Journal of Histotechnology as an educational tool

The Journal of Histotechnology is a readily available educational tool for histology professionals in clinical and research disciplines. One specific publication for National Society for Histotechnology (NSH) members is the Test Your Knowledge (TYK) article that is found in each journal issue. A NSH member can earn continuing education credits (CE) by taking the TYK quiz found on the NSH website at https://www.tandfonline. com/toc/yhis20/current. Unfortunately, this educational resource is not available to non-members, but they can still learn from it or use it as a means to teach students histology. Please read the current TYK in this and other JOH issues. In addition to TYK, JOH publications are another way to help teach students in histotechnology and further the knowledge of those already experienced in using histotechniques. The article by Lattouf, Assoumau-Abroh, and Younes et al. on inherited connective tissue diseases has excellent connective staining methods using picrosirius red and an elastic fiber stain called catechine-fuchsin along with a routine H&E. The elastic stain may not be one commonly known but is effective in demonstrating these fibers. Together, the three stains in this paper provided excellent comparisons of morphology and connective tissues for the inherited diseases of the skin. The cover image is from this publication. Glyoxal, a formalin substitute, was compared to neutral buffered formalin (NBF) and several glyoxal solutions for immunohistochemistry (IHC) assays by Criswell and colleagues. Since glyoxal is frequently considered as a replacement for NBF, histotechnicians will learn more about the results for IHC on glyoxal-fixed tissues. Laboratories are always seeking safe alternatives for reagents used to ‘buffer’ tissues from liquid nitrogen (LN2) temperature when snap freezing tissues. The Nunez group compared three commercial coolants at different cold temperatures and LN2 for the purpose of preserving RNA and tissue morphology in nine different tissues. Their images of frozen sections stained with H&E compare morphology results of each freezing reagent. You will learn which coolants provided the best morphology, are non-flammable and non-toxic along with helpful technical hints for cryomicrotomy. If your laboratory is considering something different than using LN2-cooled isopentane, then this paper provides alternatives for this method. The paper on an immunohistochemical assay and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) for a gene rearrangement study to distinguish myxoid liposarcoma from its mimics by the Abdelaziz group provides readers with results for this disease. However, it is important to see the detailed information in methods and materials on how IHC and molecular assays were reported in order to authenticate reagents, antibodies, and even equipment used in order for others to reproduce these results. This is a nice lesson on how to maintain records especially for IHC and molecular assays particularly if you wish to publish your work. This is also true of the other papers found in this issue. Use journal articles to teach students related to but not limited to the field of histotechnology, not only from current issues but also from articles in the JOH Archives using a keyword search at https://www.tand fonline.com/loi/yhis20. Learning never stops for those involved with histology in our related and varied laboratory settings. The added bonus for NSH members is access to free CE credits needed to maintain their registry. Do not stop with this current issue. Spend some time on previous issues as there is a wealth of information on histology and is a good exercise for new students, in fact, for everyone in this profession. The JOH mission has always been a means to provide education through its various publications – both current and in the archives.