Category: Uncategorized

FDA approves the first rapid Corona virus test

https://www.cepheid.com/coronavirus

FDA approves the first rapid Corona virus test that takes 45 min for the result to come back. This test is by company called Cepheild. This is a huge step up from 4 days it was taking just 2 weeks ago. When a test takes 4 days and you have a huge volume of people waiting to be triage, the hospital will get crippled by volume. Now if this this can be done in the hospital, just like flu/RSV testing, then it would be a game changer. If we still have to send test out to a company and wait for the result to come back next day, that’s not much improved that where we currently are where we get test result back within 1-2 days.

The graph of Life Expectancy Gaps Between The Longest-Living And Shortest-Living County Of Each State

Depending on the state you live in, the life expectancy gap between the longest-living and shortest-living counties can be anywhere between a little over a year to as high as 16 years.

Using data on life expectancy and mortality risks from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, Reddit user has created this graph that maps the age gaps between the counties with the highest life expectancy and those with the lowest life expectancy within each state in 2014

It’s important to note that life expectancy depends on many factors such as economic circumstances, social circumstances, access to care, sex, mental illness, and income.

FDA proposing new rules that requires women to receive breast density info after mammograms

The New York Times (3/27, Grady) reports that “centers that provide mammograms to screen for breast cancer will have to tell women whether they have dense breast tissue, which can increase the risk of cancer and mask tumors, the Food and Drug Administration announced in a proposed rule” yesterday.

These “new F.D.A. rules propose specific language that would be used nationwide to explain breast density, note that some women may need more imaging tests and recommend that patients talk to their doctors about their results.” The Times adds, “The F.D.A. language would be the minimum required, but states would be free to require more information, Jeff Shuren, M.D., director of the F.D.A.’s Center for Devices and Radiological Health, said in a news briefing.”

These are the first changes to the regulation of mammography screening in more than 20 years, aimed at improving quality and modernizing breast cancer screening, FDA Commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb said.

Read more about this news here.