[Histonet] Histonet Digest, Vol 157, Issue 5 outdated gold

Steve McClain SteveM at mcclainlab.com
Wed Dec 7 13:55:51 CST 2016


Cheers! We were dinged on the last inspection for having outdated reagents near the human testing. 

We have a gold standard in the lab, specifically a Queen Victoria 0.25 ounce gold coin minted in 1870. It appears to be past expiration, yet still attractive and untarnished. 

Any suggestions for proper disposal of outdated gold will be appreciated. 

Steve A. McClain, MD

> On Dec 7, 2016, at 13:23, "histonet-request at lists.utsouthwestern.edu" <histonet-request at lists.utsouthwestern.edu> wrote:
> 
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> Today's Topics:
> 
>   1. Re: RTU antibodies with 1+ year expiration date (Terri  Braud)
>   2. A favor for a friend... PRN Mohs tech needed in St.
>      Petersburg, FL (Pam Barker)
>   3. RELIA Histology Careers Bulletin 12-7-2016 Grab a cup of
>      Cocoa and have a look at some exciting opportunities. (Pam Barker)
>   4. **Histology Job Opportunities** (Taylor Rinaldi)
> 
> 
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
> 
> Message: 1
> Date: Tue, 6 Dec 2016 18:50:35 +0000
> From: "Terri  Braud" <tbraud at holyredeemer.com>
> To: "'histonet at lists.utsouthwestern.edu'"
>    <histonet at lists.utsouthwestern.edu>
> Subject: Re: [Histonet] RTU antibodies with 1+ year expiration date
> Message-ID:
>    <48E053DDF6CE074DB6A7414BA05403F8113CA2 at HRHEX03-HOS.holyredeemer.local>
>    
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
> 
> Just a word to the wise:  Although I certainly appreciate the well-referenced, sound science behind Tony Henwood's advice, as he also pointed out, if your lab is CAP or CLIA inspected, the regulations are quite specific that expired reagents cannot be used for patient work.  I agree that it is a waste, and we all want to be responsible and resourceful, but better to throw away and reorder expired reagents than a phase II deficiency.
> 
> Terri L. Braud, HT(ASCP)
> Anatomic Pathology Supervisor
> Laboratory
> Holy Redeemer Hospital
> 1648 Huntingdon Pike
> Meadowbrook, PA 19046
> ph: 215-938-3689
> fax: 215-938-3874
> Care, Comfort, and Heal
> 
>   2. RTU antibodies with 1+ year expiration date (Allan Wang)
>   5. Re: RTU antibodies with 1+ year expiration date
>      (Tony Henwood (SCHN))
>   8. Re: RTU antibodies with 1+ year expiration date (Morken, Timothy)
> 
> Message: 2
> Date: Mon, 5 Dec 2016 15:42:03 -0500
> From: Allan Wang <allanvv at gmail.com>
> Subject: [Histonet] RTU antibodies with 1+ year expiration date
> Hello list,
> Thanks for your responses to my previous dehydration question. I pretty much got conflicting responses about going straight to 100% alcohol, but I think I will just start them out in 80% alcohol to be safe.
> Something that's been bugging me: Every source states that diluted antibodies shouldn't be kept for more than a few weeks. Yet Ventana dispensers of pre-diluted antibodies have expiration dates of 1 - 1.5 years, plus they sit out at room temperature for 5 hours at a time whenever they're used. Ventana provides user-fillable dispensers, but if we dilute antibodies ourselves and can't use them for more than a few weeks, it would be kind of pointless for low-volume needs.
> Their specs say: "The antibody is diluted in 0.08 M PBS with 3% carrier protein and 0.05% ProClin 300, a preservative."
> Isn't this pretty much the same stuff that antibody diluent is composed of, except with sodium azide instead of ProClin 300 (I think they're equivalent).
> I'm already planning on doing some long-term testing of my own over a year with HER-2 and Ki67, but hopefully someone can provide some insight.
> Thanks,
> Allan Wang
> --------------------------------------------------------
> 
> Message: 5
> Date: Mon, 5 Dec 2016 22:44:23 +0000
> From: "Tony Henwood (SCHN)" <tony.henwood at health.nsw.gov.au>
> To: Allan Wang <allanvv at gmail.com>>
> Subject: Re: [Histonet] RTU antibodies with 1+ year expiration date
> Hi Alan,
> Not every source states that diluted antibodies only last for a few weeks, in fact my experience as well as those of the commercial suppliers (see their data sheets) indicates otherwise, for example, I just re-validated an antibody (CD45RO)  that was prepared 8 years ago (but unfortunately rarely used) and it worked very well, in fact we had to re-titre it since it seems our detection system has improved its sensitivity (we have a Bond 3). Since it is not routinely used (last time was at least 4 years ago) we have retired it.
> The following is an extract from the handout of a workshop we gave on an Immunohistochemistry Validation workshop we gave this year:
> Expired Antibodies
> Usually when a new concentrated antibody is received it will have an expiry date of around 2 years from receipt, but most of us will find that we can continue to use antibodies well past this expiry date. So where are we at?
> Recent discussions on Histonet reveal:
> ?    At least five labs admit to routinely discarding expired antibodies.
> ?    Why don?t companies extend expiry dates?
> ?    Why not freeze aliquots of antibody to extend the shelf life?
> ?    If controls continue to stain appropriately, then why can?t expiry be extended?
> An expiration date labelled on a vial merely reflects the time span tested by the manufacturer during which performance of a reagent has remained stable. It does not imply per se, that the reagent will not function properly beyond the indicated date. In fact, because it is unrealistic for a manufacturer to test an antibody for aging during decades before putting it on the market, most expiration spans for primary antibodies are set arbitrarily within 6 to 24 months (Balaton et al 1999).
> 
> Dr Hadi Yaziji explains: Vendors do stability testing on their antibodies, where they leave them at room temperature for an extended time (one month, six months, etc.), or they do what's referred to as 'accelerated' testing, where they put them in a microwave which is supposed to accelerate the degradation of the protein. That's usually how they decide to assign an expiration date.
> 
> Dr Hadi Yaziji also suggests that if you aliquot the antibody before its expiration date and store it in the -20oC freezer, the clock is in effect "frozen" too. For example, if there are 6 months left before the antibody expires and you freeze the aliquots for 5 years, then if you thaw one of the frozen aliquots, the thawed aliquot will still be good for 6 months. He also recommends that you make sure you don't thaw and re-freeze the aliquot. Unfortunately, some antibody data sheets state ?do not freeze?. One Histotechnologist reported that their CAP inspector told them it was not acceptable, so had to allow him to watch them throw all the frozen aliquots away.
> 
> Both Dr Terry Marshall (UK) and Dr Richard Cartun suggest that if the antibody continues to stain control sections appropriately, with no loss of sensitivity and no increase in non-specific staining then its use should be continued. If positive control samples are deemed unsatisfactory, even if the antibody is within the manufacturer?s printed expiration date, evaluation of the clinical specimen is aborted and the test deemed invalid. The quality of the primary antibody is therefore not based on an expiration date, but rather on its performance on a case-by-case basis with appropriate positive and negative control samples (Savage & DeYoung 2010).
> 
> Savage & DeYoung (2010) had previously examined the staining patterns of 26 recently acquired primary antibodies and their expired counterparts. Two reviewers examined sequential sections of formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue samples for staining intensity and percentage of positivity. Appropriate positive and negative control studies were performed. Of the 26 antibodies, 20 exhibited no difference in percentage of positivity or staining intensity. Of the remaining 6, 3 showed better performance with the expired cohort and 3 with non-expired antibodies. However, no antibody staining characteristics varied by more than 1 step and in no case was positive staining lost after antibody expiration. Negligible differences exist in immunostaining between outdated and current antibodies. They concluded that exemption for primary antibodies from existing regulations would conserve resources without adversely impacting patient care. 
> 
> Balaton et al (1999) compared 55 antibodies that had expired 6 to 134 months previously and found there was no significant difference observed in the specificity, sensitivity, and pattern of staining between old versus new antibodies.
> Recently Maria Argentieri et al (2013) investigated whether the shelf-life of diagnostic antibodies was longer than the expiry date on the label. They had four independent laboratories test a small number of diagnostic antibodies kept at +4?C for 12?26 years, and found them to work perfectly on routine histology sections. Monoclonal antibodies originally supplied as culture supernatants or as ascites (neat or diluted), of all isotypes, as well as all of the polyclonal antibodies, produced satisfactory staining irrespective of their age. Notable exceptions were ammonium-precipitated, IgM or conjugated antibodies.
> 
> Drachenberg et al (2001) suggest that instead of a mechanical adherence to the manufacturers? recommendations, a rational quality assurance system would be preferable.
> 
> References:
> Argentieri, M. C., Pilla, D., Vanzati, A., Lonardi, S., Facchetti, F., Doglioni, C., ... & Cattoretti, G. (2013). Antibodies are forever: a study using 12?26?year?old expired antibodies. Histopathology, 63(6), 869-876.
> Balaton, A. J., Drachenberg, C. B., Rucker, C., Vaury, P., & Papadimitriou, J. C. (1999). Satisfactory performance of primary antibodies beyond manufacturers' recommended expiration dates. Applied Immunohistochemistry & Molecular Morphology, 7(3), 221.
> Drachenberg, C. B., Papadimitriou, J. C., Balaton, A. J., & Vaury, P. (2001). The total test approach to standardization of immunohistochemistry. Archives of pathology & laboratory medicine, 125(4), 471-471.
> Savage, E. C., & DeYoung, B. R. (2010). Antibody Expiration in the Context of Resource Limitation What Is the Evidence Basis?. American journal of clinical pathology, 134(1), 60-64.
> 
> 
> Regards 
> Tony Henwood JP, MSc, BAppSc, GradDipSysAnalys, CT(ASC), FFSc(RCPA) 
> Principal Scientist, the Children?s Hospital at Westmead
> Adjunct Fellow, School of Medicine, University of Western Sydney 
> Tel: 612 9845 3306 
> Fax: 612 9845 3318 
> Pathology Department
> the children's hospital at westmead
> Cnr Hawkesbury Road and Hainsworth Street, Westmead
> Locked Bag 4001, Westmead NSW 2145, AUSTRALIA 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ------------------------------
> 
> Message: 2
> Date: Wed, 7 Dec 2016 08:51:44 -0500
> From: "Pam Barker" <relia1 at earthlink.net>
> To: "Histonet" <histonet at lists.utsouthwestern.edu>
> Subject: [Histonet] A favor for a friend... PRN Mohs tech needed in
>    St.    Petersburg, FL
> Message-ID: <005801d25091$0c623b50$2526b1f0$@earthlink.net>
> Content-Type: text/plain;    charset="us-ascii"
> 
> Hi Histonetters!
> Happy Hump Day!!  I wanted to drop a quick post for a friend of mine.  They
> are in need of a PRN Mohs tech in St. Petersburg, FL.
> If you would like more information shoot me an email and I will put you in
> touch with them.  
> Have a great day!!
> 
> Thanks-Pam
> 
> Right Place, Right Time, Right Move with RELIA!
> 
> Happy Holidays!
> 
> Thank You!
> Pam M. Barker
> 
> Pam Barker
> President/Senior Recruiting Specialist-Histology
> RELIA Solutions
> Specialists in Allied Healthcare Recruiting
> 5703 Red Bug Lake Road #330
> Winter Springs, FL 32708-4969
> Phone: (407)657-2027
> Cell:     (407)353-5070
> FAX:     (407)678-2788
> E-mail: relia1 at earthlink.net 
> https://www.facebook.com/RELIASolutionsforhistologyprofessionals
> www.facebook.com <http://www.facebook.com/PamBarkerRELIA> /PamBarkerRELIA
> www.linkedin.com/in/reliasolutions
> www.twitter.com/pamatrelia 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ------------------------------
> 
> Message: 3
> Date: Wed, 7 Dec 2016 11:20:54 -0500
> From: "Pam Barker" <relia1 at earthlink.net>
> To: "Histonet" <histonet at lists.utsouthwestern.edu>
> Subject: [Histonet] RELIA Histology Careers Bulletin 12-7-2016 Grab a
>    cup of    Cocoa and have a look at some exciting opportunities.
> Message-ID: <009801d250a5$e2752680$a75f7380$@earthlink.net>
> Content-Type: text/plain;    charset="us-ascii"
> 
> Hi Histonetters!
> Happy Holidays!!
> While a job change is the last thing on most people's minds this time of
> year; 
> May I take a minute of your time to ask;
> Is a job change the next logical step in your career?
> 
> This is a special bulletin for you.  
> Some of my best clients are expanding and as a result some fantastic
> opportunities are open right now.
> I wanted to touch base and give you a heads up.  
> Your next opportunity might be just around the corner
> and
> I might have it for you.
> If you are looking for a position right now please contact me right away!!  
> In addition to these opportunities I have new positions coming in DAILY!!
> If you aren't looking right away but want to let me know what would make a
> perfect job for you;
> so that I could keep an eye out that would be great too.  
> To do that, just shoot me an email at relia1 at earthlink.net or 
> call me toll free at 866-607-3542 or call/text 407-353-5070.  
> 
> Here Is A List Of My Current  Opportunities:
> Histology Supervisor- Santa Ana, CA
> Histology Supervisor - Seattle, WA
> Lead Histology Tech - Cheyenne, WY
> Dermpath Histotech - St. Louis, MO
> Grossing Histotech - Austin, TX
> IHC Specialist - Modesto, CA
> Histotechnician - Modesto, CA
> Histotech - Manitowoc, WI 
> 
> My clients offer competitive salaries, great benefits and in most cases
> relocation assistance and or sign on bonuses.
> **While all of these clients would LOVE to hire right away; they are also
> willing to start the process with a phone interview now and continue the
> process after the holidays if that would be better for you!
> 
> Remember, I offer a 250.00 dollar referral fee if I place someone you refer
> to me.
> 
> I really appreciate you taking time out of your busy day to read my e-mail 
> Thanks Again!
> 
> 
> Thanks-Pam
> 
> Right Place, Right Time, Right Move with RELIA!
> 
> Thank You!
> Pam M. Barker
> 
> Pam Barker
> President/Senior Recruiting Specialist-Histology
> RELIA Solutions
> Specialists in Allied Healthcare Recruiting
> 5703 Red Bug Lake Road #330
> Winter Springs, FL 32708-4969
> Phone: (407)657-2027
> Cell:     (407)353-5070
> FAX:     (407)678-2788
> E-mail: relia1 at earthlink.net 
> www.facebook.com <http://www.facebook.com/PamBarkerRELIA> /PamBarkerRELIA
> www.linkedin.com/in/reliasolutions
> www.twitter.com/pamatrelia 
> 
> 
> 
> ------------------------------
> 
> Message: 4
> Date: Wed, 7 Dec 2016 11:25:06 -0500
> From: "Taylor Rinaldi" <taylor at prometheushealthcare.com>
> To: <histonet at lists.utsouthwestern.edu>
> Subject: [Histonet] **Histology Job Opportunities**
> Message-ID: <001301d250a6$78edcf90$6ac96eb0$@prometheushealthcare.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain;    charset="us-ascii"
> 
> Hi there!
> 
> 
> 
> My name is Taylor Rinaldi, Recruiting Manager at Prometheus healthcare. My
> team and I specialize specifically in laboratory recruiting nationwide,
> working directly with lab managers from different hospitals and reference
> laboratories across the US . We are currently recruiting for multiple
> Histotechnologist and Histotechnician opportunities. All the opportunities
> are fulltime, and permanent. ASCP certification is preferred but not
> required for all. 
> 
> 
> 
> If you or any of your colleagues have been considering a new position in the
> Histology field, please don't hesitate to reach out to me directly for
> immediate referral and submittal to some of the top hospitals and labs
> nationwide.
> 
> 
> 
> Current states:
> 
> Nashville, Tennessee 
> 
> Sacramento, California
> 
> New York, New York  
> 
> Atlanta, Georgia
> 
> Dallas, Texas
> 
> 
> 
> Thank you all in advance,
> 
> 
> 
> Taylor Rinaldi
> 
> Recruiting Manager
> 
> Prometheus Healthcare 
> 
> Office 866-857-1434
> 
> <mailto:Taylor at prometheushealthcare.com> Taylor at prometheushealthcare.com
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ------------------------------
> 
> Subject: Digest Footer
> 
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> ------------------------------
> 
> End of Histonet Digest, Vol 157, Issue 5
> ****************************************



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