[Histonet] Nuclear artefact II

[Marshall Terry Dr, Consultant Histopathologist]

 "So it dried before it was fixed? My point exactly and that's why the
bubbles show better!!!"

Eh?
To what do you refer when you say..."that's why the bubbles show
better."?  
The drying? If so, well yes, that's why I took the photo in that area.

To what do you refer when you say...."My point exactly.."?
That it dried before it was fixed? If so, I do not recall you ever
having made a point about drying before fixation. Please remind me of
the remark.

Your short note on good fixation is fine, but is pure theory, and does
not address the problem of how we can tell whether fixation has been
"good" or not.
Cytologists often call air drying poor fixation, but this is utter
nonsense.
Pathologists sometimes call autolysis poor fixation, but this too is
pure nonsense.

Has anybody else bothered to look at the photos on this mightily
important issue?

Terry


-----Original Message-----
From: histonet-bounces <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu
[mailto:histonet-bounces <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu] On Behalf Of Kemlo
Rogerson
Sent: 02 July 2007 13:48
To: Marshall Terry Dr, Consultant Histopathologist; kemlo;
lpwenk <@t> sbcglobal.net; Gale, Nadia; histonet <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu
Subject: RE: [Histonet] Nuclear artefact II

OK.
The FS was doused in aceto-alcohol as per usual.
The pleural fluid was a cytospin (how I now hate that device) fixed in
alcohol in our normal way. (It is as you observe no doubt, air dried at
the edge from which I took the photo, but that's because the bubbles
show better there). 

Now - there's the basis of a separate thread - how can you tell whether
a smear is fixed well or not? What is "fixed well"?

Terry

So it dried before it was fixed? My point exactly and that's why the
bubbles show better!!!

"Fixed well" I assume means that the fixative has either attached itself
completely to all those things it ought to attach itself to, altered the
tertiary protein structures sufficiently to trap all the substances that
are able to be trapped and rendered the matrix of the tissue's proteins
sufficiently robust to withstand processing and exposed all those sites
needing exposing to facilitate staining then I assume it is fixed
optimally.

Cytospins are, IMHO, the Devils tool and introduces artefacts and loses
cells as you suggest; LBC is the way forward and I assume that means
Cytyc? Has SurePath cracked the LBC world for Non-Gynae yet? As a
recovering Cell Path Manager I'm losing touch, but oddly Pharmacies and
the therapies are fun too. 

Kemlo Rogerson
Pathology Manager
DD   01934 647057 or extension 3311
Mob 07749 754194; Pager 07659 597107;
 
Your job is a manifestation of your spirit in the physical world. You
can pretend that this is not the case, basically ignore it, or you can
consciously claim it. You get to choose. --Ric Giardina 


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