixed systematic review and meta-analysis
Objectives Poor hypertension prevention among people living with HIV (PLHIV) in sub-Saharan Africa may undermine progress in HIV prevention achieved within this population. This review synthesizes data on the prevalence,...
Investigating the influence of provider communication and language reframing on HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) engagement with Black African and Caribbean women: A systematic review
Patient-provider engagement with HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) continues to exhibit significant disparities, particularly among Black African and Caribbean (BAC) women. In the United Kingdom, cisgender women accounted for one-third of...
Global prevalence of HIV and Mycobacterium tuberculosis co-infection: A systematic review and meta-analysis of 371 included articles
OBJECTIVES: Tuberculosis and Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) are two diseases that have imposed the heaviest burden globally. This study aims to determine the global prevalence of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and HIV...
