ABSTRACT
Amidst the unprecedented demand for alcohol based hand sanitizers in the wake of the continuing onslaught of COVID-19 pandemic, a simple and rapid method for identifying spurious or non-conforming products is the need of the hour. Accordingly, a visual colorimetric method for the detection of methanol based hand sanitizers and also for the semi-quantitative determination of ethanol or propanol in ethanol or propanol based products is developed. Methanol based sanitizers pose a serious threat to human health while ethanol or propanol based sanitizers containing <60% (v/v) alcohol are poor disinfectants. Taking cognizance of the fact that alcohol and water account for >95% volume of sanitizers, the method utilizes the alcohol dependent miscibility of alcohol-water binary mixtures in n-butyl acetate for analysis. The phase separations in the alcohol:water:n-butyl acetate ternary mixtures are quantitatively identified through colour contrast developed by the addition of crystal violet. The method has been applied to several commercially available liquid and also gel type sanitizers. It works well for colorless as well as coloured sanitizers. It is simple and can be used for selecting the right kind of hand sanitizers.
ABSTRACT
Aim: Histopathology laboratories are assigned laboratories where contagious biopsy samples are regularly received for diagnosis and prognosis. SARS-CoV-2 is a new public health crisis that has created a global alarming. As there is a paradigm shift in the work-flow and specimen management during this COVID-19 pandemic, this review article discusses and summarizes proper sterilization protocols that need to be implemented in histopathological laboratories. This write-up highlights the biosafety level requirement along with step-by-step safety protocol from receiving a specimen till reporting of slides by pathologists. Materials and Methods: A literature search was made to review the published recommendation that is applicable for histopathology laboratories in the light of current knowledge and understanding of COVID-19. A humble effort was also made to review the interim guidelines that are updated by the World Health Organization and Center of Disease Control on day-to-day basis and are highlighted in this article. Results: Based on keywords used, 29 relevant articles were found useful and were selected for the review. Conclusion: Of all the precautions, proper hand hygiene practice, use of disinfectants, and personal protective equipment are of utmost importance. Also, several studies have shown that coronavirus was inactivated during routine formalin fixation and tissue processing processes. This article focusses on highlighting the guidelines that could help in anti-spread strategies. © 2021 Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications. All rights reserved.