[Histonet] microwave

[Sarah Jones]

Hello Gudrun,
   I'm glad to see you have posted a question.  I don't have a lot of
experience with IHC and the microwave, but I can tell you that the
microwave can shorten the times of many special stains.  Many steps that
usually take one hour can be shortened to just a few minutes.  Silver
stains work very well in the microwave.  There is a great book on
microwaving special stains called "Microwave Magic" by Billie Beck,
University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas Texas.  It's
old, from 1987, so I don't know if it is still available.  Some of the
stains listed are, Grocott's Methenamine Silver, Jones Methenamine
Silver,  Fontana-Masson, Dieterle, Grimelius, Steiner and Steiner,
Seiver-Munger, Bielschowsky's, PAS, Mucicarmine, Alcian Blue, Colloidal
Iron, Rhodanine, Iron Stains, Trichrome, Acid Fast, Giemsa, Luxol Fast
Blue, Congo Red, PTAH, Movat's, Dunn Thompson, Bouins pre-treatment.  
  You can use a household microwave, but you have to know the wattage
of your oven.  Most of them range from 700-900 watts, but if it is lower
wattage, you would just leave it in longer.  Usually you would want to
determine how long it would take a coplin jar of water to reach 60
degrees C.  Also determine how long it would take different ethanol to
reach 60 degrees C.  You can also make a temperature conversion chart
that shows various solutions, times and power levels and what
temperature is reached. 
  Use plastic coplin jars, the glass ones will break, stir solutions
immediately as they come out of the oven (I use a wooden stick), and
cover the coplin jars with a gauze square when microwaving.  
  If you go back to using chemicals in the microwave, I wouldn't
continue to heat tea in it, just for safety reasons.  
  Happy Microwaving!   Sarah

Sarah Jones HT(ASCP)
Dept. of Vet. Anatomy & Public Health
Histology Lab
Texas A&M University
College Station, TX 77843-4458
phone: 979-845-3177
fax:  979-458-3499


>>> "Gudrun Lang" <g.lang <@t> bigfoot.de> 09/16/03 04:14PM >>>
Hi Histonetters!
I have a question about microwave oven in histolabs. We did introduce
such a household thing for IHC, but it was not very successfull. Now we
heat our tea with it. IHC works with heat and steam.
Which equipment do you use for special staining? Are there specific
apparats or also the houshold ones? And has it become really common to
work with it?
thanks for your answers.

Gundi Lang
general hospital Linz, Austria