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> -----Original Message-----
> From:	HistoNet Server [SMTP:histonet@pathology.swmed.edu]
> Sent:	Saturday, September 02, 2000 10:04 PM
> To:	HistoNet Server
> Subject:	Daily Digest
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Date: 2 Sep 2000 09:15:08 -0500
> From: <jayopai@mindspring.com>
> Subject: tularemia on Martha's Vineyard
>
> HistoNeters
>
> You may remember my "preaching" and concerns about trying to obtain
> "fresh"
> tissues from carcasses regardless of origin ("roadkill"). Yesterday, the
> enclosed news report appeared as prove of further warnings.
> ______________________________
> Manuel J. Jayo DVM, PhD, DACVP
> Senior Pathologist
> Pathology Associates International
> 119 Highway 801 South
> Suite A-300
> Advance, NC 27006
> 336.998-5077
> 336.998-3021 (fax)
> jayopai@mindspring.com
>
> Friday September 1 3:54 PM ET
> Rare Disease Hits Martha's Vineyard
> WEST TISBURY, Mass. (AP) - Health officials are investigating a cluster of
> cases of the rare disease tularemia on Martha's Vineyard, the island off
> Massachusetts known as a vacation haven for President Clinton and other
> celebrities.
> At least 10 residents have been infected with the disease and one of them
> recently died. Normally, the state only sees one or two cases a year.
> There are only about 100 cases per year nationwide, usually less than 2
> percent of which are fatal, said Dr. May Chu of the federal Centers for
> Disease Control and Prevention, which is investigating the Massachusetts
> cases. The disease can be effectively treated with antibiotics.
> Tularemia is a bacterial disease usually contracted by a dog tick bite or
> by
> touching or eating an infected animal. Rabbits and rodents are the animals
> most likely to be infected.
> The disease, known as ``rabbit fever,'' also can be transmitted by contact
> with water or soil that has been contaminated by an infected animal or by
> inhalation of contaminated particles. State health officials have warned
> people who work in outdoor occupations that they may be at increased risk.
> David Kurth, 43, of the town of Chilmark, died of the disease on Saturday.
> The disease typically has a sudden onset, usually with a high fever,
> chills,
> headache and fatigue. Other symptoms can include swollen glands, a skin
> sore, cough, sore joints, chest discomfort, vomiting, eye inflammation,
> abdominal pain, diarrhea and a dry cough.
>
>
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Date: 2 Sep 2000 09:41:11 -0500
> From: DDittus787@aol.com
> Subject: Re: High complexity testing
>
> Dear jennifer
> As i understand it, yes IHC is high complexity testing.
>                                                        dana
>
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Date: 2 Sep 2000 10:07:12 -0500
> From: "David Anderson" <histomanual@hotmail.com>
> Subject: B&B Stain
>
> We use a Gram-Twort stain based on the method found in Bancroft's Theory
> and
> Practice of Histological Techniques.
>
> a. 0.5% crystal violet in 25% alcohol.
> b. Gram's iodine
> c. Twort's stain
>    0.2% neutral red in ethanol  -- 9 ml
>    0.2% fast green in ethanol ---- 1 ml
>    Distilled water --- 30 ml
>    Mix before use.
>
> 1. Hydrate slides to water.
> 2. Crystal violet 5 minutes. Rinse in water
> 3. Gram's iodine 5 minutes. Rinse in water
> 4. Decolorize with acetone until no more blue color runs off (reaction  is
>
> immediate). Rinse in water.
> 5. Twort's stain 5 minutes. Rinse in water.
> 6. Dehydrate, clear and mount.
>
> The original procedure dries the sections after step 3, then uses 56
> degree
> C. acetic-alcohol (2% acetic acid in absolute alcohol) as the decolorizer
> in
> step 4 for 15-20 minutes. We've found acetone works quite well and is much
>
> faster.
>
> Acetic-alcohol can be used after the Twort's stain (between steps 5 and 6)
>
> to remove excess red color from the tissue, which can mask gram negative
> organisms. The fast green gives a nice contrasting color in the
> background.
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>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Date: 2 Sep 2000 10:33:27 -0500
> From: Denise M Long-Woodward <denisew2@juno.com>
> Subject: Re: Milwaukee Info
>
> Thanks for the information. It's always been my desire to see more
> information of local events for those of us who have already spent hours
> roaming the exhibition hall and read all the posters and end up bored
> silly by the fifth day.
>
> ________________________________________________________________
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>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Date: 2 Sep 2000 10:59:27 -0500
> From: Jakrobsmith@aol.com
> Subject: Trichrome stains.
>
> Dear histonetters,
> Having recently been appointed as MSB/Massons Trichrome specialist for our
>
> External Quality Assurance scheme I would be grateful if anyone could give
> me
> information on any non-standard techniques that work well or any tips on
> performing the perfect trichrome stain (MSB in particular). Many thanks.
> Jackie. West Midlands. England
>
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Date: 2 Sep 2000 12:15:49 -0500
> From: Snobird75@aol.com
> Subject: Re: tularemia on Martha's Vineyard
>
> Thank you for the information you sent.
> Any way I am glad to see you posted this about roadkill , because the
> student
> that was ahead of me in the Histology program couldn't get a tissue and
> went
> and got a road kill animal. You know if someone needed tissue for boards
> and
> planned for the tissue as soon as they get there list, it wouldn't be a
> problem. I myself planned right away at local hospitals in two states ( Pa
>
> and Md ) that was very happy to assist me, including Johns Hopkins
> Hospital
> in Md. The person needs to call , write and  visit the hospitals
> personally
> and give them assistance in obtaining their tissue. I had a wonderful
> experience visiting 5 different hospitals, to which also lead to job
> offers.
> A student can't expect a hospital to deliver on a silver platter.
> Hospital's
> are so busy, but are always willing to help a student.The student has to
> go
> farther than just mailing or faxing a list to a hospital and expect them
> to
> jump and get the tissue for them. The student needed to offer to go to the
>
> place and label the containers , any thing to make this task easier for
> the
> lab.
> I in no way mean for this to offend any one, I just wanted to give some
> advice to other's obtain there tissues. One other thing remember to write
> a
> thank you note to the hospital's that help you, a thank you goes a long
> way.
> I am just glad Manuel shared the dangers in doing this.
> Thank you
> Sandi Miller HT
> USAMRICD Research
> Md
>
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Date: 2 Sep 2000 19:00:20 -0500
> From: Lee & Peggy Wenk <lpwenk@mail.netquest.com>
> Subject: Re: Certification
>
> This is Peggy Wenk. I teach both HT and HTL students.
>
> The differences between the HT and the HTL exam are:
>
> 1. HTL have more troubleshooting and problem solving
> questions - what went wrong, what would you do differently
> next time, how could you save this slide when you goofed?
>
> 2. HTL have questions on management and education
> methodology, while HT does not.
>
> 3. HTL have questions on immuno staining, while HT
> does not.
>
> 4. HTL have questions on glycol methacrylate and
> EM sectioning and staining, while HT does not.
>
> 5. HTL have more questions on chemistry of the
> stains. HT does have some questions, just not
> as many.
>
> 6. HTL have more questions about diseases. HT
> does too, but not as many (what stain would you
> use to stain for XXXX disease or YYY microorganism).
>
> 7. HTL have more questions on tissue identification.
> HT does too, just not as many.
>
> 8. HTL will have questions on not as commonly used
> procedures.
>
> 9. HTL practical asks for larger pieces of tissue,
> often at thinner sections, both of which is
> harder to do than the small, thicker HT practical.
>
> 10. HTL practical asks for "trickier" stains -
> more judgment involved, more checking with the
> microscope, more areas for error.
>
> I did a survey about 5 years ago. The top scorer
> on the HT exams for the previous 10 cycles (5 years)
> averaged 130-140 points higher than the highest
> scorer on the HTL exam. And remember, at that time,
> the majority of HT candidates were high school
> diploma route with no biology or chemistry requirements,
> while the HTL all had BA/BS degrees, with 20 credits
> in biology and chemistry. I just repeated this again
> for the last 5 years, and the results are nearly
> the same.
>
> This seemed to indicate to me that the HTL exam was
> that much harder than the HT exam, since the top
> HTL people scored on average 130 points lower than
> the top HT candidate who didn't have the biology/
> chemistry background.
>
> No, you do NOT have to take the technician exam
> before you take the technologist exam. So, there
> are a couple of options, as I see it:
>
> A. Study really hard in all areas, and take just
> the HTL exam only. (Realize that only 50% of the
> candidates will pass the HTL exam.)
>
> B. Study hard in all areas, and take the HT exam,
> to get the practice, get experience, and get some
> sort of certification, and then study some more
> and take the HTL exam.
>
> (For the HT exam, 40% of candidates with the
> high school diploma will pass, 60-65% of candidates
> with the associate degree (or higher) will pass,
> while 70-75% of the graduates from NAACLS-accredited
> HT programs will pass.)
>
> C. Study hard in all areas, and take the HT exam,
> and then be satisfied with the HT certification and
> never go for the HTL, since you never want to
> take a certification exam again.
>
>
> I've known people who have done all three. What
> should you do? It depends upon:
>
> - - the number and types of procedures you have been
> exposed to in the past and the future, to prepare
> you for the exam.
>
> - - how much you are willing to study, how many books
> you can get your hands on
>
> - - how much people at work are willing to help you.
>
> - - realizing that the exam is about techniques on
> human tissue, how much help can you get looking at
> human tissue and human stains
>
> Hope this is of help.
>
> Peggy A. Wenk, HTL(ASCP)
> William Beaumont Hospital
> Royal Oak, MI 48073
>
>
> Tracy Bergeron, TBergeron@criver.com wrote:
> >
> > Hi folks,
> >
> >      I am currently looking into getting certified in histology.  From
> what
> > I have read on the NSH and ASCP websites I fall into the HTL category
> (have
> > a B.S. and have been doing histo off and on for the past 6 yrs in vet
> diag.
> > labs and now in industry).   But..  I was wondering from those of you
> who
> > have taken these exams what are the major differences between the two.
> > Would it be better to do the HT and then  go for the HTL?   According to
> > the information I have it is not necessarily a stepwise process, what
> have
> > peoples experiences been??
> >      Also and suggested reading material, or input on the material the
> ASCP
> > recommends  would be greatly appreciated.
> >
> > Thanks,
> >
> > Tracy E. Bergeron
> > Histologist
> > Charles River Laboratories
> > Wilmington, MA
> > 978-658-6000
> > x-1229
>
>
> Here are the messages received yesterday!