Staining
What stains the nucleus during the Pap stain process?
Hemotoxylin
What is the fixative of choice for the Pap stain?
95% EtOH
Besides ThinPrep/SurePath, an ideal processing method for a CSF specimen would be what?
Cytospin (cytocentrifugation)
What reagent is added to the specimen (equal parts) prior to initial centrifugation for blood lysing purposes?
saponin
What type of slides should be avoided if there is a suspicion of lymphoma/leukemia?
Frosted
What does OG stain?
Keratin
What is the fixative of choice for the rapid stain?
Air Drying
Which processing technique for a sputum reduces the amount of oral contaminant?
Pick and smear
Specimens with what suspected malignancy should avoid blood lysing during processing?
Lymphoma / Leukemia
Prior to staining, what step must spray-fixed slides go through first to prepare them for the Pap stain?
Soaking in 95% EtOH (to remove the Carbowax)
What is the portion of the dye that produces the color?
Chromophore
Air drying prior to using the Pap stain has what effect on cells?
- Swelling
- Loss of nuclear detail
- Inability to take up counterstains
What fixative (or pre-fixative) is used by patients to collect sputum samples in for at-home collection?
Saccomanno's fixative
What blood-lysing reagent is used for an immersion step after the slide is prepared but before final fixation?
Carnoy's
What are some collection bottles lined with that prevents clotting after specimen collection?
heparin
What organization standardized dye names using color index numbers?
Biological Stain Commission
Is 95% EtOH an "additive" or "non-additive" type of fixative?
Non-additive
What is the active ingredient in spray fixatives that protect cells during transport?
Carbowax (polyethylene glycol)
What reagent is used during ThinPrep processing that acts as a "wash" of the specimen after initial centrifugation?
CytoLyt
What specimen type is one of the only specimens that will routinely be rejected when received in the cytology lab?
24-hour urine
What can be added to EA to change the shade of the blue/green color produced by light green in the EA?
Phosphotungstic acid
Is formalin a "coagulant" or "non-coagulant" type of fixative?
What gross description of a specimen suggests centrifugation is not required and direct sampling is permitted
Specimen 1ml or less in volume
What ingredient of Gill's Hematoxylin has blood-lysing properties and can be used on its own for that purpose?
Glacial acetic acid
During processing using the CytoSpin method, equal parts Carbowax can be added to the "wet-fixed" chamber to slow air-dying. What can be added to the "air-dried" chamber to help balance out the chambers?
Albumin