GLOBAL HEALTH: A supplement to LSHTM Audio News reviewing this year's important medical developments - August 28th, 2007

LSHTM Audio News Review - August 28th, 2007 A supplement to LSHTM Audio News reviewing this year's important medical developments. Increased Miscarriage Risk in Women with Low Body Mass Index Underweight women with a BMI below 18.5 have a 70 per cent increase in their risk of miscarriage according to a study published in the British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology. Pat Doyle gave us the details. Microfinance Helps Cut Domestic Violence in Rural South Africa A large and groundbreaking study published in the Lancet has shown that microfinance, combined with a gender and HIV training scheme, can help reduce domestic violence among poor women living in rural South Africa. Charlotte Watts talks about the study and its findings. "Three-Class" Anti-Retroviral Therapy Is Not Appropriate For HIV It is not necessary to use so-called "three-class" antiretroviral therapy to treat patients with HIV according to an article in the Lancet. Rodger MacArthur talks about the study results. Folate Supplements Improve Cognitive Function Folic acid supplements improved cognitive function in older patients in a study from the Netherlands. Investigator Jane Durga wrote in The Lancet that supplementation was associated with better scores in a battery of cognitive tests measuring factors typically known to worsen with age.