The medical director of the lab I work in seems to be concerned with the
finding of square translucent colorless crystals in many of our urine
amples.  They appear to me to be benign, probably calcium oxalate
crystals.  He is concerned that a high (?20-30%) number of our urines have
these crystals in them and thinks they may be a contaminant or precipitate
from our Sed-fix fixative.
I thought ca oxalate crystals were common in a high vegetable diet….Does
anyone know if someone taking a lot of Vitamin C (or what have you) could
cause crystals in urine and what they would look like?
How about the rest of you?  What % of your urines have crystals? Should he
be concerned and should I change fixatives?    Are there any good
references on crystals or any web sites with scanned photos perhaps?

Pegasus…@aol.com

Dear Sci.med.pathology group,

Dear newsgroup, I have a pathologist with a problem regarding the
accuracy or inaccuracy involved in bone pathology techniques determining
dysbaric (avascular) osteonecrosis.He would like a discussion on the
difficulties facing pathologists in this area. Can anyone suggest papers
that discuss this subject in depth ???. I have done a medline search  
with little sucess ……
Thankyou in advance   : email :cwilk…@medeserv.com.au   many thanks  
Cleo Wilkinson (Librarian : Drs Sullivan & Nicolaides

I am a student at the Ohio State University majoring in zoology and I have
some questions for a class that I wanted to ask about.  Any help with any
or all of them would be appreciated ASAP.  Thanks in advance!  Please
respond to my e-mail directly.  Thanks

Kelly Carlson
carlson…@osu.edu

1.  The kidney indiscriminatly tosses an ultrafiltrate of plasma into the
urinary space and then expects the tubules to save the good stuff and just
enough water, and to eliminate the bad stuff.  What about this system makes
it effective even though it appears to be inefficient?

2.  Describe how Fick’s law of diffusion applies to formation of urine in
the vertebrate kidney.

3.  Describe how the Nernst equation applies to the formation of urine in
the vertebrate kidney.

4.  How do marine mammals avoid accumulating excess salt in their body
fluids?

5.  How might a cell that transports ions alter physiological capabilities
both on a short-term basis and on a long term basis?

6.  What is it about sodium ions and potassium ions that makes them ions of
primary importance in physiology?  For what reasons do you suppose these
ions took on such an importnat role to animal life through evolution?

7.  Describe a negative feedback system important to the formation of
urine.

8.  Why would you say water is the most important commodity on earth, or
why isn’t it?

Kelly:

When I was an undergraduate and a teacher asked tough questions for a
class, I went to the library.  Sure, I wasted a lot of time, but I learned
how to use a library, found which references were most worthwhile, and
sharpened my skills for learning, the basis of which I still use today.
To post questions like the ones you have asked this newsgroup is defeating
the purpose of an education, which I why, I presume, that you are studying
at a University.

Anthony A. Gal, M.D.
Associate Professor of Pathology

Please take a moment of your day to take a look at "Can You Help?"
located at:

http://www.geocities.com/Yosemite/4858/BriIndex.htm

This page contains information about Briana, a 6 month old infant with
a yet undiagnosed muscular/nueral condition.

                                        Thank You,

                                        Bernadette Hefferon

In article <32687476.46484…@mack.rt66.com>, t…@rt66.com says…

>We have some arguements on a proper use of a word "forceps".
>Please advise me which expression is correct:

>        a) A forceps vs. a pair of forceps.

>        b) This forceps vs. these forceps.

>Thanks.

>Jimmy

Stedman’s Medical Dictionary 25th Edition Illustrated:  "forceps (for seps)
[L. a pair of tongs].  1. An instrument for seizing a structure, and making
compression or traction.  Cf. clamp. 2[NA]. Bands of white fibers in the
brain, f. major and f. minor.

Adson f., a small thumb f. with two teeth on one tip and one tooth on the
other.
alligator f., a long f. with a small hinged jaw on the end.
Allis f., a straight grasping f. with . . . "

this usage seems to indicate "a forceps" or "this/that forceps" rather than
"pair of forceps" or "these/those forceps"
– also, try asking a surgeon, they have to ask other people (scrub nurses) to
hand them such and such forceps more often than pathologists (who tend to
rummage through jars or boxes or drawers full of tools themselves to find what
they need – having no need most of the time for sterile instruments)
– better yet, call your local librarian reference desk, they are usually more
than willing to help with this type of question

I am interested in finding other Newsgroups, associations, etc., relative
to medical Examiner’s offices, especially those who are involved as
investigators.  Please e-mail me at rmbenn…@rosenet.net  thanks

So, how many of you folks out there in path land are buying into the story
about the Pope having merely an "inflamed appendix"?

Ed

_____________________________________________________
Ed Uthman, MD
<uth…@neosoft.com>               "Nemo liber est qui
<http://www.neosoft.com/~uthman/>   corpore servit."
Pathologist                                    -Seneca
Houston/Richmond, Texas, USA                

We are a community hospital in a large metropolitan area.  Financial  
pressures are causing us to consider sending all our micribiology to an  
affiliated hospital about 45 minutes from here.

I would appreciate any information from hospitals who have tried this,  
successfully, or unsuccessfully.  Specifically, how did you deal with turn  
around time, physician satisfaction, stat gram stains, computer issues,  
etc.

E-mail or newspost both appreciated.

L J RAff, MD