[Histonet] PAS Stain

[Bob Richmond]

Spokane Ray points out something I've wondered about for years - can just
anybody spit on the slide and remove the glycogen? I've never heard of any
variation, but the number of people I've asked is very limited. This
reference:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/gene/276
certainly suggests that different people have different salivary alpha
amylase activity.

Bob Richmond

On Thu, May 5, 2016 at 2:27 PM, <koellingr at comcast.net> wrote:

> I love having the Samuri Pathologist on this forum for wisdom and
> real-laboratory life knowledge.  And yes, I have in the past spit on slide
> ON OCCASSION when faced with a dire necessity.  Although I know there are
> those who would wretch about this; it remains a fact of viable laboratory
> life for some.
>
> My problem now is that in this era of (MUCH TOO MUCH) regulation, how do
> you "test lots" or control from "lot-to-lot variation" in this SOP?  When
> Jane or Joe do this routinely and then goes on vacation, what about Sally
> or Jim spit?  There is a variation in copy number of the AMY1 gene
> (amylase) and resulting difference in amylase protein concentration amongst
> individuals.
>
> Why not just standardize it from the start, reagent, pH, temperature and
> it really cannot fail.
>
> Spokane Ray
>
> ------------------------------
> *From: *"Bob Richmond via Histonet" <histonet at lists.utsouthwestern.edu>
> *To: *"Histonet at lists.utsouthwestern.edu" <
> histonet at lists.utsouthwestern.edu>
> *Sent: *Thursday, May 5, 2016 11:10:40 AM
> *Subject: *Re: [Histonet] PAS Stain
>
>
> Amylase (diastase) for the PAS stain queries:
>
> Whatever happened to spitting on the slide (30 min at room temperature)?
> John Kiernan advises "thinking of lemons and drooling into a small beaker"
> though I'd advise chewing on a rubber band for a few seconds.
>
> He notes that alpha amylase is preferred. I'd go with the cheapest one in
> the Sigma-Aldrich catalog. Room temperature is usual, but I note that Sigma
> offers a heat-stable alpha amylase.
>
> Bob Richmond
> Samurai Pathologist
> Maryville TN
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