Re: FW: BAL and clogging

Gerhard Nebe-von-Caron (Gerhard.Nebe-von-Caron@unilever.com)
04 Jul 96 10:30:06 Z

We use bead spiking routinely as it not only allows us to
detect clogging but also serves as on line QC and absolute
count standard. We use the standard immunocheck beads from
Coulter and detect them in a scatter / red fluorescence
plot.
Because of the automation of the XL analyzer the users only
check whether all their sample printouts show that tight
cluster when they change the sample rack to see whether they
need to rerun a sample, as some of our samples contain
fibers which are not efficiently retained by filter meshes
and even clog up an analyzer. The cells also don't give
sharp clusters.
I understand that the new Coulter software for the XL can
even initiate an automatic cleaning cycle if the cluster
does not come in place.

Gerhard Nebe-v.Caron
Unilever Research, Colworth,
Sharnbrook, Bedfordshire
GB - MK44 1LQ
Tel: +44(0)1234-222066
FAX: +44(0)1234-222344
gerhard.nebe-von-caron@unilver.com

______________________________ Reply Separator _________________________________
Subject: FW: BAL and clogging
Author: CPRUSSIN@atlas.niaid.nih.gov at INTERNET
Date: 03/07/96 22:42

>I have been doing flow on BAL (bronchoalveolar lavage) and have
>recently graduated up to the FACS Vantage with nice results. A problem
>that seems to nag at us is that the Vantage, having a stream in air
>setup, has only a 70 micron aperture and is subject to clogging even
>though we filter it through 50 micron nylon mesh.
>
>Normally, with PBMC one can see the changes in scatter when clogs occur
>and then clear out the clog. With BAL however, the scatter-gram is not
>nearly as distinct, and as such, cloggs are more difficult to detect
>(using either linear or log SSC, with linear FSC). Since each BAL
>sample is quite precious, I can ill afford to lose a sample due to such
>clogging.
>
>My proposed solution is to spike each sample with non-fluorescent beads
>of say 2-3 microns in diameter. My hope is that they show up as a sharp
>peak just to the left of the lymphs. Movement of that peak would be
>more obvious and would alert the operator that there was trouble.
>
>Questions for the group:
>1.) Is this overkill?
>2.) Are there other simpler or better ways to do this?
>3.) Will it work at described above? What size beads should I use?

_______________________
Calman Prussin
Laboratory of Allergic Diseases
NIAID/ National Institutes of Health
calman@nih.gov

>
>


Home Page Table of Contents Sponsors Web Sites
CD ROM Vol 2 was produced by staff at the Purdue University Cytometry Laboratories and distributed free of charge as an educational service to the cytometry community. If you have any comments please direct them to Dr. J. Paul Robinson, Professor & Director, PUCL, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907. Phone:(317) 494-0757; FAX (317) 494-0517; Web http://www.cyto.purdue.edu EMAIL robinson@flowcyt.cyto.purdue.edu