Undernutrition and HIV Infection in Sub-Saharan Africa: Health Outcomes and Therapeutic Interventions

Of the estimated 10 million youths living with HIV worldwide, 63 percent live in sub-Saharan Africa. This article focuses on migration as a risk factor of HIV infection among the youths in sub-Saharan Africa. The study is based on multilevel modeling, applied to the youth sample of the Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS), conducted from 2003 to 2008 in nineteen countries. The analysis takes into account country-level and regional-level variations. The results suggest that across countries in sub-Saharan Africa, migrants have on average about 50 percent higher odds of HIV infection than nonmigrants. The higher risk among migrants is to a large extent explained by differences in demographic and socioeconomic factors. In particular, migrants are more likely to be older, to have been married, or to live in urban areas, all of which are associated with higher risks of HIV infection. The higher risk among youths who have been married is particularly pronounced among young female migrants.

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Deciphering DNA Methylation in HIV Infection

Frontiers in Immunology ◽

10.3389/fimmu.2021.795121 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 ◽

Author(s):

Thilona Arumugam ◽

Upasana Ramphal ◽

Theolan Adimulam ◽

Romona Chinniah ◽

Veron Ramsuran

Keyword(s):

Dna Methylation ◽

Hiv Infection ◽

Therapeutic Strategy ◽

New Drugs ◽

Sub Saharan Africa ◽

Epigenetic Mechanism ◽

People Living With Hiv ◽

Modifying Factors ◽

Autoimmune Conditions ◽

Sub Saharan

With approximately 38 million people living with HIV/AIDS globally, and a further 1.5 million new global infections per year, it is imperative that we advance our understanding of all factors contributing to HIV infection. While most studies have focused on the influence of host genetic factors on HIV pathogenesis, epigenetic factors are gaining attention. Epigenetics involves alterations in gene expression without altering the DNA sequence. DNA methylation is a critical epigenetic mechanism that influences both viral and host factors. This review has five focal points, which examines (i) fluctuations in the expression of methylation modifying factors upon HIV infection (ii) the effect of DNA methylation on HIV viral genes and (iii) host genome (iv) inferences from other infectious and non-communicable diseases, we provide a list of HIV-associated host genes that are regulated by methylation in other disease models (v) the potential of DNA methylation as an epi-therapeutic strategy and biomarker. DNA methylation has also been shown to serve as a robust therapeutic strategy and precision medicine biomarker against diseases such as cancer and autoimmune conditions. Despite new drugs being discovered for HIV, drug resistance is a problem in high disease burden settings such as Sub-Saharan Africa. Furthermore, genetic therapies that are under investigation are irreversible and may have off target effects. Alternative therapies that are nongenetic are essential. In this review, we discuss the potential role of DNA methylation as a novel therapeutic intervention against HIV.

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Synthesizing evidence on nutrition challenges among people living with HIV/AIDS in sub- Saharan Africa: a protocol for a scoping review

International Journal of Community Medicine and Public Health ◽

10.18203/2394-6040.ijcmph20192871 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 6 (7) ◽

pp. 3173 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Tafadzwa Dzinamarira ◽

Moreblessing Chipo Mashora

Keyword(s):

Health Outcomes ◽

Scoping Review ◽

Sub Saharan Africa ◽

Future Research ◽

People Living With Hiv ◽

Nutritional Management ◽

Sub Saharan ◽

Living With Hiv ◽

Improve Health ◽

Hiv Aids

Background: Good nutritional status is highly significant for individuals who are infected with HIV. However, they still face a number of nutritional challenges. The proposed scoping review will map literature on the nutritional challenges facing people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWH) and guide future research in nutritional management to improve health outcomes for PLWH. Here we outline a scoping review protocol designed according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis Protocols (PRISMA-P 2015 Guidelines).Methods: The Arksey and O’Malley’s 2005 scoping methodological framework further improved by Levac et al. 2010 will guide the search and reporting. Searches will be conducted for eligible articles from MEDLINE (PubMed), MEDLINE, CINAHL, Academic Search Complete and ISI Web of Science (Science Citation Index) electronic databases. Two independent reviewers will conduct the search guided by an inclusion and exclusion criteria. Quality appraisal of the included articles will be conducted guided by the mixed methods appraisal tool 2018 version. We will employ NVivo version 12 for thematic content analysis.Conclusions: The findings of this review will guide future research in nutritional management to improve health outcomes for PLWH in sub-Saharan African. This review will be disseminated electronically in a published peer reviewed article and in print.

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Tuberculosis is important problem in children with HIV infection in sub-Saharan Africa

BMJ ◽

10.1136/bmj.313.7056.562d ◽

1996 ◽

Vol 313 (7056) ◽

pp. 562-563 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

D. Maher

Keyword(s):

Hiv Infection ◽

Sub Saharan Africa ◽

Sub Saharan

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Community Education in New HIV Prevention Technologies Research

Handbook of Research on Technoethics ◽

10.4018/978-1-60566-022-6.ch022 ◽

2009 ◽

pp. 328-338

Author(s):

Busi Nkala

Keyword(s):

Hiv Infection ◽

Community Involvement ◽

New Technologies ◽

Community Education ◽

Sub Saharan Africa ◽

Contributing Factors ◽

Survival Sex ◽

Sub Saharan ◽

Living With Hiv ◽

Health Programmes

An estimated 39.5 million people are living with HIV worldwide. There were 4.3 million new infections in 2006 with 2.8 million (65%) of these occurring in sub-Saharan Africa with important increases in Eastern Europe and Central Asia, where there are some indications that infection rates have risen by more than 50% since 2004. In 2006, 2.9 million people died of AIDS-related illnesses (UNAIDS, 2006). The continued increase in new HIV infection is a call for concern. It is imperative that more innovative ways of combating the infections are found sooner. There is an enormous body of evidence that HIV infection is caused mainly by sexual contact. There is also undisputed evidence that there are other contributing factors such as extreme poverty, survival sex, gender inequality, lack of education, fatalism, religious barriers and others. This chapter seeks to support the need to do more research in finding new technologies and innovative ways of dealing with the spread of HIV. The chapter suggests that the involvement of researched communities be effectively involved. Involving communities in finding solutions will help, in that research protocols and health programmes will take into account the cultural acceptability of the new technologies and systems and ensure that recipients of health services become effective organs of change. The chapter seeks to highlight the fact that, if the recipients are involved in all stages of development of health programmes, including technologies, we may begin to see changes in how new technologies are taken up or may shift toward getting technologies that are acceptable. There are various suggested and implemented ways which aid in achieving the protection for individuals and communities; such as community involvement, community participation and community education (Collins, 2002; Gupta 2002), this chapter will focus on community education and a proposal for a community principle.

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Introduction

ESC CardioMed ◽

10.1093/med/9780198784906.003.0296 ◽

2018 ◽

pp. 1185-1186

Author(s):

Nombulelo P. Magula ◽

Akira Singh

Keyword(s):

Black Women ◽

Hiv Infection ◽

The United States ◽

Sub Saharan Africa ◽

Middle Income ◽

High Burden ◽

Immunodeficiency Virus ◽

Widespread Availability ◽

Sub Saharan ◽

Young Black Women

Life expectancy has increased significantly with the widespread availability of antiretroviral therapy. Despite this, new human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection rates in low- to middle-income, high-burden countries remain a cause for concern. The greatest impact of infection remains in sub-Saharan Africa, among young black women. However, the majority of studies investigating cardiovascular disease associated with HIV infection have been conducted in the United States and Europe, in predominantly male cohorts.

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