Geneva - Swiss pharmaceutical giant Roche announced Wednesday that it had increased its preparedness level in response to the World Health Organization (WHO) decision to raise the pandemic influenza alert by one level to phase 4. Roche, in a statement, said it was working with "the WHO and governments around the world to make the oral anti-viral medication Tamiflu available to patients in need."

Tamiflu, produced by Roche, has been deemed to be effective against swine flu.

The company said that to date it had filled 220 million treatment courses of the drug ordered by governments.

Washington, April 29 : A new study has suggested that dairy is better than calcium carbonate when it comes to promoting bone growth and strength.

In the study, researcher Connie Weaver found that the bones of rats fed non-fat dry milk were longer, wider, more dense and stronger than those of rats fed a diet with calcium carbonate.

Weaver said the study is the first direct comparison of bone properties between calcium from supplements and milk.

Washington, April 29 : A new study has found that peripheral arterial disease (PAD) of the legs, in which the arteries become blocked with plaque and blood supply to the legs is reduced, is often overlooked in patients with known heart disease.

Early detection of PAD is important because it can limit the ability to walk and exercise, it may place patients at greater risk for limb loss and it increases the chance of having a heart attack or stroke.

Washington, April 29 : A simple blood test can offer valuable support to healthcare in the fight against malaria, scientists at Karolinska Institute have found.

According to their study, the rapid diagnostic test (RDT) for malaria infection could help ensure that a greater number of patients receive the right treatment at no extra cost for the healthcare services.

London, Apr. 29 : The World Health Organisation (WHO) has warned that border controls may not be effective enough to stop the spread of swine flu, even as several countries tightened airport checks.

More than 80 Mexicans are believed to have died from pneumonia and respiratory illness linked to the virus.

Experience from previous episodes like the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) outbreak, and from computer models, showed the strategy was ineffective at controlling outbreaks said Gregory Hartl, a WHO spokesman.

Washington, Apr 29 : A cheap method of predicting who is at greater risk of dying suddenly and unexpectedly from a heart attack has been developed by researchers in France.

In a study of 7746 French male civil servants, published in Europe''s leading cardiology journal, the European Heart Journal, the researchers found that men whose heart rate increased the most during mild mental stress just before an exercise test had twice the risk of dying of a sudden heart attack in later life than men whose heart rate did not increase as much.

The study is the first to discover this association and since taking a patient''s pulse is an easy and inexpensive procedure, it suggests a way of identifying people who may be at increased risk.