[Histonet] 20% NaOH Nail pre-Treatment... Questions

[Rene J Buesa]

20% NaOH is too strong.
Under separate cover I am sending another procedure.
René J.

--- On Tue, 1/26/10, Due, Brice <BDUE <@t> PARTNERS.ORG> wrote:


From: Due, Brice <BDUE <@t> PARTNERS.ORG>
Subject: [Histonet] 20% NaOH Nail pre-Treatment... Questions
To: "Joe "The Toe" Nocito" <jnocito <@t> satx.rr.com>
Cc: histonet <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu
Date: Tuesday, January 26, 2010, 6:05 PM


Hello Joe, first thanks so much for sharing your expertise here on Histonet.

I work in the main histo lab at Mass General Hosp. in Boston and I have
interested the powers that be in your NaOH protocol. I initially used your NaOH
idea to attach an "impossible" nail to slides by floating 4um section on 20%
NaOH for 10-15min. (The transfers between regular water bath and NaOH bath (and
back to rinse) were surprisingly easy because the concentrated NaOH prevents
adhesion to even the stickiest adhesive slides.)

Anyhow, I have some questions for you about your lab's implementation. I found
your most complete post at
http://lists.utsouthwestern.edu/pipermail/histonet/2008-October/040078.html

But I am concerned about the safety of 20% NaOH in routine use. Would you mind
posting or emailing me any SOPs you have that address the safety issues? 

Specifically both the histology lab and the "grossing" labs here use RDO decal
solutions at every bench. So there is/will be concern about the proper handling
of 20% NaOH around RDO... by overworked PAs and residents, etc. etc. Feel free
to tell me your safety almost-horror stories so we can (try to) prevent them
from occuring here.

I've seen that some people use 10% NaOH instead. Have you experimented with
this? Any reasons you stick with 20% beyond the usual "it ain't broke, so..."?
Have you (or anyone on Histonet) ever tried to find the minimum effective
concentration? Increasing the pre-soak time isn't an issue here since I've been
assured that nail turnaround times are non-critical.

Along these lines, do you or anyone have any histochemical references for the
reactions that are taking place? With this info it might be possible to predict
the minimum effective pH. It would also be nice to have references for the SOP.
(I know about the coverslip "crushes" some derm clinicians do with fresh
scrapings. Alternately, do you know of any histochemical references for this?)

Thank you so much for sharing your time and info! And if I happen to answer any
of my own questions I will be sure to post what I learn.

Sincerely,
-brice
Massachusetts General Hospital 
Surgical Pathology, Histology


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