[Histonet] TOT: second update summary.

[Rene J Buesa]

To all Histonet subscribers:
Between 4 and 15 October 2005 I have received the following TOTs:
7-heat the water for the water bath in a microwaves oven to get a faster 
   start to cutting;
8-add a drop of detergent in the water bath to help fatty/poorly processed
   tissue stay together;
9-if block isn't ribboning well, draw a razor blade/fingernail accross the
   top and bottom edges to "even them" out;
10-use dryer sheets (like Bounce) to wipe down cryostat of microtome
    if you are having problems with static electricity;
11-place a piece of pipe insulation on the handle of manual microtomes
    to avoid repetitive injuries from holding the hand closed too tightly;
12-place heavy pieces of equipment on turntales ("lazy Susans") to reach
    the back of the instrument easier.
13- use plastic slide mailers to stain small number of slide (saves reagents);
14-use your PC printer to make legible labels of anything;
15-for sections that fall from slides, place slides at 70 Celsius for 30 minutes
    and immediately after in the freezer; repeat this 2 steps two or three times;
16-air bubbles can be removed from the underside of a floating section by 
     approaching the free end of a tightly rolled piece of paraffin (waste from 
     rough of the block face) held with with a thin forceps to the air bubble.
     The bubble will be incorporated to the air trapped in the paraffin roll;
17-when doing IHC in animal tissue, test all antibodies in human tissue first;
18-for IHC always prepare reagents fresh every day and discard excess;
19- always prepare 20% more antibody than you need in case you have to
      repeat or add slides;
20-always read carefully and follow antibody manufacturers' instructions on
     storage conditions;
21- always purchase antibodies from reputable suppliers;
22-after the blocks have been faced down, place them in a large block of ice
     before taking the final sections.
This second update contains 2.5 times more TOTs than the first but not quite 
what I was expecting.
There are many more TOTs amongst the Histonet subscribers. It will
just take a moment to e-mail them, and for sure they will be of benefit for
somebody.
There is not such a thing as a "foolish" TOT; remember that what for somebody
is just "irrelevant routine" could be a treasure for another person.
Rene J. Buesa



		
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