[Histonet] Excessive shrinkage[Scanned]

Gayle Callis gcallis <@t> montana.edu
Tue Feb 1 09:20:47 CST 2005


Kemlo,

Bouins uses:

saturated picric acid, aqueous
formaldehyde
acetic acid
and you are correct about removing picric acid, some use 70% alcohol rinses 
or 70% alcohol containing lithium carbonate.

8 hours is a common fixation time, with no longer than 72 hours 
recommended.  I recall it made our tissues crunchier.

Also, test the temperature of your paraffin, has it changed to higher?

All processing creates some hardness, with approx 25% shrinkage in tissues 
due to water removal and heat of paraffin, and is unavoidable.  Have an 
interesting publication where the group tested the shrinkage of paraffin 
processing and plastic processing.

At 01:11 AM 2/1/2005, you wrote:
>If it normally doesn't happen then what makes you think it was the Bouins
>and is there anything else you changed. Bouins is alcoholic Picric Acid
>isn't it? I assume it's an additive coagulant fixative and if you leave
>tissue in it too long it goes rock hard. Dimly in my memory we used to wash
>out the picric acid but I don't understand why we put it in, in the first
>place. Has your processing changed? Are you leaving the tissue in Bouins too
>long?
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Kim O'Sullivan [mailto:Kim.Osullivan <@t> med.monash.edu.au]
>Sent: 01 February 2005 06:41
>To: histonet <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu
>Subject: [Histonet] Excessive shrinkage[Scanned]
>
>Hi all,
>
>Can anyone tell me what may cause bouins fixed tissue (in this case mice
>kidneys's) to shrink after tissue processing (6 hour).This normally does not
>happen.
>
>ta
>
>Kim
>
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Gayle Callis
MT,HT,HTL(ASCP)
Research Histopathology Supervisor
Veterinary Molecular Biology
Montana State University - Bozeman
PO Box 173610
Bozeman MT 59717-3610
406 994-6367 (lab with voice mail)
406 994-4303 (FAX)






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