[Histonet] Use of ammonia water

[Victoria Baker]

Hi Sharon,

I use a 1.5% solution for bone marrow cases and bloody tissue.  It does also
work well for GI.  I've never had an issue with it affecting any of my IHC.
An alternative though (when I can't get my hands on ammonium hydroxide) is
to put these blocks in warm water (I'm careful about the waterbath because
of X-contamination issues) for about 30-45 seconds and this works just as
well.  I stopped using any surface decal solution or Nair as I did see some
differences with the expression of certain markers - I did not see any false
negs, but the staining itself was not as intense it looked like.

Vikki

On Mon, Dec 27, 2010 at 3:58 PM, Sharon.Davis-Devine <
Sharon.Davis-Devine <@t> carle.com> wrote:

> Happy Holidays Histonetters, I have a question for you. Do any of you use
> ammonia water to soften the blocks before cutting? If so, does this have any
> effect  on IHC staining? Any help will be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
>
> Sharon Davis-Devine, CT (ASCP)
> Cytology-Histology  Supervisor
> Carle Foundation Hospital
> Laboratory and Pathology Services
> 611 West Park Street
> Urbana, Illinois 61801
> 217-383-3572
> sharon.davis-devine <@t> carle.com
>
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