Jeff:

	It's late at night so please excuse the abbreviated reply.  Normal saline
is DEATH to living cells:  they are destroyed within seconds of exposure.  A
balanced electrolyte solution or tissue culture irrigation solution is
satisfactory.  The addition of serum, as Penelope suggested, is terrific if
you can make it happen.  Serum is a protective medium that tissue culture
cells require if they are to replicate.  In any case, stay away from normal
saline (it's only table salt in water).  Some authors recommend it NOT be
used even in vivo.

Gary Gill

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Penelope Marr [mailto:MarrP@sesahs.nsw.GOV.AU]
> Sent: March 18, 1999 5:47 PM
> To: 'Jeff Silverman'; histonet@pathology.swmed.edu
> Subject: RE: Collection medium for FNA's
>
>
> Jeff,
> Our Cytology laboratory uses 1% foetal calf serum in PBS for rinsing the
> syringe and transporting back to the laboratory for cytospins, cell
> block or whatever is appropriate.
>
> Penny Marr
>
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From:	Jeff Silverman [SMTP:peptolab@hamptons.com]
> > Sent:	Friday, 19 March 1999 7:20
> > To:	histonet@pathology.swmed.edu
> > Subject:	Collection medium for FNA's
> >
> > Netters,
> > My pathologist has been traveling to outlying clinics to perform/asses
> > at
> > the bedside thyroid FNA's. He ususally returns with twenty to thirty
> > slides
> > per case, mostly blood with a few cells.What a pain! Can anyone
> > suggest a
> > good medium with which he can rinse the syringe after preparing one or
> > two
> > slides for Diff Quick assessment that I can then process by cytospin
> > after
> > lysing the blood. Is normal saline acceptable, perhaps rinsing the
> > needle
> > with normal saline to lyse and then add formalin? alcohol? after
> > lysing the
> > RBC's.
> > Jeff Silverman
> > Southampton Hospital NY USA
> > peptolab@hamptons.com
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