Characteristics of included studies.

<p>RCT: Randomized Controlled Trial; Pros: prospective; Ret: retrospective PTB: pulmonary tuberculosis; DS: drug-sensitive; DR: drug-resistant; Na: not available; IQR: interquartile range.</p>$<p>Values refer to the total population of main study (in absence of detailed data available on TB cases receiving ART).</p>a<p>Total study population included also 827 HIV-negative subjects. Data in the table refer to the HIV positive subset.</p>b<p>reported estimated midpoint + range or SD; ^c (in days), relative to TB treatment start/TB diagnosis date, range either complete range or IQR depending on data availability.</p>c<p>refers to subjects included in the meta-analysis. Detailed information on CD4 count for the whole study population for each study is reported in <a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0112017#pone.0112017.s001" target="_blank">Table S1</a>.</p>d1<p>subjects already on ART by the start of TB treatment,</p>d2<p>subjects that started ART within 90 days from TB treatment start.</p>e<p>range.</p>1<p>21% (n = 37) of them started within 3 months of TB treatment start.</p><p>Characteristics of included studies.