Table 1.
Characteristics of the studies included in the systematic review by virus family.
| Virus Family | Author, Year | Country | Study Design | Population | VA Status at Baseline (Serum Retinol) * |
VA Form and Dose | Frequency of VA Administration |
Follow-Up Time |
Risk of Bias |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Retroviridae | Coutsoudis, 1995 [21] | South Africa | RCT | 28 HIV-1 infected children born from HIV-1 infected women | NA | OA of retinyl palmitate: <3 months: 50,000 IU 3–12 months: 100,000 IU ≥12 months: 200,000 IU |
One dose at month 1, 3, 6, 9 and 12 |
97 months | SC |
| Coutsoudis, 1997 [22] (#) | South Africa | RCT | 24 HIV-1 infected pregnant women | NA | OA of retinyl palmitate: 5000 IU and 200,000 IU |
One dose every day and at delivery | 1 week after delivery | SC | |
| Coutsoudis, 1999 [23] (#) | 661 HIV-1 infected pregnant women | 30.6% of women < 20 μg/dL |
3 months after delivery | SC | |||||
| Kennedy, 2000 [27] (#) Kennedy-Oji, 2001 [24] (#) |
312 HIV-1 infected pregnant women | 66% of women < 30 μg/dL 37% of women < 20 μg/dL |
SC SC |
||||||
| Semba, 1998 [28] | United States | RCT | 120 HIV-1 infected drug users | 18.3% of patients < 1.05 μmol/L |
OA of retinyl palmitate: 200,000 IU | One dose at baseline | 4 weeks | Low | |
| Humphrey, 1999 [29] | United States | RCT | 41 HIV-1 infected women aged 18–45 years | 9.8% of women < 1.05 μmol/L |
OA of retinyl palmitate: 300,000 IU | One dose at baseline | 4 weeks | SC | |
| Baeten, 2002 [35] (§) | Kenya | RCT | 400 HIV-1 infected women aged 18–45 years | 58.5% of women < 30 μg/dL |
OA of retinyl palmitate: 10,000 IU |
One dose every day for 6 weeks |
6 weeks | SC | |
| Baeten, 2004 [36] (§) | 376 women aged 18–45 years coinfected with HIV-1 and HSV-2 | 58.2% of women < 30 μg/dL |
SC | ||||||
| Villamor, 2002 (a) [30] (δ) | Tanzania | RCT | 1078 HIV-1 infected pregnant women | Mean value: 84–90 μmol/L |
OA of retinyl palmitate: 5000 IU and 200,000 IU |
One dose every day and at delivery | Until delivery | Low | |
| Fawzi, 2004 (a) [33] (δ) | 1078 HIV-1 infected pregnant women | Mean value: 85–88 μmol/L |
72 months | Low | |||||
| Fawzi, 2004 (b) [32] (δ) | 852 HIV-1 infected pregnant women | Mean value: 25.1–26.5 μg/dL |
Until delivery | Low | |||||
| Webb, 2009 [34] (δ) | 626 HIV-1 infected pregnant women | Mean value: 82–89 μmol/L |
12 months after delivery | Low | |||||
| Villamor, 2002 (b) [31] | Tanzania | RCT | 47 HIV-1 infected children aged 6–60 months hospitalized for pneumonia | NA | OA of retinyl palmitate: <12 months: 100,000 IU ≥12 months: 200,000 IU |
One dose on day 1, 2, at 4 and 8 months |
12 months | SC | |
| Semba, 2005 [37] | Uganda | RCT | 181 HIV-1 infected children aged 15 months | Mean value: 56–58 μmol/L |
OA of 60 mg of retinol equivalent | One dose every 3 months for 9 months | 21 months | Low | |
| Humphrey, 2006 [25] | South Africa | RCT | 2,266 children born from HIV-1 infected women | Mean value: 94–1.01 μmol/L |
OA of retinyl palmitate: 50,000 IU |
One dose at delivery | 24 months | High | |
| Zvandasara, 2006 [26] | South Africa | RCT | 4,495 HIV-1 infected women post-partum | 9.2% of women < 1.05 μmol/L |
OA of retinyl palmitate: 400,000 IU | One dose at delivery | 24 months | SC | |
| Caliciviridae | Long, 2007 [43] Long, 2011 [44] |
Mexico | RCT | 127 healthy children aged 5–15 months | NA | OA of retinyl palmitate: <12 months: 20,000 IU ≥12 months: 45,000 IU |
One dose every two months for 15 months | 15 months | SC SC |
| Flaviviridae | Okita, 2014 [45] | Japan | RCT | 377 patients with hepatitis C virus-related hepatocellular carcinoma | NA | OA of peretinoin: 600 mg/day or 300 mg/day |
One dose every day for 24 months |
48 months | Low |
| Papillomaviridae | Georgala, 2004 [46] | Greece | RCT | 60 women aged 21–43 years with RCA of the cervix | NA | OA of isotretinoin: 0.5 mg/kg/day |
One dose every day for 3 months |
3 months | High |
| Olguin-Garcıa, 2014 [47] | Mexico | RCT | 31 patients with recalcitrant facial flat warts | NA | OA of isotreninoin: 30 mg/day |
One dose every day for 3 months |
3 months | SC | |
| Kaur, 2017 [48] | India | RCT | 40 patients with multiple plane warts | NA | OA of isotretinoin: 0.5 mg/kg/day TA of isotretinoin: 0.05% per day |
One dose every day for 3 months or until lesion clearance |
4 months | High | |
| Pneumoviridae | Pinnock, 1988 [42] | Australia | RCT | 206 children aged 2–7 years with past RSV infection during infancy | Mean value: 37–40.8 μg/dL |
OA of retinyl palmitate: 2000 IU |
One dose every week for 12 months | 12 months | High |
| Breese, 1996 [40] | United States | RCT | 239 children aged 1 month-6 years hospitalized with RSV infection | Mean value: 21.5–22.5 μg/dL |
OA of retinyl palmitate: 1–5 months: 50,000 IU 6–11 months: 100,000 IU ≥12 months: 200,000 IU |
One dose at hospital admission | Until hospital discharge | SC | |
| Dowell, 1996 [41] | Chile | RCT | 180 children aged 1 month-6 years hospitalized with RSV infection | Mean value: 23–24 μg/dL |
OA of retinyl palmitate: 1–5 months: 50,000 IU 6–11 months: 100,000 IU ≥12 months: 200,000 IU |
One dose at hospital admission | Until hospital discharge | SC | |
| Quinlan, 1996 [49] | United States | RCT | 32 children aged 2 months-5 years hospitalized with RSV infection | ∼50% of children < 0.70 μmol/L |
OA of retinyl palmitate: 100,000 IU |
One dose at hospital admission | Until hospital discharge | High | |
| Paramyxoviridae | Barclay, 1987 [50] | Tanzania | RCT | 180 children with severe measles admitted to hospital | 91% of children < 0.51 μmol/L |
OA of retinyl palmitate: 200,000 IU | One dose at hospital admission and on day 2 | Until hospital discharge | Low |
| Hussey, 1990 [56] | South Africa | RCT | 189 children with severe measles admitted to hospital | 92% of children < 0.70 μmol/L |
OA of retinyl palmitate: 400,000 IU |
Half dose at hospital admission and on day 2 | Until hospital discharge | Low | |
| Rahmathullah, 1990 [57] | India | CRT | 15,419 children aged 6–60 months | 37.5% of children < 0.70 μmol/L |
OA of retinyl palmitate: 8333 IU |
One dose every week for 12 months | 12 months | Low | |
| Coutsoudis, 1991 [51] Coutsoudis, 1992 [52] |
South Africa | RCT | 60 children aged 4 months-2 years with severe measles admitted to hospital | 90% of children < 0.70 μmol/L |
OA of retinyl palmitate: <12 months: 100,000 IU ≥12 months: 200,000 IU |
One dose at hospital admission, on day 2, day 8 and day 42 | 6 months | Low Low |
|
| Ogaro, 1993 [53] | Kenya | RCT | 294 children aged < 5 years with severe measles admitted to hospital | 21% of children < 20 μg/dL |
OA of retinyl palmitate: 1–5 months: 50,000 IU 6–11 months: 100,000 IU ≥12 months: 200,000 IU |
One dose at hospital admission | Until hospital discharge | SC | |
| Agarwal, 1995 [58] | India | CRT | 15,247 children aged < 6 years | NA | OA of retinyl palmitate: 1–6 months: 50,000 IU 7–72 months: 100,000 IU |
One dose every 4 months for 12 months | 24 months | High | |
| Rosales, 1996 [38] Rosales, 2002 [39] |
Zambia | RCT | 196 children aged 5–17 years with acute measles not requiring hospitalization | 100% of children < 20 μg/dL |
OA of retinol: 210 µmol retynil esters |
One dose at baseline | 1 month | SC SC |
|
| Dollimore, 1997 [60] | Ghana | C-RCT | 25,443 healthy children aged >6 months | NA | OA of retinyl palmitate: <12 months: 100,000 IU ≥12 months: 200,000 IU |
One dose every 4 months for 24 months | 24 months | Low | |
| Benn, 2008 [54] Diness, 2011 [55] |
Guinea-Bissau | RCT | 4345 healthy newborns | NA | OA of retinyl palmitate: 50,000 IU |
One dose at birth | 12 months | SC SC |
|
| Awasthi, 2013 [59] | India | CRT | 1,000,000 children aged < 6 years | NA | OA of retinyl acetate: 200,000 IU |
One dose every 6 months for 60 months | 60 months | SC |
(#) or (δ) or (§): studies with the same symbol included participants from the same trial but with different number of participants and/or follow-up time. * Serum retinol concentration: <20 μg/dL, severe deficiency; <30 μg/dL, deficiency; <0.35 μmol/L, severe deficiency; <0.70 μmol/L, moderate deficiency; <1.05 μmol/L, deficiency. C-RCT: community-based Randomized Controlled Trial. CRT: Cluster Randomized Trial. IU: International Unit. NA: Not Assessed. OA: Oral Administration. RCA: recalcitrant condylomata acuminata. RCT: Randomized Controlled Trial. RSV: respiratory syncytial virus. SC: Some Concerns. TA: Topical Administration.