TOXPATH
Internet-based discussion of toxicologic pathology, general pathology,
comparative pathology, pathology techniques, regulatory pathology and
other related topics. The forum aims to serve professionals working in
these fields by providing an interactive, easy to use, environment to
share information and discuss topics of common interest.
The
forum is an initiative of the Society of Toxicologic Pathology. While
we would encourage those of you who are eligible to join the STP, membership
in that organization is NOT a prerequisite to participating in the forum.
Contact STP for additional information about membership.
2.
How do I view discussion or post a reply or new topic to the Forum?
To
post items into the Forum you must first log using your STP member ID
or non-member password (refer to question 3 for the non-member registration
process). You may use the login option from the Forum window. Alternatively,
If you are already logged in elsewhere on the STP site the TOXPATH Forum
will recognize this. Your user name and login status appears at the top
right of the Forum window. If this displays "Guest" you are
not logged in.
Once
logged in, select one of the current Forums displayed in the Forum window.
To view or reply to an ongoing discussion simply select the current
topic. To post a new topic of discussion use the New Topic button located
top right of the Forum window.
3.
Do I have to be a pathologist to participate in Forum?
No.
The TOXPATH forum is limited, however, to participants who are involved
in some aspect of pathology or toxicology. That would include pathologists
(both M.D. and D.V.M. as well as non-clinically trained individuals
with a Ph.D. in pathology); toxicologists; histologists; other individuals
working in safety and/or risk assessment; researchers; and graduate/veterinary
students.
Non-members
must register and be granted assess to participate in the Forum. The
Forum is a open Forum and discussion can be viewed without being registered
in the forum. To initiate the registration process, simply select
the "Register" option at the top of the forum box. STP with
validate non-member participation and send you a password via email
to log into the Forum. Non-members who participated in the previous
STP ListServ have been registered to the TOXPATH Forum and can access
the discussion by logging in using their email address as their password.
If
you represent a commercial organization, do not "spam" the TOXPATH
forum, which is a free service. "Spam" is a term used to describe
the practice of posting direct advertising-type messages. Note this does
not mean commercial subscribers cannot post anything at all. If you have
information that would be helpful, your contribution is welcome.
4.
Can I post a position announcement to the Forum?
If
you have a job notice that you would like to advertise, please do NOT
post it in the forum. Instead, post it on the STP web site using the on-line
form for position announcements under the Employment drop-down menu option.
There is no charge for position announcements.
5.
Is recruiting allowed in the Forum?
Recruiting activities are not allowed in the forum. Free job postings are allowed on the STP Web (under the employment menu).
6.
What is Forum etiquette?
As
we already know, the toxpath professional community (not just those of
us on this list but the entire professional community) is not very big.
Resist the temptation to reply to something you think might have offended
you. Always give yourself a 24 hour cool-off period before committing
anything in writing ....you'll be glad you did.
Try
to stick to the subject matter and topics the discussion was meant to
cover. From time to time, it may be useful or necessary to go off-topic.
Just use good common sense or invite the discussion to be out of the
Forum.
Write
useful summaries if a question or request for information results in many
replies. Exercise discretion and tact when compiling and editing the replies,
to ensure a fair and accurate summary.
Do not type your message in all-UPPERCASE. It is more difficult to read.
Sometimes a short stretch of uppercase may serve to emphasize a point.
Try to break your message into logical paragraphs and keep your sentences
to sensible lengths.
Use correct grammar and spelling. The Forum is all about communication
and poorly-worded and misspelled messages are hard to read and potentially
confusing. Just because posting is fast does not mean that it should be
sloppy. If your words are important enough to say, then they are important
enough to say properly.
The
Forum has very nearly the immediacy of a conversation, but is totally
devoid of "body language". The Internet "counter culture"
has had an answer to this problem for years —"emoticons",
or groups of ASCII characters which are meant to look like a face turned
on its side. The most common emoticons are probably these:
:-)
or :) A smiling face seen side-on; generally used to indicate amusement,
or that a comment is intended to be funny or ironic ("<g>"
or "<grin>" is also sometimes used).
:-(
or :( An unhappy face seen side on; generally used to express disappointment
or sorrow.
;-)
A winking smiley face; usually indicates that something should be taken
"with a grain of salt".
There
are hundreds of variations on this theme, some more recognizable than
others. Using the common emoticons carefully can improve the clarity of
your message, since they convey nuances which approximate "body language".
Like any embellishment, however, overuse of emoticons destroys their value
- use them sparingly.
7.
Is the Forum moderated?
No.
All messages are immediately posted without a moderator to the TOXPATH
forum but may be removed at any time as seen fit by STP.
[Disclaimer]
An integral condition to your participation in the forum is that you
agree not to hold STP liable for any actions or consequences resulting
from the contents of postings or from contacts made through the TOXPATH
forum. In other words, you accept the responsibility for your own actions
if you accidentally or mistakenly post a message to the list or repost
a message from the list. Your participation on the list indicates your
acceptance of these terms.
8.
How do I post slides to What’s Your Diagnosis?
You may either submit slides by selecting the Submit New Case button or by
emailing them with related text to
stp@toxpath.org
for posting by STP staff.
Please include the following information with your submission:
In the Signalment textbox please include: Species, Breed,
Strain, Sex, Age, Use of animal this case was taken from.
In the Message textbox include:
-
Submitter’s Name
-
Source Institution
-
Image Legend(s) describing for the uninitiated, what does each image show?
-
Morphologic Diagnosis for case and/or each image, if different.
-
Etiology: (Chemical class, Therapeutic Class, Genetic factors)
-
Condition, if different from morphologic diagnosis.
-
Background Discussion (a couple paragraphs is ideal)
-
References (up to 3)
If you chose to upload the images via the submit button you will see a screen
with the signalment textbox, upload prompts for up to 5 question slides and 5
answer slides, and a textbox for entering information (items 1-8) about your
case.
Thank you for participating in What’s Your Diagnosis. We would appreciate
receiving any comments and suggestions at stp@toxpath.org.
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