Category Archives: Testing
Head-to-head comparison of accuracy of a rapid point-of-care HIV test with oral versus whole-blood specimens: A systematic review and meta-analysis
BACKGROUND: The focus on prevention strategies aimed at curbing the HIV epidemic is growing, and therefore screening for HIV has again taken centre stage. Our aim was to establish whether...
Factors that affect HIV testing and counseling services among heterosexuals in Canada and the United Kingdom: An integrated review
OBJECTIVE: To examine factors that affect the utilization of HIV testing and counseling (HTC) services among heterosexual populations in Canada and the U.K. METHODS: We conducted an integrated review of...
Unit costs for delivery of antiretroviral treatment and prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV: A systematic review for low- and middle-income countries
As antiretroviral treatment (ART) for HIV/AIDS is scaled up globally, information on per-person costs is critical to improve efficiency in service delivery and to maximize coverage and health impact. The...
HIV/STI risk among venue-based female sex workers across the globe: A look back and the way forward
Female sex workers (FSWs) continue to represent a high-risk population in need of targeted HIV prevention interventions. Targeting environmental risk factors should result in more sustainable behavior change than individual-level...
Effect of preventive treatment for tuberculosis in adults infected with HIV: Systematic review of randomised placebo controlled trials
OBJECTIVE: To determine whether preventive treatment for tuberculosis in adults infected with HIV reduces the frequency of tuberculosis and overall mortality. DESIGN: Systematic review and data synthesis of randomised placebo...
Supervised and unsupervised self-testing for HIV in high- and low-risk populations: A systematic review.
BACKGROUND: Stigma, discrimination, lack of privacy, and long waiting times partly explain why six out of ten individuals living with HIV do not access facility-based testing. By circumventing these barriers,...
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...
Meta-analysis of diagnostic procedures for Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia in HIV-1-infected patients
Sputum induction is a simple and noninvasive procedure for Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP) diagnosis in human immunodeficiency virus-1-positive patients, although less sensitive than bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL). In order to obtain...
Interferon-gamma release assays for active pulmonary tuberculosis diagnosis in adults in low- and middle-income countries: systematic review and meta-analysis
BACKGROUND: The diagnostic value of interferon-gamma release assays (IGRAs) for active tuberculosis in low- and middle-income countries is unclear. METHODS: We searched multiple databases for studies published through May 2010...
HIV/STI prevention interventions targeting FSWs in China: A systematic literature review
A rapid increase in heterosexual transmission of HIV and a high prevalence of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in China signals potential outbreaks of generalized epidemics. A large proportion of heterosexual...
Meta-analysis: The association between HIV infection and extrapulmonary tuberculosis
BACKGROUND: Extrapulmonary tuberculosis has been an AIDS-defining condition. Individual studies that highlight the association between HIV and extrapulmonary TB are available. Our objectives were to synthesis evidence on the association...
