[Histonet] Purple blue haze

[Laurie Colbert]

Your discussion rang a bell with me, and I've been meaning to call Richard Allan.  We use their Type 9 paraffin, and for the last 3 or 4 months it also has been "blowing apart on the waterbath."  We lowered the temp on the waterbaths, and this seems to have helped.  Our housekeeping personnel have even noticed a difference in the paraffin (scraping it off the floor).  They say it is stickier lately.  I think something has been changed.

Laurie Colbert
Huntington Hospital
Pasadena, CA

-----Original Message-----
From: Andrea Grantham [mailto:algranth <@t> u.arizona.edu]
Sent: Tuesday, December 20, 2005 1:20 PM
To: Histonet (E-mail)
Subject: Re: [Histonet] Purple blue haze


Karen,
Yes I have recently noticed the "haze" of the H&E stained slides. I have 
been using this hematoxylin for years and this is the first time that I 
have had a problem with it. Like you I have filtered it but it hasn't 
seemed to help.
I also have been using their Type 6 paraffin and in the last few months 
have noticed that it blows apart on the waterbath. I have lowered the temp. 
but it didn't help -> 35-39 degrees C. A different lot number that they 
sent to me was only marginally better. A couple of weeks ago one of my 
clients brought a project consisting of blocks that had been processed and 
embedded here over 4-5 years. The paraffin throughout was RAS Type 6. The 
blocks from the first 4 years cut fine and laid out on the waterbath fine 
but when I got to recently embedded blocks they started the rapid expanding 
and blowing apart when they were placed on the waterbath. A histotech in CA 
told me they have been having the same problem in their lab. 
Hmmmmm.....could they have changed the formula?
Maybe this is so with the Hematoxylin as well.
I'm trying different paraffins looking for one comparable to the Type 6 
only more stable on the waterbath. I really don't want to do this with 
Hematoxylin because my clients love my staining but I hate ugly slides.

Andi



At 11:17 AM 12/20/2005 -0700, Heckford, Karen - SMMC-SF wrote:
>Dear Histonetters,
>Has anyone had any problems with a purple- blue haze on their H&E  using
>Richard Allen Scientific Hematoxylin 7211.  I am currently filtering it.  I
>am still getting the haze.  I have changed nothing,  it just appeared a
>couple of weeks ago.  Any help would be greatly appreciated.
>
>Happy Holidays,
>
>
>Karen Heckford HT (ASCP) CE
>Lead Histology Technician
>St. Mary's Medical Center
>Histology Department
>450 Stanyan St.
>San Francisco, Ca. 94117
>1-415-668-1000 ext. 6167
>email: kheckfor <@t> chw.edu
>
>_______________________________________________
>Histonet mailing list
>Histonet <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu
>http://lists.utsouthwestern.edu/mailman/listinfo/histonet

.....................................................................
: Andrea Grantham, HT(ASCP)     Dept. of Cell Biology & Anatomy     :
: Sr. Research Specialist       University of Arizona               :
: (office:  AHSC 4212)          P.O. Box 245044                     :
: (voice:  520-626-4415)        Tucson, AZ  85724-5044    USA       :
: (FAX:  520-626-2097)          (email:  algranth <@t> u.arizona.edu)       :
:...................................................................:
           http://www.cba.arizona.edu/histology-lab.html


_______________________________________________
Histonet mailing list
Histonet <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu
http://lists.utsouthwestern.edu/mailman/listinfo/histonet