[Histonet] hrp vs alk phos
Dear Histonetters, Our pathologist wants us to change from HRP to ALK PHOS. We run a Ventana XT using the titration option. Fifteen of our 20 antibody selection are giving the same result when run concurrently with the 2 detection systems. The other 5 stain perfectly with the HRP kit and gives NO staining with the ALK PHOS kit. We use the same protocol except for the kit selection and the titrated antibody is taken from the same vial for the respective pairs. Has anybody had a problem like this? The answer may be obvious but we cannot see it . yet. Please help Many many thanks Heather On Thu, 2 Feb 2012 15:31:04 +0100 Gudrun Lang gu.l...@gmx.at wrote We have been performing C4d IHC on FFPE kidney for a couple of years. We receive only fixed samples. Yesterday my doctors came with this idea of IF - I still have to ask for the special reasons. But I have the suspicion, that they are not aware of the fact, that IF on frozen unfixed tissue is the usual way found in literature. There are some articles that deal with comparison of IF(frozen) and IHC(ffpe). The results are usually an equal outcome. IF(frozen) shows additional staining in glomeruli. Perhaps someone told them, that IF is the golden standard and recommended. Gudrun -Ursprüngliche Nachricht- Von: Richard Cartun [mailto:rcar...@harthosp.org] Gesendet: Mittwoch, 01. Februar 2012 21:21 An: gu.l...@gmx.at Betreff: Re: [Histonet] C4d IF on FFPE kidney Hi Gudrun: Is there reason why you want to use IF and not immunoperoxidase? Richard Richard W. Cartun, MS, PhD Director, Histology Immunopathology Director, Biospecimen Collection Programs Assistant Director, Anatomic Pathology Hartford Hospital 80 Seymour Street Hartford, CT 06102 (860) 545-1596 Office (860) 545-2204 Fax Gudrun Lang gu.l...@gmx.at 2/1/2012 3:17 PM Hi! Can someone provide me a immunofluorescence protocol for C4d on formalin fixed human paraffin sections? thanks in advance Gudrun Lang ___ Histonet mailing list Histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu http://lists.utsouthwestern.edu/mailman/listinfo/histonet ___ Histonet mailing list Histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu http://lists.utsouthwestern.edu/mailman/listinfo/histonet South Africas premier free email service - www.webmail.co.za For super low premiums, click here. http://www.dialdirect.co.za/?vdn=15828 ___ Histonet mailing list Histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu http://lists.utsouthwestern.edu/mailman/listinfo/histonet
Re: [Histonet] reagents without expiration dates
I have some Grubler dyes in the original containers. Probably pre-WWII but not dated. Geoff On 2/2/2012 4:14 PM, Rene J Buesa wrote: Ha.Ha,Ha!!! I used to prepare staining solutions with some Merck-Darmstad anilines manufactured just after the Great War, i.e. the FIRST World War (about 1925 before the World Great Depression). Try to beat that!. René J. --- On Thu, 2/2/12, Emily Sourstalulahg...@gmail.com wrote: From: Emily Sourstalulahg...@gmail.com Subject: Re: [Histonet] reagents without expiration dates To: histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu Date: Thursday, February 2, 2012, 3:33 PM I've always wanted to have a contest to see who had the oldest reagents. My lab once had something that was 20 years old. Emily The whole point of this country is if you want to eat garbage, balloon up to 600 pounds and die of a heart attack at 43, you can! You are free to do so. To me, that’s beautiful. --Ron Swanson On Thu, Feb 2, 2012 at 2:07 PM, WILLIAM DESALVOwdesalvo@hotmail.comwrote: Per SOP, we relabel, list date of receipt, test for quality and then apply a 12 month expiration date. We re-test after 12 months and continue to use, with 12 month dating, as long as the reagent meets quality standards set in the SOP. William DeSalvo, B.S., HTL(ASCP) From: kst...@mcw.edu To: histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu Date: Thu, 2 Feb 2012 12:56:58 -0600 Subject: [Histonet] reagents without expiration dates Could anyone share a policy to deal with regents that do not have a manufacturer's expiration date? CAP checklist ANP 21382 Thanks, Kathryn Stoll, HT(ASCP) Depatment of Pathology Medical College of Wisconsin 9200 W Wisconsin Ave Milwaukee WI 53226 414.805.1525 kst...@mcw.edu ___ Histonet mailing list Histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu http://lists.utsouthwestern.edu/mailman/listinfo/histonet ___ Histonet mailing list Histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu http://lists.utsouthwestern.edu/mailman/listinfo/histonet ___ Histonet mailing list Histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu http://lists.utsouthwestern.edu/mailman/listinfo/histonet ___ Histonet mailing list Histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu http://lists.utsouthwestern.edu/mailman/listinfo/histonet -- -- ** Geoff McAuliffe, Ph.D. Neuroscience and Cell Biology Robert Wood Johnson Medical School 675 Hoes Lane, Piscataway, NJ 08854 voice: (732)-235-4583 mcaul...@umdnj.edu ** ___ Histonet mailing list Histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu http://lists.utsouthwestern.edu/mailman/listinfo/histonet
RE: [Histonet] reagents without expiration dates
The Security Director turned a very pale shade of yellow when he witnessed the strength of the explosion. Just glad I caught it before someone tried to unscrew the lid... Mark Turner, HT(ASCP) QIHC IHC / Histology Manager 678-319-3321 Direct 770-508-7644 Cell 678-319-1454 mailto:mtur...@csilaboratories.com csilaboratories.com -Original Message- From: Sherwood, Margaret [mailto:msherw...@partners.org] Sent: Friday, February 03, 2012 9:31 AM To: Mark Turner; histonet Subject: RE: [Histonet] reagents without expiration dates You're lucky it didn't blow up the lab! Our safety people do a yearly inspection of chemicals etc. and once fined and closed down a lab for keeping dried up picric acid. Not pretty! Peggy Sherwood Lab Associate, Photopathology Wellman Center for Photomedicine (EDR 214) Massachusetts General Hospital 50 Blossom Street Boston, MA 02114-2696 617-724-4839 (voice mail) 617-726-6983 (lab) 617-726-1206 (fax) msherw...@partners.org -Original Message- From: histonet-boun...@lists.utsouthwestern.edu [mailto:histonet-boun...@lists.utsouthwestern.edu] On Behalf Of Mark Turner Sent: Friday, February 03, 2012 8:33 AM To: histonet Subject: RE: [Histonet] reagents without expiration dates I once worked for a lab in the Midwest in the early 80's and was surprised to find a quart-sized bottle of very dehydrated powder labeled Picric Acid with a date of 1962 on it. Yellow granular dust covered the top. I immediately notified our security folks, who called in the local bomb squad. The squad took the bottle out into the field next to the hospital and detonated it. Left a nice little crater... You can say I started my career with a Bang! :-) Mark Turner, HT(ASCP) QIHC IHC / Histology Manager 678-319-3321 Direct 770-508-7644 Cell 678-319-1454 mailto:mtur...@csilaboratories.com csilaboratories.com 2580 Westside Parkway Alpharetta, GA 30004 Important Warning: This e-mail is intended for the use of the person to whom it is addressed and may contain information that is privileged and confidential, the disclosure of which is governed by applicable law. If the reader of this e-mail is not the intended recipient, or the employee or agent responsible to deliver it to the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any dissemination, distribution or copying of this information is STRICTLY PROHIBITED. If you have received this message in error, please notify us immediately and delete the related e-mail. -Original Message- From: WILLIAM DESALVO [mailto:wdesalvo@hotmail.com] Sent: Thursday, February 02, 2012 6:03 PM To: rjbu...@yahoo.com; histonet; talulahg...@gmail.com Subject: RE: [Histonet] reagents without expiration dates Many, many, many years ago back in the 80's, I worked for Sigma-Aldrich and was visiting Charles Churukian's lab. He had a full wall of his lab with shelves, floor to ceiling, of dried and liquid Sigma reagents. He had every lab chemical and reagent I knew and was very proud that he was a great Sigma customer. The labels were none that I had seen in 10 yrs working at Sigma, so I took a few containers down and read the manufacturing code. The oldest was sodium bisulfate, gallon container, manufactured in 1946. Most were 20-30 yrs old then and in large quantities. I have always thought to myself, with many more customers like Chuck, Sigma could go out of business. I miss Chuck, but I bet he is still teaching the heavens everything they need to know about Histology and Staining. I don't know if that beats your stuff, but I bet the chemicals Chuck left behind are still in use. William DeSalvo, B.S., HTL(ASCP) Date: Thu, 2 Feb 2012 13:14:53 -0800 From: rjbu...@yahoo.com To: histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu; talulahg...@gmail.com Subject: Re: [Histonet] reagents without expiration dates CC: Ha.Ha,Ha!!! I used to prepare staining solutions with some Merck-Darmstad anilines manufactured just after the Great War, i.e. the FIRST World War (about 1925 before the World Great Depression). Try to beat that!. René J. --- On Thu, 2/2/12, Emily Sours talulahg...@gmail.com wrote: From: Emily Sours talulahg...@gmail.com Subject: Re: [Histonet] reagents without expiration dates To: histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu Date: Thursday, February 2, 2012, 3:33 PM I've always wanted to have a contest to see who had the oldest reagents. My lab once had something that was 20 years old. Emily The whole point of this country is if you want to eat garbage, balloon up to 600 pounds and die of a heart attack at 43, you can! You are free to do so. To me, that's beautiful. --Ron Swanson On Thu, Feb 2, 2012 at 2:07 PM, WILLIAM DESALVO wdesalvo@hotmail.comwrote: Per SOP, we relabel, list date of receipt, test for quality and then apply a 12 month expiration date. We re-test after 12 months and continue to use, with 12 month dating, as long as the
[Histonet] Breast IHC testing
I would like to know what other hospitals are doing with breast specimens that are resected on Friday and are in formalin longer than the maximum number of hours that CAP allows for ER/PR and HER2/neu testing. We are running into this problem since we don't currently work Saturday hours. Thank you! Gale Limron CT,HT (ASCP) Histology Supervisor Union Hospital 659 Boulevard Dover, Ohio 44622 330-343-3311 ext 2562 This e-mail is intended only for the person or entity to which it is addressed and may contain information that is privileged, confidential or otherwise protected from disclosure. Dissemination, distribution or copying of this e-mail or the information herein by anyone other than the intended recipient, or an employee or agent responsible for delivering the message to the intended recipient, is prohibited. If you received this message in error, please delete without copying and kindly e-mail a reply to inform us of the mistake in delivery. ___ Histonet mailing list Histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu http://lists.utsouthwestern.edu/mailman/listinfo/histonet
[Histonet] RE: Breast IHC testing
When these guidelines were originally published, we moved some per diem hours from a Monday to a Sunday. This has assured minimum as well as maximum fixation times. -Original Message- From: histonet-boun...@lists.utsouthwestern.edu [mailto:histonet-boun...@lists.utsouthwestern.edu] On Behalf Of Gale Limron Sent: Friday, February 03, 2012 10:24 AM To: histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu Subject: [Histonet] Breast IHC testing I would like to know what other hospitals are doing with breast specimens that are resected on Friday and are in formalin longer than the maximum number of hours that CAP allows for ER/PR and HER2/neu testing. We are running into this problem since we don't currently work Saturday hours. Thank you! Gale Limron CT,HT (ASCP) Histology Supervisor Union Hospital 659 Boulevard Dover, Ohio 44622 330-343-3311 ext 2562 This e-mail is intended only for the person or entity to which it is addressed and may contain information that is privileged, confidential or otherwise protected from disclosure. Dissemination, distribution or copying of this e-mail or the information herein by anyone other than the intended recipient, or an employee or agent responsible for delivering the message to the intended recipient, is prohibited. If you received this message in error, please delete without copying and kindly e-mail a reply to inform us of the mistake in delivery. ___ Histonet mailing list Histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu http://lists.utsouthwestern.edu/mailman/listinfo/histonet CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE This message and any included attachments are from Somerset Medical Center and are intended only for the addressee. The information contained in this message is confidential and may contain privileged, confidential, proprietary and/or trade secret information entitled to protection and/or exemption from disclosure under applicable law. Unauthorized forwarding, printing, copying, distribution, or use of such information is strictly prohibited and may be unlawful. If you are not the addressee, please promptly delete this message and notify the sender of the delivery error by e-mail or you may call Somerset Medical Center's computer Help Desk at 908-685-2200, ext. 4050. Be sure to visit Somerset Medical Center's Web site - www.somersetmedicalcenter.com - for the most up-to-date news, event listings, health information and more. ___ Histonet mailing list Histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu http://lists.utsouthwestern.edu/mailman/listinfo/histonet
[Histonet] xylene substitute and IHC
Hello, Is anyone out there using a Xylene substitute during tissue processing? When you switched what form validation did you perform on your IHC stains? Melissa Kuhnla Lead Medical Technologist for IHC and FISH Catholic Health Services of Long Island Regional Laboratory Services The information in this e-mail, and any attachments therein, is confidential and for use by the intended addressee only. If this message is received by you in error please do not disseminate or read further. Please reply to the sender that you have received the message in error, then delete the message. Although Catholic Health Services of Long Island attempts to sweep e-mail and attachments for viruses, it does not guarantee that either are virus-free and accepts no liability for any damage sustained as a result of viruses. Thank you. ___ Histonet mailing list Histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu http://lists.utsouthwestern.edu/mailman/listinfo/histonet
[Histonet] RE: Breast IHC testing
We have a med tech take the tissue off the processor for us. It waits very patiently till we get in on Monday to embed it! j Joyce Weems Pathology Manager Saint Joseph's Hospital 5665 Peachtree Dunwoody Rd NE Atlanta, GA 30342 678-843-7376 - Phone 678-843-7831 - Fax -Original Message- From: histonet-boun...@lists.utsouthwestern.edu [mailto:histonet-boun...@lists.utsouthwestern.edu] On Behalf Of Gale Limron Sent: Friday, February 03, 2012 10:24 To: histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu Subject: [Histonet] Breast IHC testing I would like to know what other hospitals are doing with breast specimens that are resected on Friday and are in formalin longer than the maximum number of hours that CAP allows for ER/PR and HER2/neu testing. We are running into this problem since we don't currently work Saturday hours. Thank you! Gale Limron CT,HT (ASCP) Histology Supervisor Union Hospital 659 Boulevard Dover, Ohio 44622 330-343-3311 ext 2562 This e-mail is intended only for the person or entity to which it is addressed and may contain information that is privileged, confidential or otherwise protected from disclosure. Dissemination, distribution or copying of this e-mail or the information herein by anyone other than the intended recipient, or an employee or agent responsible for delivering the message to the intended recipient, is prohibited. If you received this message in error, please delete without copying and kindly e-mail a reply to inform us of the mistake in delivery. ___ Histonet mailing list Histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu http://lists.utsouthwestern.edu/mailman/listinfo/histonet Confidentiality Notice: This e-mail, including any attachments is the property of Catholic Health East and is intended for the sole use of the intended recipient(s). It may contain information that is privileged and confidential. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure, or distribution is prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please delete this message, and reply to the sender regarding the error in a separate email. ___ Histonet mailing list Histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu http://lists.utsouthwestern.edu/mailman/listinfo/histonet
[Histonet] Position in Cooperstown NY
Bassett Hospital in Cooperstown NY has an opening for a histotechnician. This is a full time day position M-F 7:30 to 4 pm. Responsibilities include a full range of laboratories duties for a histotechnician including embedding, microtomy and routine, special and immunoperoxidase staining. Bassett Hospital supports the Network's 5 institutions' pathology needs, providing a large variety of tissue types in a mid level volume setting. The histotechnicians rotate weekly through of the all of disciplines maintaining competency in all areas. We have a wide range of industry leading equipment while being able to maintain hands on technical skills and close contact with 5 pathologists and attending providers. Candidates must be qualified as a Clinical Laboratory Technician or Histotechnician in accordance with New York State Department of Health regulations and possess a License, or be licensure eligible with a limited permit or limited license as a Clinical Laboratory Technician or Histotechnician. Apply online at: http://recruitment.bassett.org/job-opportunities/ To learn more about Bassett Healthcare: http://www.bassett.org/ ___ Histonet mailing list Histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu http://lists.utsouthwestern.edu/mailman/listinfo/histonet
[Histonet] RE: Breast IHC testing
Remember that you can validate your testing for longer fixation. Run parallel ER/PR/Her2 testing with tissue fixed for various lengths of times and look at the staining correlation between groups. Most likely your longer fixation won't be a problem. If you do see a drop off with longer times you can probably adjust antigen retrieval time to alleviate that. Tim Morken Supervisor, Histology, IPOX UCSF Medical Center San Francisco, CA, USA -Original Message- From: histonet-boun...@lists.utsouthwestern.edu [mailto:histonet-boun...@lists.utsouthwestern.edu] On Behalf Of Gale Limron Sent: Friday, February 03, 2012 7:24 AM To: histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu Subject: [Histonet] Breast IHC testing I would like to know what other hospitals are doing with breast specimens that are resected on Friday and are in formalin longer than the maximum number of hours that CAP allows for ER/PR and HER2/neu testing. We are running into this problem since we don't currently work Saturday hours. Thank you! Gale Limron CT,HT (ASCP) Histology Supervisor Union Hospital 659 Boulevard Dover, Ohio 44622 330-343-3311 ext 2562 This e-mail is intended only for the person or entity to which it is addressed and may contain information that is privileged, confidential or otherwise protected from disclosure. Dissemination, distribution or copying of this e-mail or the information herein by anyone other than the intended recipient, or an employee or agent responsible for delivering the message to the intended recipient, is prohibited. If you received this message in error, please delete without copying and kindly e-mail a reply to inform us of the mistake in delivery. ___ Histonet mailing list Histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu http://lists.utsouthwestern.edu/mailman/listinfo/histonet ___ Histonet mailing list Histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu http://lists.utsouthwestern.edu/mailman/listinfo/histonet
[Histonet] reagents without expiration dates
My oldest was from 1965, I can't bit Rene:) Naira -- Message: 12 Date: Thu, 2 Feb 2012 13:14:53 -0800 (PST) From: Rene J Buesa rjbu...@yahoo.com Subject: Re: [Histonet] reagents without expiration dates Ha.Ha,Ha!!! I used to prepare staining solutions with some Merck-Darmstad anilines manufactured just after the Great War, i.e. the FIRST World War (about 1925 before the World Great Depression). Try to beat that!. Ren?? J. ___ Histonet mailing list Histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu http://lists.utsouthwestern.edu/mailman/listinfo/histonet
[Histonet] looking for rita humphrey
Rita would you contact me please? Hazel Horn Hazel Horn, HT/HTL (ASCP) Supervisor of Autopsy/Histology/Transcription Arkansas Children's Hospital 1 Children's WaySlot 820 Little Rock, AR 72202 phone 501.364.4240 fax501.364.3155 visit us on the web at:www.archildrens.org ** The information contained in this message may be privileged and confidential and protected from disclosure. If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient, or an employee or agent responsible for delivering this message to the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any dissemination, distribution or copying of this communication is strictly prohibited. If you have received this communication in error, please notify us immediately by replying to the message and deleting it from your computer. Thank you. ___ Histonet mailing list Histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu http://lists.utsouthwestern.edu/mailman/listinfo/histonet
[Histonet] RE: Breast IHC testing
This abstract is in the January 2012 edition of CAP Today. Effect of prolonged fixation on evaluation of ER, PR, and HER2 expression in breast cancer Expression of estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor, and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 is important in predicting a response to targeted therapies in breast cancer. Therefore, immunohistochemical assays to determine hormone receptor (HR) and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) status must be accurate and reproducible. Tissue fixation has been shown to play a crucial role in determining consistency in quality. Although guidelines impose upper limits for the fixation period, the data on which these limits are based are scant. The authors conducted a study to prospectively examine the effect of fixation of longer than 72 hours on these assays. In 101 invasive breast cancer samples, HR and HER2 status were compared between tumor blocks undergoing a short fixation period and those undergoing a period of prolonged fixation. Discordances were classified as an incremental change between categories of (i) a single order of magnitude-that is, a difference in the status of low positive (Allred score, 3) compared with positive (Allred score, 4 to 8) or negative (Allred score, 0 or 2) and vice versa for HRs and a difference in HER2 status of equivocal compared with negative or positive and vice versa or (ii) greater than a single order of magnitude-that is, a difference in the status of positive compared with negative or vice versa. The median fixation time for the short fixation group was 13 hours and 18 minutes (mean, 13 hours and 17 minutes; range, 10 hours and 33 minutes to 17 hours and 45 minutes) and for the prolonged fixation group was 79 hours and 22 minutes (mean, 79 hours and 35 minutes; range, 73 hours and 33 minutes to 102 hours and 30 minutes). Eight cases showed discordances, all of which were of a single order of magnitude, including one for ER, five for PR, and two for HER2. In six of these, a higher score was seen in the prolonged fixation group. The authors concluded that fixation for limited periods beyond 72 hours does not reduce assay sensitivity in determining ER, PR, or HER2 immunohistochemical status. Tong LC, Nelson N, Tsourigiannis J, et al. The effect of prolonged fixation on the immunohistochemical evaluation of estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor, and HER2 expression in invasive breast cancer: a prospective study. Am J Surg Pathol. 2011;35:545-552. Correspondence: Anna Marie Mulligan at mullig...@smh.ca [ Top ] Tom Podawiltz HT (ASCP) Histology Section Head/Laboratory Safety Officer. LRGHealthcare Laconia, NH 03246 603-524-3211 ext: 3220 Anatomic pathology abstracts editors: Michael Cibull, MD, professor and vice chair, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Kentucky College of Medicine, Lexington; Rouzan Karabakhtsian, MD, assistant professor of pathology and laboratory medicine, University of Kentucky College of Medicine; and Thomas Cibull, MD, dermatopathologist, Evanston Hospital, NorthShore University HealthSystem, Evanston, Ill. -Original Message- From: histonet-boun...@lists.utsouthwestern.edu [mailto:histonet-boun...@lists.utsouthwestern.edu] On Behalf Of Morken, Timothy Sent: Friday, February 03, 2012 11:14 AM To: 'Gale Limron'; histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu Subject: [Histonet] RE: Breast IHC testing Remember that you can validate your testing for longer fixation. Run parallel ER/PR/Her2 testing with tissue fixed for various lengths of times and look at the staining correlation between groups. Most likely your longer fixation won't be a problem. If you do see a drop off with longer times you can probably adjust antigen retrieval time to alleviate that. Tim Morken Supervisor, Histology, IPOX UCSF Medical Center San Francisco, CA, USA -Original Message- From: histonet-boun...@lists.utsouthwestern.edu [mailto:histonet-boun...@lists.utsouthwestern.edu] On Behalf Of Gale Limron Sent: Friday, February 03, 2012 7:24 AM To: histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu Subject: [Histonet] Breast IHC testing I would like to know what other hospitals are doing with breast specimens that are resected on Friday and are in formalin longer than the maximum number of hours that CAP allows for ER/PR and HER2/neu testing. We are running into this problem since we don't currently work Saturday hours. Thank you! Gale Limron CT,HT (ASCP) Histology Supervisor Union Hospital 659 Boulevard Dover, Ohio 44622 330-343-3311 ext 2562 This e-mail is intended only for the person or entity to which it is addressed and may contain information that is privileged, confidential or otherwise protected from disclosure. Dissemination, distribution or copying of this e-mail or the information herein by anyone other than the intended recipient, or an
[Histonet] RE: Breast IHC testing
Thanks Tom. Yes, and even much longer fixation has not been shown to adversely affect detection, while short fixation does. The problem is rarely long fixation and is commonly short fixation. Chis van der Loos did a nice study on tonsil with many antibodies showing very short fixation resulted in lower detection than extremely long fixation (one year!). In fact for some epitopes longer fixation seems to be beneficial. Tim Morken Supervisor, Histology, IPOX UCSF Medical Center San Francisco, CA, USA -Original Message- From: Podawiltz, Thomas [mailto:tpodawi...@lrgh.org] Sent: Friday, February 03, 2012 8:57 AM To: Morken, Timothy; 'Gale Limron'; histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu Subject: RE: Breast IHC testing This abstract is in the January 2012 edition of CAP Today. Effect of prolonged fixation on evaluation of ER, PR, and HER2 expression in breast cancer Expression of estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor, and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 is important in predicting a response to targeted therapies in breast cancer. Therefore, immunohistochemical assays to determine hormone receptor (HR) and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) status must be accurate and reproducible. Tissue fixation has been shown to play a crucial role in determining consistency in quality. Although guidelines impose upper limits for the fixation period, the data on which these limits are based are scant. The authors conducted a study to prospectively examine the effect of fixation of longer than 72 hours on these assays. In 101 invasive breast cancer samples, HR and HER2 status were compared between tumor blocks undergoing a short fixation period and those undergoing a period of prolonged fixation. Discordances were classified as an incremental change between categories of (i) a single order of magnitude-that is, a difference in the status of low positive (Allred score, 3) compared with positive (Allred score, 4 to 8) or negative (Allred score, 0 or 2) and vice versa for HRs and a difference in HER2 status of equivocal compared with negative or positive and vice versa or (ii) greater than a single order of magnitude-that is, a difference in the status of positive compared with negative or vice versa. The median fixation time for the short fixation group was 13 hours and 18 minutes (mean, 13 hours and 17 minutes; range, 10 hours and 33 minutes to 17 hours and 45 minutes) and for the prolonged fixation group was 79 hours and 22 minutes (mean, 79 hours and 35 minutes; range, 73 hours and 33 minutes to 102 hours and 30 minutes). Eight cases showed discordances, all of which were of a single order of magnitude, including one for ER, five for PR, and two for HER2. In six of these, a higher score was seen in the prolonged fixation group. The authors concluded that fixation for limited periods beyond 72 hours does not reduce assay sensitivity in determining ER, PR, or HER2 immunohistochemical status. Tong LC, Nelson N, Tsourigiannis J, et al. The effect of prolonged fixation on the immunohistochemical evaluation of estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor, and HER2 expression in invasive breast cancer: a prospective study. Am J Surg Pathol. 2011;35:545-552. Correspondence: Anna Marie Mulligan at mullig...@smh.ca [ Top ] Tom Podawiltz HT (ASCP) Histology Section Head/Laboratory Safety Officer. LRGHealthcare Laconia, NH 03246 603-524-3211 ext: 3220 Anatomic pathology abstracts editors: Michael Cibull, MD, professor and vice chair, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Kentucky College of Medicine, Lexington; Rouzan Karabakhtsian, MD, assistant professor of pathology and laboratory medicine, University of Kentucky College of Medicine; and Thomas Cibull, MD, dermatopathologist, Evanston Hospital, NorthShore University HealthSystem, Evanston, Ill. -Original Message- From: histonet-boun...@lists.utsouthwestern.edu [mailto:histonet-boun...@lists.utsouthwestern.edu] On Behalf Of Morken, Timothy Sent: Friday, February 03, 2012 11:14 AM To: 'Gale Limron'; histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu Subject: [Histonet] RE: Breast IHC testing Remember that you can validate your testing for longer fixation. Run parallel ER/PR/Her2 testing with tissue fixed for various lengths of times and look at the staining correlation between groups. Most likely your longer fixation won't be a problem. If you do see a drop off with longer times you can probably adjust antigen retrieval time to alleviate that. Tim Morken Supervisor, Histology, IPOX UCSF Medical Center San Francisco, CA, USA -Original Message- From: histonet-boun...@lists.utsouthwestern.edu [mailto:histonet-boun...@lists.utsouthwestern.edu] On Behalf Of Gale Limron Sent: Friday, February 03, 2012 7:24 AM To: histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu Subject: [Histonet] Breast IHC testing I
RE: [Histonet] Breast IHC testing
Hi, Keep in mind some of the responses I have seem so far are for just IHC. I think there is some literature stating that over fixation affects FISH less, but we perform FISH only and still stay under 48hrs. We use Pathvysion probes and the package insert also recommends not exceeding 48 hours, as signals will fade. We currently have a short step on the processor where tissue is held in 70% alcohol. We have certain specimen collection cut off times so everything is fixed between 6 and 4 hours. Three day, holiday weekends we have technologists come in on Saturday and embed everything. Melissa :) -Original Message- From: histonet-boun...@lists.utsouthwestern.edu [mailto:histonet-boun...@lists.utsouthwestern.edu] On Behalf Of Gale Limron Sent: Friday, February 03, 2012 10:24 AM To: histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu Subject: [Histonet] Breast IHC testing I would like to know what other hospitals are doing with breast specimens that are resected on Friday and are in formalin longer than the maximum number of hours that CAP allows for ER/PR and HER2/neu testing. We are running into this problem since we don't currently work Saturday hours. Thank you! Gale Limron CT,HT (ASCP) Histology Supervisor Union Hospital 659 Boulevard Dover, Ohio 44622 330-343-3311 ext 2562 This e-mail is intended only for the person or entity to which it is addressed and may contain information that is privileged, confidential or otherwise protected from disclosure. Dissemination, distribution or copying of this e-mail or the information herein by anyone other than the intended recipient, or an employee or agent responsible for delivering the message to the intended recipient, is prohibited. If you received this message in error, please delete without copying and kindly e-mail a reply to inform us of the mistake in delivery. ___ Histonet mailing list Histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu http://lists.utsouthwestern.edu/mailman/listinfo/histonet The information in this e-mail, and any attachments therein, is confidential and for use by the intended addressee only. If this message is received by you in error please do not disseminate or read further. Please reply to the sender that you have received the message in error, then delete the message. Although Catholic Health Services of Long Island attempts to sweep e-mail and attachments for viruses, it does not guarantee that either are virus-free and accepts no liability for any damage sustained as a result of viruses. Thank you. ___ Histonet mailing list Histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu http://lists.utsouthwestern.edu/mailman/listinfo/histonet
[Histonet] RE: Breast IHC testing
Thank you all for your advice and comments. I know this has been discussed before but when I need quick answers I know that I can count on fellow Histonetters for help:) Have a great weekend. Gale Gale Limron CT,HT (ASCP) Histology Supervisor Union Hospital 659 Boulevard Dover, Ohio 44622 330-343-3311 ext 2562 This e-mail is intended only for the person or entity to which it is addressed and may contain information that is privileged, confidential or otherwise protected from disclosure. Dissemination, distribution or copying of this e-mail or the information herein by anyone other than the intended recipient, or an employee or agent responsible for delivering the message to the intended recipient, is prohibited. If you received this message in error, please delete without copying and kindly e-mail a reply to inform us of the mistake in delivery. ___ Histonet mailing list Histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu http://lists.utsouthwestern.edu/mailman/listinfo/histonet
[Histonet] picric acid
I am curious how big an explosion there would be from 1% picric acid in acetone if a little dried around the cap. Margaret Perry HT(ASCP) Dept of Veterinary and Biomedical services Box 2175 South Dakota State University Brookings SD 57007 605-688-5638 ___ Histonet mailing list Histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu http://lists.utsouthwestern.edu/mailman/listinfo/histonet
[Histonet] RE: picric acid
The picric acid around the cap would not be 1%. The acetone is long gone. Wipe the threads or pipette the reagent from the bottle. Our chemical safety office informed us that friction from removing a cap can be enough to set it off. Tresa -Original Message- From: histonet-boun...@lists.utsouthwestern.edu [mailto:histonet-boun...@lists.utsouthwestern.edu] On Behalf Of Perry, Margaret Sent: Friday, February 03, 2012 11:51 AM To: histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu Subject: [Histonet] picric acid I am curious how big an explosion there would be from 1% picric acid in acetone if a little dried around the cap. Margaret Perry HT(ASCP) Dept of Veterinary and Biomedical services Box 2175 South Dakota State University Brookings SD 57007 605-688-5638 ___ Histonet mailing list Histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu http://lists.utsouthwestern.edu/mailman/listinfo/histonet ___ Histonet mailing list Histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu http://lists.utsouthwestern.edu/mailman/listinfo/histonet
RE: [Histonet] RE: picric acid
I concur. The problem is the dried picric acid. We used it so infrequently and had a large bottle, that I had Safety dispose of it. Peggy Peggy Sherwood Lab Associate, Photopathology Wellman Center for Photomedicine (EDR 214) Massachusetts General Hospital 50 Blossom Street Boston, MA 02114-2696 617-724-4839 (voice mail) 617-726-6983 (lab) 617-726-1206 (fax) msherw...@partners.org -Original Message- From: histonet-boun...@lists.utsouthwestern.edu [mailto:histonet-boun...@lists.utsouthwestern.edu] On Behalf Of Goins, Tresa Sent: Friday, February 03, 2012 2:04 PM To: Perry, Margaret; histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu Subject: [Histonet] RE: picric acid The picric acid around the cap would not be 1%. The acetone is long gone. Wipe the threads or pipette the reagent from the bottle. Our chemical safety office informed us that friction from removing a cap can be enough to set it off. Tresa -Original Message- From: histonet-boun...@lists.utsouthwestern.edu [mailto:histonet-boun...@lists.utsouthwestern.edu] On Behalf Of Perry, Margaret Sent: Friday, February 03, 2012 11:51 AM To: histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu Subject: [Histonet] picric acid I am curious how big an explosion there would be from 1% picric acid in acetone if a little dried around the cap. Margaret Perry HT(ASCP) Dept of Veterinary and Biomedical services Box 2175 South Dakota State University Brookings SD 57007 605-688-5638 ___ Histonet mailing list Histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu http://lists.utsouthwestern.edu/mailman/listinfo/histonet ___ Histonet mailing list Histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu http://lists.utsouthwestern.edu/mailman/listinfo/histonet The information in this e-mail is intended only for the person to whom it is addressed. If you believe this e-mail was sent to you in error and the e-mail contains patient information, please contact the Partners Compliance HelpLine at http://www.partners.org/complianceline . If the e-mail was sent to you in error but does not contain patient information, please contact the sender and properly dispose of the e-mail. ___ Histonet mailing list Histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu http://lists.utsouthwestern.edu/mailman/listinfo/histonet
Re: [Histonet] RE: picric acid
Our chemical safety office informed us that friction from removing a cap can be enough to set it off. I have heard this for many, many years but has there ever been a case of such a thing happening? Of course we should be cautions and keep our picric acid wet but ... I have seen news clips in which the bomb squad packs explosives around the picric acid (from an old high school lab) out in a field and sets it off. BOOM! Sure, the picric acid was surrounded by explosives. Geoff On 2/3/2012 2:04 PM, Goins, Tresa wrote: The picric acid around the cap would not be 1%. The acetone is long gone. Wipe the threads or pipette the reagent from the bottle. Our chemical safety office informed us that friction from removing a cap can be enough to set it off. Tresa -Original Message- From: histonet-boun...@lists.utsouthwestern.edu [mailto:histonet-boun...@lists.utsouthwestern.edu] On Behalf Of Perry, Margaret Sent: Friday, February 03, 2012 11:51 AM To: histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu Subject: [Histonet] picric acid I am curious how big an explosion there would be from 1% picric acid in acetone if a little dried around the cap. Margaret Perry HT(ASCP) Dept of Veterinary and Biomedical services Box 2175 South Dakota State University Brookings SD 57007 605-688-5638 ___ Histonet mailing list Histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu http://lists.utsouthwestern.edu/mailman/listinfo/histonet ___ Histonet mailing list Histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu http://lists.utsouthwestern.edu/mailman/listinfo/histonet -- -- ** Geoff McAuliffe, Ph.D. Neuroscience and Cell Biology Robert Wood Johnson Medical School 675 Hoes Lane, Piscataway, NJ 08854 voice: (732)-235-4583 mcaul...@umdnj.edu ** ___ Histonet mailing list Histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu http://lists.utsouthwestern.edu/mailman/listinfo/histonet
RE: [Histonet] RE: picric acid
I vaguely remember reading about placing the container underwater to moisten the threads and then the lid could be removed. If you have any doubt have it disposed. Always better to be safe than sorry. Victor Victor Tobias HT(ASCP) Clinical Applications Analyst Harborview Medical Center Dept of Pathology Room NJB244 Seattle, WA 98104 vtob...@u.washington.edu 206-744-2735 206-744-8240 Fax = Privileged, confidential or patient identifiable information may be contained in this message. This information is meant only for the use of the intended recipients. If you are not the intended recipient, or if the message has been addressed to you in error, do not read, disclose, reproduce, distribute, disseminate or otherwise use this transmission. Instead, please notify the sender by reply e-mail, and then destroy all copies of the message and any attachments. -Original Message- From: histonet-boun...@lists.utsouthwestern.edu [mailto:histonet-boun...@lists.utsouthwestern.edu] On Behalf Of Geoff McAuliffe Sent: Friday, February 03, 2012 11:17 AM To: histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu Subject: Re: [Histonet] RE: picric acid Our chemical safety office informed us that friction from removing a cap can be enough to set it off. I have heard this for many, many years but has there ever been a case of such a thing happening? Of course we should be cautions and keep our picric acid wet but ... I have seen news clips in which the bomb squad packs explosives around the picric acid (from an old high school lab) out in a field and sets it off. BOOM! Sure, the picric acid was surrounded by explosives. Geoff On 2/3/2012 2:04 PM, Goins, Tresa wrote: The picric acid around the cap would not be 1%. The acetone is long gone. Wipe the threads or pipette the reagent from the bottle. Our chemical safety office informed us that friction from removing a cap can be enough to set it off. Tresa -Original Message- From: histonet-boun...@lists.utsouthwestern.edu [mailto:histonet-boun...@lists.utsouthwestern.edu] On Behalf Of Perry, Margaret Sent: Friday, February 03, 2012 11:51 AM To: histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu Subject: [Histonet] picric acid I am curious how big an explosion there would be from 1% picric acid in acetone if a little dried around the cap. Margaret Perry HT(ASCP) Dept of Veterinary and Biomedical services Box 2175 South Dakota State University Brookings SD 57007 605-688-5638 ___ Histonet mailing list Histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu http://lists.utsouthwestern.edu/mailman/listinfo/histonet ___ Histonet mailing list Histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu http://lists.utsouthwestern.edu/mailman/listinfo/histonet -- -- ** Geoff McAuliffe, Ph.D. Neuroscience and Cell Biology Robert Wood Johnson Medical School 675 Hoes Lane, Piscataway, NJ 08854 voice: (732)-235-4583 mcaul...@umdnj.edu ** ___ Histonet mailing list Histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu http://lists.utsouthwestern.edu/mailman/listinfo/histonet ___ Histonet mailing list Histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu http://lists.utsouthwestern.edu/mailman/listinfo/histonet
Re: [Histonet] picric acid
There have been cases where the rotary valve of VIPs have been damaged after using Bouin's fixative without proper washing. On the other hand I used to keep picric acid but always in saturated solution, which is about 1%. As long as you have water along with the picric acid bottle, there is no problem. René J. --- On Fri, 2/3/12, Perry, Margaret margaret.pe...@sdstate.edu wrote: From: Perry, Margaret margaret.pe...@sdstate.edu Subject: [Histonet] picric acid To: histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu Date: Friday, February 3, 2012, 1:50 PM I am curious how big an explosion there would be from 1% picric acid in acetone if a little dried around the cap. Margaret Perry HT(ASCP) Dept of Veterinary and Biomedical services Box 2175 South Dakota State University Brookings SD 57007 605-688-5638 ___ Histonet mailing list Histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu http://lists.utsouthwestern.edu/mailman/listinfo/histonet ___ Histonet mailing list Histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu http://lists.utsouthwestern.edu/mailman/listinfo/histonet
RE: [Histonet] picric acid
The explosion I witnessed was initiated by a blasting cap. The bomb squad director said it exploded with the force of several sticks of dynamite. If anyone has picric acid still in their lab, exercise GREAT caution. Mark Turner, HT(ASCP) QIHC IHC / Histology Manager 678-319-3321 Direct 770-508-7644 Cell 678-319-1454 mailto:mtur...@csilaboratories.com csilaboratories.com 2580 Westside Parkway Alpharetta, GA 30004 Important Warning: This e-mail is intended for the use of the person to whom it is addressed and may contain information that is privileged and confidential, the disclosure of which is governed by applicable law. If the reader of this e-mail is not the intended recipient, or the employee or agent responsible to deliver it to the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any dissemination, distribution or copying of this information is STRICTLY PROHIBITED. If you have received this message in error, please notify us immediately and delete the related e-mail. -Original Message- From: Rene J Buesa [mailto:rjbu...@yahoo.com] Sent: Friday, February 03, 2012 2:27 PM To: histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu; MargaretPerry Subject: Re: [Histonet] picric acid There have been cases where the rotary valve of VIPs have been damaged after using Bouin's fixative without proper washing. On the other hand I used to keep picric acid but always in saturated solution, which is about 1%. As long as you have water along with the picric acid bottle, there is no problem. René J. --- On Fri, 2/3/12, Perry, Margaret margaret.pe...@sdstate.edu wrote: From: Perry, Margaret margaret.pe...@sdstate.edu Subject: [Histonet] picric acid To: histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu Date: Friday, February 3, 2012, 1:50 PM I am curious how big an explosion there would be from 1% picric acid in acetone if a little dried around the cap. Margaret Perry HT(ASCP) Dept of Veterinary and Biomedical services Box 2175 South Dakota State University Brookings SD 57007 605-688-5638 ___ Histonet mailing list Histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu http://lists.utsouthwestern.edu/mailman/listinfo/histonet ___ Histonet mailing list Histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu http://lists.utsouthwestern.edu/mailman/listinfo/histonet ___ Histonet mailing list Histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu http://lists.utsouthwestern.edu/mailman/listinfo/histonet
RE: [Histonet] picric acid
I do not know about a solution, but a REALLY BIG one with a 1 oz bottle of picric acid crystals. When I was in college bottle was vibrated off a shelf by an out of balance centrifuge. It was common for students to work w/ chemicals late at night when taking inorganic chem. The student loaded the centrifuge and left the room (went outside for a smoke), bottle dropped to the floor, exploded and left a 6 ft x 8 ft whole in the counter and wall and pretty much destroyed the 30 ft x 30 ft lab. Very lucky no one was hurt. At the time, i remember thinking, hey we will get a pass on the next assignment, only got two days off. University Safety team had an accurate listing of all chemicals on the shelves and determined it had to be the picric acid. Safety and the Fire marshal did a sweep of the university and found six other bottles in various labs on campus. Never did hear how they disposed and I bet that made a BIB BANG!! William DeSalvo, B.S., HTL(ASCP) From: margaret.pe...@sdstate.edu To: histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu Date: Fri, 3 Feb 2012 18:50:37 + Subject: [Histonet] picric acid I am curious how big an explosion there would be from 1% picric acid in acetone if a little dried around the cap. Margaret Perry HT(ASCP) Dept of Veterinary and Biomedical services Box 2175 South Dakota State University Brookings SD 57007 605-688-5638 ___ Histonet mailing list Histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu http://lists.utsouthwestern.edu/mailman/listinfo/histonet ___ Histonet mailing list Histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu http://lists.utsouthwestern.edu/mailman/listinfo/histonet
Re: [Histonet] picric acid
Just wipe away any drops after closing the bottle. But your solution makes nice shiny plastic objects become ugly dull yellow plastic objects. Avoid spilling ;) I am curious how big an explosion there would be from 1% picric acid in acetone if a little dried around the cap. Margaret Perry HT(ASCP) Dept of Veterinary and Biomedical services Box 2175 South Dakota State University Brookings SD 57007 605-688-5638 ___ Histonet mailing list Histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu http://lists.utsouthwestern.edu/mailman/listinfo/histonet ___ Histonet mailing list Histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu http://lists.utsouthwestern.edu/mailman/listinfo/histonet
[Histonet] PA area folks--company to NOT use
Hello histonetters! I am having a great deal of trouble getting a microscope cleaning bill paid. We were overcharged by an hour. I suggest if you ever need your instruments cleaned or repaired, DO NOT USE GEORGE NABLE INSTRUMENTS. He has consistently overcharged us for his work, even after writing down a certain price on a purchase order. Just a warning. He works in the Pittsburgh area. I wish there was a yelp for scientists where I could post this, because I know a lot of people use him. Emily Sours The whole point of this country is if you want to eat garbage, balloon up to 600 pounds and die of a heart attack at 43, you can! You are free to do so. To me, that’s beautiful. --Ron Swanson ___ Histonet mailing list Histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu http://lists.utsouthwestern.edu/mailman/listinfo/histonet
RE: [Histonet] RE: picric acid
Geoff - Yes - see if you can get the footage of the damage done in a lab in Idaho. Tresa -Original Message- From: histonet-boun...@lists.utsouthwestern.edu [mailto:histonet-boun...@lists.utsouthwestern.edu] On Behalf Of Geoff McAuliffe Sent: Friday, February 03, 2012 12:17 PM To: histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu Subject: Re: [Histonet] RE: picric acid Our chemical safety office informed us that friction from removing a cap can be enough to set it off. I have heard this for many, many years but has there ever been a case of such a thing happening? Of course we should be cautions and keep our picric acid wet but ... I have seen news clips in which the bomb squad packs explosives around the picric acid (from an old high school lab) out in a field and sets it off. BOOM! Sure, the picric acid was surrounded by explosives. Geoff On 2/3/2012 2:04 PM, Goins, Tresa wrote: The picric acid around the cap would not be 1%. The acetone is long gone. Wipe the threads or pipette the reagent from the bottle. Our chemical safety office informed us that friction from removing a cap can be enough to set it off. Tresa -Original Message- From: histonet-boun...@lists.utsouthwestern.edu [mailto:histonet-boun...@lists.utsouthwestern.edu] On Behalf Of Perry, Margaret Sent: Friday, February 03, 2012 11:51 AM To: histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu Subject: [Histonet] picric acid I am curious how big an explosion there would be from 1% picric acid in acetone if a little dried around the cap. Margaret Perry HT(ASCP) Dept of Veterinary and Biomedical services Box 2175 South Dakota State University Brookings SD 57007 605-688-5638 ___ Histonet mailing list Histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu http://lists.utsouthwestern.edu/mailman/listinfo/histonet ___ Histonet mailing list Histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu http://lists.utsouthwestern.edu/mailman/listinfo/histonet -- -- ** Geoff McAuliffe, Ph.D. Neuroscience and Cell Biology Robert Wood Johnson Medical School 675 Hoes Lane, Piscataway, NJ 08854 voice: (732)-235-4583 mcaul...@umdnj.edu ** ___ Histonet mailing list Histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu http://lists.utsouthwestern.edu/mailman/listinfo/histonet ___ Histonet mailing list Histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu http://lists.utsouthwestern.edu/mailman/listinfo/histonet
[Histonet] RE: Breast CAP requirements
We have a tech come in on the weekends to embed so the fixation never exceeds 48 hours. We keep a log to record the fixation times of all our breast cases. For needle core biopsies if the client has written the time the specimen was taken on the requisition, we record that time otherwise it is the time we received it in the lab. With breast lumpectomies or mastectomies the fixation time starts once the specimen has been grossed and blocked, not before. With each report we have a blurb stating the fixation time of the specimen. It goes something like: 'The specimen has been fixed for a minimum of 12 hours to a maximum of 48 hours in accordance with CAP breast fixation guidelines for Her2Neu testing'. Sometimes though, courier delivery causes delays and its already been over 48 hours when we receive them in the lab. For instance a client does a breast needle core biopsy on a Friday but we do not receive the specimen until the following Monday. In these instances we record on the report that the specimen has had greater than 48 hours fixation. We do not do the Her2Neu testing in house and when we send them out for testing we have to record on the outside consultants requisition the fixation time. Sometimes its impossible not to go over the 48 hours and when it happens we just record it in the report. Joanne Clark, AAS,HT(ASCP) Histology Supervisor Pathology Consultants of New Mexico -- Message: 1 Date: Fri, 03 Feb 2012 12:51:47 -0500 From: Richard Cartun rcar...@harthosp.org Subject: Re: [Histonet] Breast IHC testing To: histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu,Gale Limron ga...@unionhospital.org Message-ID: 4f2bd863.7400.007...@harthosp.org Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Those are recommendations from the CAP. You can experiment and then validate longer fixation times. Several papers have come out over the past two years demonstrating little, if any, impact on immunoreactivity for ER, PR, and HER2 when breast tissue has been fixed longer than 72 hours. In my opinion, minimizing cold ischemic time, making sure the tissue does not dry out, and taking thin slices of tissue (2-3 mm) for fixation and processing are probably more important than time in formalin. Hopefully, ASCO and CAP will change their recommendations based on these studies. Richard Richard W. Cartun, MS, PhD Director, Histology Immunopathology Director, Biospecimen Collection Programs Assistant Director, Anatomic Pathology Hartford Hospital 80 Seymour Street Hartford, CT 06102 (860) 545-1596 Office (860) 545-2204 Fax Gale Limron ga...@unionhospital.org 2/3/2012 10:24 AM I would like to know what other hospitals are doing with breast specimens that are resected on Friday and are in formalin longer than the maximum number of hours that CAP allows for ER/PR and HER2/neu testing. We are running into this problem since we don't currently work Saturday hours. Thank you! Gale Limron CT,HT (ASCP) Histology Supervisor Union Hospital 659 Boulevard Dover, Ohio 44622 330-343-3311 ext 2562 This e-mail is intended only for the person or entity to which it is addressed and may contain information that is privileged, confidential or otherwise protected from disclosure. Dissemination, distribution or copying of this e-mail or the information herein by anyone other than the intended recipient, or an employee or agent responsible for delivering the message to the intended recipient, is prohibited. If you received this message in error, please delete without copying and kindly e-mail a reply to inform us of the mistake in delivery. ___ Histonet mailing list Histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu http://lists.utsouthwestern.edu/mailman/listinfo/histonet ___ Histonet mailing list Histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu http://lists.utsouthwestern.edu/mailman/listinfo/histonet
Re: [Histonet] picric acid
Way back in 1976, I had just been disgorged from graduate school with a MS degree in microbiology, and I landed a job in a hospital lab in a Chicago suburb as the micro supervisor. Since I was the new guy, and no one else wanted the (unpaid) job, I was also appointed as Laboratory Safety Officer. One morning I sallied forth into the histology lab with my clipboard and flashlight to look for safety hazards. Everything was in good shape until I looked under a sink. There was a brown glass gallon bottle at the back of the cabinet, which I dragged out and plunked down on the bench. The label was yellow with age (and the pigment of picric acid which had leaked from a small crack in the bottle.) The label identified the contents as liquid picric acid, which was now a single solid crystal, since all of the liquid had evaporated. It would have been about a half gallon if it had still been liquid. I recalled my clinical chemistry class, in which we learned that the picric acid we used for serum creatinine was explosive in the crystalline state. I called the local fire department, and they were first concerned that we had suffered an acid spill, but I explained that this acid was a solid, but potentially explosive. Since there was no chemical spill, they were not too concerned, and said they would get back to me. About an hour later, the bomb squad showed up in full regalia. The fire department had looked up picric acid and found it was 2,4,6 trinitrophenol, a close relative of 2,4,6 trinitrotoluene (TNT). They evacuated that wing of the hospital (the entire lab and about 50 patients on the two floors above the lab), and carried the bottle of picric acid out in their bomb disposal device. They detonated it in a field far away from the hospital by firing a rifle shot into it. It left a crater about 20 feet in diameter and ten feet deep. It was featured on the evening news by at least two of the Chicago TV stations. They had nice video of patients on gurneys being rolled down the halls, and a great view of the exploding bottle. Mythbusters could have learned from that video. Unfortunately, the hospital administration was not amused by the publicity, and we had to explain to multiple committees why we had such a hazardous substance in the lab. The final comment on this incident is that the bottle had been under the sink for years. No one working in the lab at that time could remember when it was last used. This cabinet was where the histotechs stored their purses (back in the days when nearly all histotechs were female). They would come in at the beginning of their shift and toss (literally) their purses into the cabinet. Virchow be praised, they had never hit the bottle with enough force to detonate it. If any of the histotechs who worked at HPH back in those days are on this list, I'd love to hear from you. Best regards, Eric Hoy === Eric S. Hoy, Ph.D., SI(ASCP) Clinical Associate Professor Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center Dallas, Texas Email: eric@utsouthwestern.edu === On 2/3/12 12:50 PM, Perry, Margaret margaret.pe...@sdstate.edu wrote: I am curious how big an explosion there would be from 1% picric acid in acetone if a little dried around the cap. ___ Histonet mailing list Histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu http://lists.utsouthwestern.edu/mailman/listinfo/histonet
[Histonet] Re:Breast IHC testing
We have the same weekend dilemma with greater than 48 hour fixation for breast tissue for Her-2. We send them to a huge reference lab that stated exactly as Richard. They have found that 72 hours has little impact on ER/PR/HER2 , however, we do request HER2 - FISH (instead of IHC) in these cases. Furthermore, the ref lab said that some of the things that labs are doing to avoid over fixation are worse (such as holding tissue in alcohol for extended periods of time, etc) because that hasn't been validated. Also, I spoke with the radiologists that perform the core needle bxs and stereotactic and they try to avoid sched. them before a weekend or holiday. The excisional bx performed in the OR usually already have ER/PR/HER2 on the previous needle bx. Jan -- From: histonet-requ...@lists.utsouthwestern.edu Sent: Friday, February 03, 2012 1:00 PM To: histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu Subject: Histonet Digest, Vol 99, Issue 5 Send Histonet mailing list submissions to histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit http://lists.utsouthwestern.edu/mailman/listinfo/histonet or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to histonet-requ...@lists.utsouthwestern.edu You can reach the person managing the list at histonet-ow...@lists.utsouthwestern.edu When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific than Re: Contents of Histonet digest... Today's Topics: 1. Re: Breast IHC testing (Richard Cartun) 2. AW: [Histonet] Breast IHC testing (Gudrun Lang) 3. Looking for Histology work in Phoenix AZ area (Jill Cox) -- Message: 1 Date: Fri, 03 Feb 2012 12:51:47 -0500 From: Richard Cartun rcar...@harthosp.org Subject: Re: [Histonet] Breast IHC testing To: histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu, Gale Limron ga...@unionhospital.org Message-ID: 4f2bd863.7400.007...@harthosp.org Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Those are recommendations from the CAP. You can experiment and then validate longer fixation times. Several papers have come out over the past two years demonstrating little, if any, impact on immunoreactivity for ER, PR, and HER2 when breast tissue has been fixed longer than 72 hours. In my opinion, minimizing cold ischemic time, making sure the tissue does not dry out, and taking thin slices of tissue (2-3 mm) for fixation and processing are probably more important than time in formalin. Hopefully, ASCO and CAP will change their recommendations based on these studies. Richard Richard W. Cartun, MS, PhD Director, Histology Immunopathology Director, Biospecimen Collection Programs Assistant Director, Anatomic Pathology Hartford Hospital 80 Seymour Street Hartford, CT 06102 (860) 545-1596 Office (860) 545-2204 Fax Gale Limron ga...@unionhospital.org 2/3/2012 10:24 AM I would like to know what other hospitals are doing with breast specimens that are resected on Friday and are in formalin longer than the maximum number of hours that CAP allows for ER/PR and HER2/neu testing. We are running into this problem since we don't currently work Saturday hours. Thank you! Gale Limron CT,HT (ASCP) Histology Supervisor Union Hospital 659 Boulevard Dover, Ohio 44622 330-343-3311 ext 2562 This e-mail is intended only for the person or entity to which it is addressed and may contain information that is privileged, confidential or otherwise protected from disclosure. Dissemination, distribution or copying of this e-mail or the information herein by anyone other than the intended recipient, or an employee or agent responsible for delivering the message to the intended recipient, is prohibited. If you received this message in error, please delete without copying and kindly e-mail a reply to inform us of the mistake in delivery. ___ Histonet mailing list Histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu http://lists.utsouthwestern.edu/mailman/listinfo/histonet -- Message: 2 Date: Fri, 3 Feb 2012 18:55:20 +0100 From: Gudrun Lang gu.l...@gmx.at Subject: AW: [Histonet] Breast IHC testing To: 'Kuhnla, Melissa' melissa.kuh...@chsli.org Cc: histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu Message-ID: 8062f9a9a566440ea5ca5f05e00c9...@dielangs.at Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 Referring to Her2 FISH, we perform this assay also on tissue with longer fixation. We found the protocol with retrieval in citratebuffer followed by protease digestion reliable. Also with SISH techniques I prefer long fixation more than underfixation. Is there a chemical explanation, why the fluorochrome will fade after long fixation? Gudrun -Ursprüngliche Nachricht- Von: histonet-boun...@lists.utsouthwestern.edu [mailto:histonet-boun...@lists.utsouthwestern.edu] Im Auftrag von Kuhnla, Melissa Gesendet: Freitag, 03.
[Histonet] Equipment available to the highest bidder
Hi list, On 21 of February we will have the following equipment available to the highest bidder: 1. Tissue processor - Tissue Tek VIP-E (still in use) 2. Tissue processor - SHANDON Citadel 2000 One paraffin tank missing 3. JUNG AUTOSTAINER LX (still in use) By the end of the month we will also have available 4. Embedding center - SHANDON Histocentre2 (still in use) If interested please send me an offer. Michelle Aloni MS HTL Research Specialist USC Keck School of Medicine Los Angeles, CA ___ Histonet mailing list Histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu http://lists.utsouthwestern.edu/mailman/listinfo/histonet
