[NHCOLL-L:5051] Re: Labeling frozen, ethanol and nitrogen tissue tubes
Kirsten Nicholson
norops at gmail.com
Mon Nov 1 12:01:31 EDT 2010
Are some of these chemcals present in Rite in the Rain paper and museum
quality labels?
Thanks,
Kirsten
On Mon, Nov 1, 2010 at 10:04 AM, Bentley, Andrew Charles <abentley at ku.edu>wrote:
> Greg
>
>
>
> Labels in tubes have less to do with contamination in that sense and more
> to do with contamination or destruction of DNA through leaching of compounds
> out of the paper that is used. A large number of papers have formaldehyde
> in them as well as other compounds that can inadvertently harm or destroy
> DNA in your samples. I have always been of the opinion that NOTHING makes
> it into the tube but the tissue itself. Sterile techniques are less of a
> problem when you are dealing with relatively large amounts of tissue. It is
> only when you start getting into the micro quantities used in ancient DNA
> labs that sterility and contamination become very important.
>
>
>
> Also see my previous message about tube labeling techniques. I never trust
> marking pens – no matter how good they are… if anything I use pencil in the
> field if I don’t have the Brady with me.
>
>
>
> Andy
>
>
>
> A : A : A :
> }<(((_°>.,.,.,.}<(((_°>.,.,.,.}<)))_°>
> V V V
> Andy Bentley
> Ichthyology Collection Manager
> University of Kansas
> Natural History Museum & Biodiversity Research Center
> Dyche Hall
> 1345 Jayhawk Boulevard
> Lawrence, KS, 66045-7561
> USA
>
> Tel: (785) 864-3863
> Fax: (785) 864-5335
> Email: ABentley at ku.edu :
> : :
> A : A : A :
> }<(((_°>.,.,.,.}<(((_°>.,.,.,.}<)))_°>
> V V V
>
>
>
> *From:* owner-nhcoll-l at lists.yale.edu [mailto:
> owner-nhcoll-l at lists.yale.edu] *On Behalf Of *Watkins-Colwell, Gregory
> *Sent:* Monday, October 25, 2010 10:05 AM
> *To:* atrox10 at gmail.com; Kirsten Nicholson
>
> *Cc:* NHCOLL-L at lists.yale.edu
> *Subject:* [NHCOLL-L:5030] Re: Labeling frozen, ethanol and nitrogen
> tissue tubes
>
>
>
> Thanks for the summary Carol!
>
>
>
> Here at YPM some tissue tubes have tags inside the tubes, some do not. I
> do think it is cleaner than hand-scribbling on the outside and hoping
> somebody else can read it. However, Carol’s point is excellent. It does
> make it somewhat harder to read the number for the tissue. But, if there is
> a good object location record that speeds the process significantly. If I
> know that tissue R123456 is in box 8 and cell 42, I shouldn’t have to read
> too many tags through tube walls to verify that (one maybe). As for sterile
> technique… oy… Having seen how many of these tissues are collected in the
> wild I’m not sure that sterile technique when removing a tag from a tissue
> tube is going to help much. That’s a whole different set of issues.
>
>
>
> Greg
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> --------------------------------------
>
> Gregory J. Watkins-Colwell
>
> Division of Vertebrate Zoology
>
> Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History
>
> 170 Whitney Avenue, Box 208118
>
> New Haven, CT 06520
>
> 203/432-3791 or fax: 203/432-2874
>
> -----------------------------------
>
> *From:* owner-nhcoll-l at lists.yale.edu [mailto:
> owner-nhcoll-l at lists.yale.edu] *On Behalf Of *Carol Spencer
> *Sent:* Saturday, October 23, 2010 5:06 PM
> *To:* Kirsten Nicholson
> *Cc:* NHCOLL-L at lists.yale.edu
> *Subject:* [NHCOLL-L:5026] Re: Labeling frozen, ethanol and nitrogen
> tissue tubes
>
>
>
> HI Kirsten and NH Coll (look, I am actually providing a summary Greg!):
>
> We actually do put barcode labels on our tissues now, so once they get
> cataloged or after we write on them in the field, we add a barcode sticker
> that can stand up to liquid nitrogen temperatures and then associate that
> barcode with the cataloged specimen in our database. So this is more
> permanent. We could put a number inside, and some of our researchers do, but
> yes, it is very inconvenient later when you are trying to identify tubes,
> plus you have to be careful and use sterile techniques when pulling the
> label out. And some use an engraving pen in the field, but not all of our
> researchers, plus the b
> We send tubes with subsamples out on loan, these are usually in 95% ethanol
> but sometimes in dry ice, and these tubes are labeled with pens, thus why we
> still need the ethanol-proof pens.
>
>
> I did get a number of responses last time, to folks that use pens, labels,
> or etch on the vials (some of our researchers also etch the vials, in
> addition to marking them in the field). Here is a summary of the responses I
> received:
>
>
> I haven't found anything perfect yet, but did find something much better
> you
> might want to check out. Diversified Biotech (divbio.com) has a solvent
> resistant pen, cat. No. 122 Black, which appears to be much more resistant
> to ethanol exposure than the VWR pens. I poured lots of ethanol (95%) over
> a
> labeled tube, and while the VWR pen immediately bled badly, the DB pen ink
> stayed almost completely intact. One caveat: neither can take a combination
> of ethanol AND rubbing, which takes the ink right off. But I think we can
> realistically avoid that combination of stresses in essentially all lab and
> field conditions. If the ethanol dries, the ink again becomes very
> resistant
> to rubbing, so there is no "permanent" effect of exposure to ethanol that I
> can see right now.
>
>
> On Sat, Oct 23, 2010 at 6:17 AM, Kirsten Nicholson <norops at gmail.com>
> wrote:
>
> Good info, I'm always looking for better instruments for this sort of
> thing; thanks for sharing, Carol!
>
>
>
> I'm coming late to this conversation, but I'm wondering about two things.
> One is, why not put labels inside the tubes instead of writing on the
> outside where there is the risk of rubbing off or coming off altogether? Its
> slightly more work, but the payoff is tremendous in terms of being sure of
> which tube has what inside.
>
>
>
> The other is, I find it incredible that somebody hasn't produced a better
> system for this given that so many of us are faced with this problem of
> labeling tubes *permanently*. I've seen ads for label makers that print
> labels out for tubes, but have not tried them, and generally these are not
> practical in the field, but might be useful once back in the lab. Do you or
> does anyone out there have experience with these labeling machines for the
> lab?
>
>
>
> Thanks,
>
>
>
> Kirsten
> --
> Kirsten E. Nicholson, Ph.D
>
> Asst. Prof. Biology
> Dept. of Biology
> 217 Brooks Hall
> Central Michigan Univ.
> Mt. Pleasant, MI 48859
> 989-774-3758
>
> and
>
> Curator of Natural History
> Museum of Cultural and Natural History
> 103 Rowe Hall
> Central Michigan University
> Mt. Pleasant, MI 48859
> 989-774-3829
>
>
>
> On Fri, Oct 22, 2010 at 6:24 PM, Carol Spencer <atrox10 at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> Hi NH-Coll:
>
> Awhile ago I requested information from researchers about pens/markers to
> be used for writing on cryotubes for ethanol, frozen, or liquid nitrogen
> usage. Since that time we at MVZ have gone through a couple of marker types
> and seem to have found one that works well in all types of fluid.
>
> This is the VWR Histology Chemical-Resistant Marker, see information below.
>
> Previously VWR had changed their formula and their markers were not
> working, so we switched to the Moist-Mark Cancer Diagnostics Pen (
> http://www.labsafety.com/Moist-Mark-Plus-Pen_s_141667/Label-Accessories_24541186/).
> This Moist-mark pen is very good with frozen or nitrogen tubes, BUT it will
> run when used with ethanol or other chemicals, especially when used on tubes
> that are very smooth and do not have a white area for writing. Since we keep
> our tubes in -80C, switching to liquid nitrogen, and we also use them when
> sending loans of tissue in 95% ethanol, we needed to mark with ink that will
> not come off in all situations.
>
> When using the VWR marker, you should still allow the writing to dry
> completely (several minutes) before put any ethanol or other liquid into the
> tube. If you rub the writing a lot, it will fade a bit, but overall this
> pen seems to work the most consistently.
> Thanks,
> Carol
> VWR® Chemical-Resistant Marker
>
> *Supplier:* VWR International
>
>
>
>
>
> *Error! Filename not specified.*<https://www.vwrsp.com/catjpg/081/081631.jpg>
>
> Precision ultrafine tip permanently marks slides and cassettes. Ink is
> waterproof, smearproof, odorless, and resistant to most chemicals, including
> alcohol, formalin, and xylene. Color: black.
>
>
>
>
>
> *Error! Filename not specified.*<https://www.vwrsp.com/myvwr/sb/index.cgi>
>
>
>
> *Description*
>
> *VWR Catalog#*
>
> *Unit*
>
> *Price*
>
> *Quantity*
>
> VWR HISTOLOGY MARKER PK12
>
> 95042-566
>
> Pack of 12
>
> $55.70
>
> *Error! Filename not specified.*
>
>
>
> *Error! Filename not specified.* Please verify that you have logged in.
> This item is restricted for purchase to customers with an established
> account and the proper documentation on file. If you are logged in and
> believe you should have access to this item, please contact us for
> additional help at 1-888-320-4357.
>
> *Error! Filename not specified.*<https://www.vwrsp.com/myvwr/sb/index.cgi>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> --
> Carol L. Spencer, Ph.D.
> Staff Curator of Herpetology & Researcher
> Museum of Vertebrate Zoology
> 3101 Valley Life Sciences Building
> University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA 94720-3160
> atrox10 at gmail.com
> atrox at berkeley.edu
> TEL: 510-643-5778 /FAX: 510-643-8238
>
> http://www.herpnet.org
> http://mvz.berkeley.edu/
> http://www.vertnet.org
>
>
>
>
>
>
> --
> Carol L. Spencer, Ph.D.
> Staff Curator of Herpetology & Researcher
> Museum of Vertebrate Zoology
> 3101 Valley Life Sciences Building
> University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA 94720-3160
> atrox10 at gmail.com
> atrox at berkeley.edu
> TEL: 510-643-5778 /FAX: 510-643-8238
>
> http://www.herpnet.org
> http://mvz.berkeley.edu/
> http://www.vertnet.org
>
--
Kirsten E. Nicholson, Ph.D
Asst. Prof. Biology
Dept. of Biology
217 Brooks Hall
Central Michigan Univ.
Mt. Pleasant, MI 48859
989-774-3758
and
Curator of Natural History
Museum of Cultural and Natural History
103 Rowe Hall
Central Michigan University
Mt. Pleasant, MI 48859
989-774-3829
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