[Histonet] HT HistoDeck question...

[Lee & Peggy Wenk]

I agree, there is probably more than one correct answer to this question, 
depending upon whether you are planning on doing stains for lipids, IHC, 
immunofluoresence or muscle enzymes.

But I don't think (A) full strength 37-40% formaldehyde solution would ever 
be the correct answer. Unless you put a gauze in the bottom on the coplin 
jar, pour a little conc. formaldehyde on the gauze, put a lid on the coplin 
jar, and fix the section in formaldehyde vapors. But the question does say 
SOLUTION, not VAPOR. So I still think A is wrong. And most likely full 
strength acetic acid (C) is wrong - would eat the tissue off the slide.

That leaves cold acetone (B) , which is good for some antibodies and some 
enzymes, or alcoholic formalin (D) which might be OK, but most of the time 
things either like alcohol and hate formalin, or they like formalin and 
don't like alcohol. So I would think most FS that we want to fix would not 
particularly like alcoholic formalin.

And none of the solutions listed are good for lipids.

So, given the question (with incomplete information) and the choices of 
answers, I would still side with (B) cold acetone.

Now - a little aside - for the questions on the ASCP HT and HTL exams - if 
it is a new question, the people on the HT/HTL exam committee would be 
looking at it intensely before it goes on the exam for the first time. If 
the committee people are having problems answering it (like we are here), 
the question would be reworked until all the issues are resolved (such as 
putting in "for lymph node IHC" into the question). If it makes it past the 
committee, and the stats from the exam show that many people are having 
problems answering it, the question is pulled from the exam and is not used 
in the person's score. The question is then sent back to the HT/HTL exam 
committee, to try to figure out why examinees were having problems, and the 
question reworked again.

As someone who has written exam questions at the school for 20+ years, I can 
tell you that it really is hard to write exam questions. I think I've 
covered everything in the question so that it is straight forward, and then 
half the students read something into the question that I never thought of, 
or come up with a written answer that I never considered. So I either have 
to throw out the question or give the point to the student, depending upon 
what's going on. And then mark the question for a re-write next year.  And 
that doesn't include me marking the wrong answer on my master sheet. It 
happens!

Peggy A. Wenk, HTL(ASCP)SLS

-----Original Message----- 
From: Watson, Linda
Sent: Thursday, October 03, 2013 9:40 AM
To: Lee & Peggy Wenk ; Stephenson, Sheryl ; 
histonet <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu
Subject: RE: [Histonet] HT HistoDeck question...

For frozen cut sections, would the fixation also depend on what you plan on 
doing with it. For example, H&E, Special Stain or IHC? Please correct if I 
am wrong. I think that is a trick question!!!

>-----Original Message-----
>From: histonet-bounces <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu [mailto:histonet-
>bounces <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu] On Behalf Of Lee & Peggy Wenk
>Sent: Thursday, October 03, 2013 8:16 AM
>To: Stephenson, Sheryl; histonet <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu
>Subject: Re: [Histonet] HT HistoDeck question...
>
>Personally, I think it's "a" is a wrong answer, and that you are correct
>that "b" is a better answer. My students and I have found a couple of
>other
>questions that we thought had the wrong answer indicated in the study
>set.
>
>Peggy A. Wenk, HTL(ASCP)SLS
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Stephenson, Sheryl
>Sent: Thursday, October 03, 2013 7:21 AM
>To: histonet <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu
>Subject: [Histonet] HT HistoDeck question...
>
>Hi,
>Please clarify why this answer to the HistoDeck study question is  a)
>and
>not b).
>
>Here is the question:
>
>  'Frozen section slides cut from fresh, unfixed tissue specimens are
>optimally fixed in which of the following solutions?
>a) 37%-40% formaldehyde
>b) Cold acetone
>c) Acetic acid alcohol
>d) Alcoholic formalin
>
>Thanks,
>
>
>Sheryl Stephenson | Histology Technician
>
>
>
>
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