What’s New
A New Use for Schiff’s Reagent
Richard W. Dapson writes, on 15th October 2021: Detection of formaldehyde in milk. Get your cell phones ready: there is a new use for Schiff's reagent! But first, let's review what Schiff's reagent is and does. The classic Schiff reagent is a decolorized version of...
“Image fraud” — a problem for the scientific literature
Richard W. Horobin, Associate Editor, Biotechnic & Histochemistry, writes: Scientific frauds involving high-prestige institutions, public enquiries and dismissals can become media events. Retractions of published papers by senior authors or publishers, not so much...
The stain extracted from roselle is not daphniphylline
Rosemary B. Bassey writes on 28th August 2021: Major pigment in Hibiscus sabdariffa: Hibiscin, now known as Daphniphylline? Setting the record straight! “The major pigment, formerly reported as hibiscin, has been identified as daphniphylline” [1]. This statement,...
What are tissue marking inks?
For an excised tumor it is often important to relate the surfaces of the specimen to their original anatomical locations, to locate any remaining neoplastic tissue that still needs to be removed. Tissue inks are used for painting surfaces in different colors. An ideal...
A New Carminic acid – Will Wonders Never Cease?
Richard W. Dapson writes, on 17th May 2021: Carminic acid and its aluminum lake, carmine, are important histological dyes, but commercial trade in these products has undergone massive shifts in the last few decades due to market forces way beyond histology. Originally...
Are fluorescent probes biological stains?
Are fluorescent probes biological stains? On 29th April 2021 Richard W. Horobin wrote: There are various communities of clinical lab workers who use “traditional” microscopic staining methods, such as hematoxylin and eosin, and the Gram or Papanicolaou stains....
Annual meeting and symposium June 2021 cancelled
The symposia and annual meetings of the Biological Stain Commission (BSC), planned for June 2020 and 2021, have been cancelled because of the coronavirus pandemic. Provisionally, the symposium is deferred until June 2022. A minimal BSC business meeting was held by...
Have you paid your membership?
Have you paid your membership? Membership is ordinarily renewable one year after the last payment of dues. Each member should receive an automatically generated email reminder, three weeks before the renewal date. It is necessary to renew your membership in the...
Current issues of interest to vendors and users of dyes and biological stains.
Certified dyes [Updated October 2021] The following additions and changes have been made since 2002, the year of publication of the 10th edition of Conn's Biological Stains and of a detailed account of tests then used in the Commission's assay laboratory (Penney et...