[Histonet] Stripped H&E's - HELP!

[Laurie Colbert]

Make sure the level of the alcohols after the eosin covers the tops of
the slides.  It's most likely water dripping down the slides, and this
cause the eosin on the sections to bleed so they looked striped.
Laurie Colbert

-----Original Message-----
From: histonet-bounces <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu
[mailto:histonet-bounces <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu] On Behalf Of Jo-Ann
Bader, Ms.
Sent: Thursday, July 07, 2011 12:38 PM
To: Histonet <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu
Subject: [Histonet] Stripped H&E's - HELP!

Hi All,

Over the past year we have had a recurring problems with our H&E's.  The
come out of our Gemini Stainer stripped but not on every run; we can go
for months without a problem and then all of a sudden it is back again.
The stripping is in the Eosin, our pathologist confirms the the
hemotoxylin is not affected.  There are 3 of us cutting on 3 different
microtomes.  The age on the microtomes range in age from 10 years to
less than 1 year. 

Some of the solution we have tried are:

We numbered all our racks to see if some of our older racks may have
micro cracks in them that may retain solution which gradually dripped
onto the slides.  After checking for over a month there was no pattern
to  racks and bad staining.

We tried lowering the level of the solutions to below the coated end of
the slides.  No results

We tried changing the positions of the pots for the solutions,  thinking
that if there was a leak from the solutions above we would notice a
difference.  No luck.

We checked to see if the stripes only appeared near the end of our
stains life.  Not that either

Right now I have a technician sitting in front of the stainer as it runs
to see if she can catch any abnormalities in the way the machine is
transferring the slides.

We rotate our alcohols every run.

We change every solution after every 450 slides.

I have put a call into the company to see if I can get to speak to a
specialist on this machine but in the mean time I was hoping someone out
there could help.  Has anyone seen such a problem

I, we, have run out of ideas aside from it being the machine and not
being able to find out exactly how.


Jo-Ann Bader
Histology Co-Ordinator
Goodman Cancer Centre
McGill University 1160 Pine Ave. W - Rm 312 (3355)
Montreal, QC, Canada
H3G 1Y6
Tel: 514-398-8270
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