wow, shark huh, maybe the mercury posioning  we are always hearing about is
showing up in this poor sharks cells.
patsy ruegg

"Haines, Ashley N." wrote:

> Thanks for the many reply and ideas.  The tissue is formalin fixed, paraffin
> embedded shark placenta.  I didn't mention the type of tissue b/c it often
> scares people away. :-) But your insights from mammalian tissue still help.
>
> I am satisfied that this is not the result of poorly filtered stain or
> trapped air.  As I look at these cells under the scope, the precipitate
> appears to be inside the cells.  So the most plausible suggestion I've heard
> is that this is the result of a metal, possibly iron.  I like this idea
> since I have found  similar colored precipitate in some vascular elements,
> but not all.  That's the part I can't figure out!  Could it be the oxidation
> state of the hemoglobin or something?  So some RBCs and other iron
> containing cells react with the stain, but some don't??  Thanks for your
> input!
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Vinnie Della Speranza [mailto:dellav@musc.edu]
> Sent: Friday, February 15, 2002 10:32 AM
> To: ANH001@dental.umaryland.edu; histonet@pathology.swmed.edu;
> Terry.Marshall@rgh-tr.trent.nhs.uk
> Subject: RE: Hematoxylin "artifact"?
>
> I agree that the tissue type would be helpful to us. if this is gingival
> tissue, I would guess that this may be phagocytized silver pigment
> arising  from the silver in dental fillings which is referred to as an
> amalgam tatoo in soft tissues.
>
> >>> 02/15/02 06:19AM >>>
>
> What is the tissue?
>
> What do you mean when you say it is "specific" (a concept with which
> Barry Rittman agrees, but I don't understand)?
>
> It looks like material in macrophages to me.
> It does *not* look like air (cornflake artifact) because it appears to
> be in cells rather then overlaying them, the particles are too big, they
> particles do not appear refractile, and they appear to be confined to
> macrophages. (Some of these observations, I concede, would need
> focussing etc. at the microscope to confirm).
>
> Wonderful to have pictures rather than descriptions - and very good
> picture it is too!
>
> Terry L Marshall B.A.(Law), M.B.Ch.B., F.R.C.Path
> Consultant Histopathologist
> Rotherham General Hospital, Yorkshire
> terry.marshall@rgh-tr.trent.nhs.uk
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: p=NHS NATIONAL
> INT;a=NHS;c=GB;dda:RFC-822=ANH001(a)dental.umaryland.edu;
> Sent: 14 February 2002 20:43
> To: p=NHS NATIONAL
> INT;a=NHS;c=GB;dda:RFC-822=histonet(a)pathology.swmed.edu;
> Subject: Hematoxylin "artifact"?
>
> I am wondering if anyone can suggest what might be causing the
> brownish-black precipitate that I am seeing in my H&E stained sections.
> It
> is specific! Not randomly distributed.
> I have posted a micrograph at:
> http://people.clemson.edu/~ashleyn/images/artifact%2060x%20small.jpg
> There you can see that it appears specific to a particular cell type.
> I
> also find some of the precipitate in certain vascular elements, but not
> all.
>
> Thanks!
>
> Ashley N. Haines
> Dept. of OCBS
> Univ. of Md. Dental School
> 666 W. Baltimore St.
> Baltimore, MD 21201
> 410-706-7675
>
> Vinnie Della Speranza
> Manager for Anatomic Pathology Services
> Medical University of South Carolina
> 165 Ashley Avenue  Suite 309
> Charleston, SC 29425
> Ph: 843-792-6353
> fax: 843-792-8974