Greetings,

As the new 2011 CSH

President I wanted to take a

moment to say hello and

welcome to our new

members. I have been an

active member of CSH since

the 80’s and have held

numerous positions within

the state, as a chapter

president, board member and

now an officer. I have had

the privilege of working

with many of the past presi-

dents and hope that I can

follow in their footsteps to

strengthen the membership

and create teamwork within

our society. I will make sure

that I work together with our

Call for Action:

NSH Tissue Control Bank

A call for action is needed to

restock and revitalize the

NSH Tissue Control Bank.

We have had an increase in

the requests from the mem-

bership for control tissue

blocks for special stains and

IHC. Unfortunately we do

not have an adequate number

of new tissue control blocks

to replenish and stock the

bank. On behalf of the NSH

QC Committee I am asking

for help from all CSH and

NSH members.

We are asking that you

review your stocks/catalogs

of tissue control blocks and

send one ore more control

blocks to the Control Tissue

Bank.

All blocks must be labeled

with the specific Special

Stain/IHC and Tissue Type.

Send the blocks with the

following information (if

known) to assure that each

has been tested and con-

firmed that they are positive:

1. Type of fixative used

and time in fixation

2. Processing Method

(conventional or micro-

wave)

3. Stained positive slide

from same block

This above information is

both necessary and beneficial

for the recipients to know the

history of the block/s used.

We hope that you will share

this request with your

chapters in your society in

order to help us enhance this

service of providing quality

control blocks for our

membership.

Thank you for your time and

consideration for this request.

Please feel free to contact me

if you have any questions or

concerns.

Regards,

Melinda A. Hamilton HT

(ASCP)

NSH Tissue Control Bank

Curator

Special points of interest:

Muscle Biopsy Lecture

Given by Dr. Steven Romansky,

Head of Pediatric Pathology,

Miller’s Children’s Hospital

Long Beach, CA

See page 5

QIHC Revalidation Changes 2

Legislative/Judicial News 2

Teleconference Schedules 3

NSH Symposium News 4

ICH Guideline (CLSI) 5

2012 CSH Symposium Information 6

Inside this issue:

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CA

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Volume 1, Issue 2

Summer/Fall 2011

President’s Message: Kathy Hardy, HT, LATG

Bahia Resort Hotel

San Diego

(Continues on page 4)_

Page 2

Requirement changes for QIHC revalidation by ASCP Board of Certification:

M I CR OT OME

News from Anne Marie Calderone:

Ann Marie Calderone reported the following requirement changes at our CSH meeting this past spring.

Instead of 30 contact hours of CE courses, only 10 contact hours of acceptable CEs and 5 contact hours of other activities related to

the Qualification are acceptable.

See the ASCP website for a listing of acceptable activities.

News Flash: The new Lab Advantage program is designed to be one-stop shopping for laboratories looking for accreditation, education, and

proficiency testing products and services. Lab Advantage is a convergence of the American Society for Clinical Pathology’s

(ASCP) education and assessment products, the American Proficiency Institute’s (API) proficiency testing and management

services, and The Joint Commission’s accreditation of laboratory processes.

…in process and evolving:

New CAP checklist coming in summer 2011

Contains fewer requirements and less redundancy

New clinical Biochemical Genetics Checklist more to come……….

There is currently no licensing/certification requirement for Histotechs in the State of California. However, most employers prefer,

or require, the certification when hiring Histology personnel.

Resource for Histotechnology Program in California (see listing for all US programs on the NSH website):

San Antonio College

Virginia Pascoe MS, Education Coordinator:

Jennifer MacDonald, HT(ASCP) Dept. of Biological Sciences

Mt. San Antonio College

1100 N. Grand Avenue

Walnut, CA 91789-1399

Phone: 909-594-5611 Ext.4884

Histologic Technician Program: The program begins in the Fall

Semester and is four semesters in length. The class capacity is

twenty four students. Check out San Antonio’s website for

more information.

Additional resources:

1. United States Department of Labor: (look under link)

2. Occupational Information Network (O*NET): The system

used by State employment service offices to classify

applicants for more details for Histotechnician and

Histotechnologists.

Legislative/Judicial News: 06/14/11

Vocab Twist Antibody = against everyone

Protein = in favor of young people

Tumor – an additional pair

Bacteria = the back door to a cafeteria

Taken from Histology world

(www.histology-world.com)

V OLU ME 1, ISS UE 2 Page 3

NSH Teleconference Schedule

Wednesday, November 16

Violence in the Workplace: What Can

We do to Prepare?

Presented by David Tate, MS, Purdue

University, W. Lafayette, IN

Wednesday, December 21

Safe Storage of Laboratory Chemicals

Presented by Peggy A. Wenk, HTL

(ASCP)SLS, Beaumont Hospital, Royal

Oak, MI

Check out the NSH website

(www.nsh.org) for complete

descriptions of these

teleconferences

and how to sign up for them.

ASCP Teleconference

Schedule

Friday, November 18

Talking about Tissue: How to

Understand It’s Language.

Presented by Debra M. Wood, MS, HT

(ASCP), Director, Histotechnology Pro-

gram, Indiana University School of Medi-

cine.

Friday, December 9,

Histological Preparation for Lazer

Microdissection and Mass

Spectrometry.

Presented by Lisa D. Gates, MS, HT/

HTL(ASCP), Scientist, GlaxoSmithKline

Pharmaceuticals

Check out the ASCP website

(www.ascp.org) for complete

descriptions of these telecon-

ferences, along with how to

sign up for them.

UT Health Science Center

San Antonio

Teleconference Schedule

Friday, November 18, 12 noon CT

In-Situ Hybridization for Beginners

Bonnie P, Whitaker, MT(HEW), HT

(ASCP)QIHC, Clinical Histology Man-

ager, Dept. of Anatomic Pathology,The

Ohio State University Medical Center

Check out the UT Health

Science Center (http://

tnt.uthscsa.edu/histotech.html)

for complete descriptions of

this teleconference and how to

sign up for it.

If you know of other histology

teleconferences send the info to

“cshnewsletter@gmail.com”. I’ll try

to include new schedules in each

issue.

2011 Teleconference Schedule:

Journal of Histotechnology Call for Manuscripts

The Journal of Histotechnology editors and Editorial Board members are pleased to announce a call for manuscripts highlighting

special considerations in preparing research, veterinary, and clinical samples. Topics include, but are not limited to, modifications

of fixation, staining, sectioning, and processing. Technical notes and methodology-focused contributions are particularly

encouraged. Manuscripts must be submitted prior to December 9, 2011 at http://www.editorialmanager.com/his/

What does the following

mneumonic stand for:

Never Let Momma Eat

Beans!

(See page 5 for the answer)

October is

Breast Cancer Awareness

Month

Judi Ford & friend completed the Susan G. Komen

Walk for the Cure in Seattle this past September.

NSH Online Learning Center:

Career Development

Leadership

Regulations

Specialties

IHC

Molecular

Safety

Technical and Fundamentals

(See the NSH website for further details)

Future NSH Dates:

38th Symposium: Sept 28– Oct 3, 2012

Vancouver, BC, Canada

39th Symposium: Sept 20-26, 2013

Providence, Rhode Island

40th Symposium: Aug 21-27, 2014

Austin, Texas

committees and meeting coordinators to

keep our conventions strong and one you

will want to attend. Through education

we can embrace the new technology that

keeps us current in this ever changing

field.

Another State and NSH symposium/

convention has come to an end. In this

tough economy it has become increas-

ingly difficult to get to a meeting outside

your chapter or state. I want you all to

know that our BOD, officers and com-

mittee members are all working hard to

provide each member quality information

on how to reach your required contact

hours. I am working with the webmaster

to keep all information current. The

current information on the board of

directors, officers and committees can

be found on the website. I believe that

we have great tools to keep informed and

hope that you will check our website for

membership and meeting information.

I look forward to working with each of

you to assist you in your endeavor to

keep the field of Histotechnology strong.

Page 4

NSH News:

CSH President’s Message: (cont’d)

M I CR OT OME

I truly believe that with teamwork we can

all achieve many things within our jobs. I

hope that you will feel free to contact me

with your ideas for workshop speakers and

titles or any other need you may have

regarding histology.

I wish you all the best and look forward to

meeting you soon.

Regards,

Kathy Hardy, HT (ASCP), LATG

CSH 2011 President

2011 NSH/CAP HistoQIP

Program:

The NSH/CAP HistoQIP Program now-

includes immunohistochemistry stains

and an opportunity to earn free continu-

ing education credit!

(Updated May 27, 2011)

News from NSH Symposium: Melinda Sokol-Hamilton During the meeting NSH discussed goals for the following year:

Goal 1-Build upon current educational programs to reach wider audience.

Goal 2–Establish membership development

program to retain and encourage

membership; for example,

establishing a mentorship

program.

Goal 3-Increase public awareness for HPN,

CCCLW, ASCP, CAP,CLSI, Joint

Commission and

Histotechnology Day

Goal 4- NSH office, update executive

director

NSH collaboration with state societies

Regional director job description

Is region incorporated in state? Confu-

sion with membership, possible reason

state membership is down

Incentive for state members to become

NSH members or vis versa

One membership fee for state and NSH -

The idea of NSH reimbursing

state for state fee was kicked

around for thought. A survey

to be sent to all state presidents

and regional reps.

Regional director- liaison and aid in

coordinating activities, when NSH name

and logo can be used- (see bylaws on the

NSH website) Melinda standing by the Ohio River

NSH Cincinnati 2011

V OLU ME 1, ISS UE 2

For more information go to the Sakura

website at: www.sakuramericas.com

Sakura is holding free webinars Thursday

mornings in November.

Space is limited

Earn 1 contact hour for each webinar

Only one person from each lab is needed

to register

November 17, 2011 10:00am pst:

Pathology Automation—Managing the

Revolution and Moving to Innovation.

Presented by William DeSalvo, BS,

HTL(ASCP), Production Manager,

Sonora Quest Laboratories

Page 5

Sakura Webinars:

IHC Guideline: Janet Kliethermes, CLSI Representative

The Clinical and Laboratory Standards

Institute (CLSI) has published an updated

immunohistochemistry guideline,

―Quality Assurance for Design Control

and Implementation of Immunohisto-

chemistry Assays; Approved Guideline;

second edition‖. This document focuses

on validation of immunohistochemical

assays that are performed on formalin-

fixed, paraffin-embedded materials.

Part 1 of the document focuses on

the scientific theory of immunohisto-

chemistry, reagent development,

detection methods, and immu-

nostaining steps. Detailed recom-

mendations for pre-analytical

specimen handling are provided.

Part 2 includes validations per-

formed in the laboratory, quality

assurance, and the cost-benefit of

performing an

immunohistochemistry test.

Part 3 discusses regulatory issues

and future developments in IHC

assays.

The original document was published in

1999. The goal of the second edition is to

incorporate new information and develop-

ments since that time. This document is a

good reference for anyone performing im-

munohistochemistry in the lab or for those

who need to develop and implement a

quality assurance program for IHC.

To purchase this guideline, visit the CLSI

website at www.clsi.org

Answer: Neutrophils, lymphocytes, monocytes, eosinophills

and basophils

On Saturday October 8, 2011 the Los An-

geles/San Bernar-

dino Chapter of

CSH had their first

continuing educa-

tion event for the

new membership

year. Dr. Steven G.

Romansky was their

esteemed guest

lecturer presenting on the subject of

muscle biopsies. Currently, Dr. Romansky

is Head of Pediatric Pathology at Miller

Children’s Hospital in Long Beach, CA.

His past endeavors include becoming the

Director of Surgical Pathology at UC Ir-

vine Medical Center in Orange and starting

a muscle biopsy laboratory in 1977 for

UCI.

Dr. Romansky presented an

Muscle Biopsy Lecture Renee Zaragoza and Amber M. Fimbres

Do you know of a CSH member who has done

something really interesting?

How about jokes and other histo related fun

stuff?

Share it with your fellow

members by including photos

and short articles in the

newsletter. Its easy to do!

Send your articles/photos to:

cshnewsletter@gmail.com.

We’d love to hear from you!

outstanding lecture on the purpose of

muscle biopsies and the importance of the

histotechnician’s job in handling the

muscle biopsy properly. He reminded us

that the muscle biopsy has an integral

role—it is an essential element in the

assessment of patients (ranging in age

from days old babies to older individuals)

with myopathy and sometimes in

indicating the diagnoses of various nerve

diseases, autoimmune, lupus, acid maltase

deficiency disease, and so forth.

Dr. Romansky stressed the importance of

the care which is needed from beginning

to end; always keeping the patient’s best

interest in the back of your mind. Every

step, from the surgeon to the histotech to

the pathologist (and everything in

between), in making the diagnosis is

important. It takes only one mistake to

affect the patient’s outcome. He also praised

the histotechnician’s skill and technique as

muscle biopsies take precision, patience and

attention to detail when dealing with frozen

sectioning, pH-ing, and the numerous

enzyme stains involved. Overall, he said that

without the histotech, the pathologist would

have a difficult time in trying to find a

diagnosis.

Highlights included:

The importance of even freezing of

muscle. If you think there’s a chance

that the tissue may have started to

defrost, it is best to let it completely

defrost and then try again. This will

prevent artifact which can make the slide

difficult to read.

If a surgeon asks for the ―Caffeine-

Halothane Con-Continued on page 7

Page 6 NE WS LE TT ER TI T LE

V OLU ME 1, ISS UE 1

tracture Test (CHCT),‖ inform the

surgeon that only a handful of

medical centers in North America

perform them and (more than likely)

your laboratory does not perform

them. For instance, he said the

nearest center for us in Southern

California is UCLA’s Department of

Anesthesiology (notice it's

anesthesiology and not even

pathology). The CHCT is important

to diagnose malignant

hyperthermia—an adverse affect to

anesthesia which can result in death.

Dr. Romansky stressed it is important

to recognize this test because you do

not want the patient to needlessly go

through a muscle biopsy as this test

requires the use of fresh tissue

immediately.

Amber M. Fimbres, MHA, CT

(ASCP)CMHTLCM

CytotechnologistUC

Irvine Medical Center

Page 7

AFIP Closure ‘Major Loss’ to Pathology Community

Muscle Biopsy Lecture: (continued)

certainly impact progress in global

health,‖ Dr. Tomaszewski said.

An Aug. 18, 2011, Nature article, ―Death

of a Pathology Centre: Shelved,‖ notes

that the Joint Pathology Center (JPC) was

established to carry on the AFIP’s

military duties, including consulting on

pathology cases for the military and other

federal agencies. The article also reports

that the fate of the tissue repository,

which is now under the control of the

JPC, remains unknown. It has been

moved to two renovated buildings at

Forest Glen Annex, one of which used to

serve as the laundry facility for the AFIP

and the Walter Reed Army Medical

Center. Officials have asked the Institute

of Medicine to recommend how best to

use the repository, including who should

have access to it, JPC’s interim director

Colonel Thomas Baker said in the Nature

article. Those recommendations are due

in June 2012.

AFIP’s closure is a result of the 2005

Base Realignment and Closure, a

cost-cutting initiative to close Walter

Reed Army Medical Center and

consolidate three hospitals at a nearby

Bethesda, Md., naval center.

In 2008, Congress mandated that the JPC

be established to handle some of the

Institute’s roles. The JPC began accepting

cases in April of this year and, according

to its website, ―provides world class

diagnostic subspecialty pathology

consultation, education and research

services to federal agencies and operates

the National Pathology Tissue Repository

in support of the mission of the

Department of Defense and other federal

agencies.‖

This article was reprinted from the

American Society for Clinical Pathology

website (www.ascp.org).

ASCP President John E. Tomaszewski,

MD, FASCP, laments next month’s

closing of the world’s oldest and

most-respected pathology institute in the

world, calling it a ―major loss.‖ Slated to

close its doors for good on Sept. 15,

2011, the Washington, D.C.-based Armed

Forces Institute of Pathology (AFIP) has

been a global resource for disease

diagnosis and analysis for nearly 150

years. With some 95 million tissue

samples in its repository, AFIP’s breadth

of resources and renowned scientific

consultants have been a lifeline to

pathologists in the United States and

those working in remote or

under-resourced areas.

―If the free or low-cost referral services,

pathology training courses, and access to

years of historical case studies are no

longer available to nongovernment

scientists, it will be an incalculable loss to

the pathology community and will

More Photos

from NSH

Thanks,

Melinda!

Save the Date:

May 3-6, 2012

(Friday through Sunday)

CSH presents its annual

Symposium and Convention

At the Bahia Resort Hotel in San

Diego

Check out the CSH website for updates..

Please note : Membership dues must be paid by May 1, 2011 in

order to qualify for the member workshop rate.

For more information on the Bahia Resort Hotel

check out their website at www.bahiahotel.com

We’re on the Web!

www.californiahistology.org

Kathy Hardy

Newsletter Editor

2165 S. Bascom Ave.

Campbell, CA 95008

Phone: 408-963-5462

Fax: 408-963-5464

E-mail: kathy@oncomdx.com