[Histonet] Re: Amyloid control tissue

[Bob Richmond]

Barb Moe at Gundersen Lutheran Medical Center in La Crosse, Wisconsin asks:

>>Does anyone know where I could purchase (or trade for) a block of amyloid positive tissue? Alternatively, for those who purchase ready-cut amyloid control slides, could you share what vendor you have been happy with?<<

If your hospital's tumor registry can find you a case of medullary
carcinoma of the thyroid, most of these contain an amyloid, and I've
seen a number of them used as amyloid control slides.

Supposedly paraffin sections once cut must be used within a month or
they go bad, so you really should have a paraffin block. (Does anyone
know if this is an urban legend?)

I've asked this question many times and never had any response to it.
It's quite easy to produce amyloidosis in experimental animals -
injecting mice with casein is a standard technique. Has anybody ever
used this animal material as a control in human pathology?

I actually know where La Crosse WI is - we go by there when we drive
up to Wabasha MN to visit my wife's sisters. Just across the
Mississippi is La Crescent, and up the road a way is La Mohel (not
sure I spelled that right, but it does strike you as delightfully
ecumenical).

Bob Richmond
Samurai Pathologist
Maryville TN