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Aim: Tissue microarray (TMA) is a powerful and effective tool for in situ tissue analysis. However, manual TMA construction methods showed varied qualities. This study aimed to raise a standardised TMA preparation technique that can be easily operated and is economical., Methods: A sampling needle was used to punch the tissue rods from the donor block and holes in the recipient block. To indicate the dots' positions and ensure vertical punching, a novel auxiliary device made using commercial three-dimensional printing technology was attached. The TMA block was made up of tissue rods and a recipient block., Results: A 77-rod (7×11) TMA block was constructed. The rows and columns were fixed in straight lines. There was no specimen loss during the process of embedding., Conclusions: An alternative method for the construction of TMA blocks that met the basic requirement of many laboratories and can be effortlessly performed was presented., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2020. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

Aims: In the diagnostic or research field, there is a need that the histopathological evaluation provides as much information as possible, with the shortest time and lowest cost. The development of the tissue microarray (TMA) technology has significantly facilitated and accelerated studies with tissue analyses using in situ technologies. Nevertheless, one of the most recognised limitations of TMA is that the small cores used to construct a TMA may not accurately represent characteristics of the whole tissue specimen. The aim is to present the technical aspects of a simple system to construct tissue macroarrays (TMaAs), its advantages and limitations, and some results of its use in for research purposes., Methods: The study presents three possibilities of preparing the specimens with up to 6 mm diameter to be included into the TMaA paraffin block using our method., Results: With this technique, it was possible to obtain glass slides with multiple whole fragments, which were used in five different studies., Conclusions: We presented a method for construction of multi-TMaA paraffin blocks, which is very simple for optimising laboratory techniques requiring paraffin-embedded tissue sections and can be easily implemented in any institution with a histology laboratory., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2018. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.)

Background: Chromosome abnormalities are important prognostic factors in myeloma allowing risk stratification of patients. Different techniques are available for their detection including cytogenetics, Fluorescent In Situ Hybridisation (FISH) and array Competitive Genomic Hybridisation (CGH). This study aimed to assess the validity and usefulness of each technique in a diagnostic setting., Methods: 112 myeloma cases were analysed by whole bone marrow cytogenetics and by FISH and array CGH performed on purified plasma cell populations., Results: Clonal abnormalities were identified in 30% of cases by cytogenetics and 97% by FISH and array CGH. By combining array and FISH results abnormalities were detected in 99% of cases and, if cytogenetic analysis was also considered, abnormalities were detected in 100% of cases., Conclusions: Cytogenetic analysis is of limited value in myeloma. Array CGH and FISH are highly specific tests allowing the identification of aberrations in virtually all cases. The two techniques are complementary and need to be combined in order to provide a comprehensive analysis of all clinically relevant aberrations in myeloma., (Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/)