Hi Tasha Formalin buffer salts are soluble in water but not alcohol. I had a shredding problem once before when the blocks did not have adequate time in 70% Alcohol following formalin. The buffer salts precipitate inside the tissue and cause shredding at microtomy. This may not be your problem but as you are using a microwave processor and processing very rapidly it may be worth investigating.
Regards Tony Tony Reilly B.App.Sc, M.Sc Chief Scientist Anatomical Pathology Pathology Queensland PAH _________________________________________________ Health Services Support Agency| Department of Health Building 15, Level 1, 199 Ipswich Road WOOLLOONGABBA Queensland 4102 Ph: 07 3176 2412 Mob: 0402139411 Fax: 07 3176 2930 Email: [email protected] | www.health.qld.gov.au -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Tasha M. Campbell Sent: Friday, 4 April 2014 9:58 PM To: Tony Reilly; [email protected] Subject: [Histonet] GI Biopsies Does anyone have problems with their GI biopsies kind of shredding when cutting? I microwave process them in the Shurwave microwave processor. I have been doing this for over a year and only the past couple months I have noticed that almost every biopsy I cut has knife lines in it. I have to change my blade constantly. I was told by a TBS technician that if I ever noticed the tissue doing this, it meant that I did not have all the alcohol out of the tissue, but does that sound like it would cause the tissue to shred like that? I don't use my reagents more than 2 times and I have even tried increasing the time and temp a little but no help. I have been doing them for a year and did not have a problem and I haven't changed anything. Any solutions or suggestions??? Thanks! Tasha Campbell, B.S.,HTL(ASCP) Frederick Gastroenterology Associates 310 W. 9th St. Frederick, MD 21701 301-695-6800 ext. 144 (w) 304-685-9307 (c) _______________________________________________ Histonet mailing list [email protected] http://lists.utsouthwestern.edu/mailman/listinfo/histonet ******************************************************************************** This email, including any attachments sent with it, is confidential and for the sole use of the intended recipient(s). This confidentiality is not waived or lost, if you receive it and you are not the intended recipient(s), or if it is transmitted/received in error. Any unauthorised use, alteration, disclosure, distribution or review of this email is strictly prohibited. The information contained in this email, including any attachment sent with it, may be subject to a statutory duty of confidentiality if it relates to health service matters. If you are not the intended recipient(s), or if you have received this email in error, you are asked to immediately notify the sender by telephone collect on Australia +61 1800 198 175 or by return email. You should also delete this email, and any copies, from your computer system network and destroy any hard copies produced. If not an intended recipient of this email, you must not copy, distribute or take any action(s) that relies on it; any form of disclosure, modification, distribution and/or publication of this email is also prohibited. Although Queensland Health takes all reasonable steps to ensure this email does not contain malicious software, Queensland Health does not accept responsibility for the consequences if any person's computer inadvertently suffers any disruption to services, loss of information, harm or is infected with a virus, other malicious computer programme or code that may occur as a consequence of receiving this email. Unless stated otherwise, this email represents only the views of the sender and not the views of the Queensland Government. ********************************************************************************** _______________________________________________ Histonet mailing list [email protected] http://lists.utsouthwestern.edu/mailman/listinfo/histonet
