[Histonet] Wrinkles in whole bone mouse tibias

[Louise Renton]

Dear nancy

what is the melting temp of the wax? perhaps your waterbath is too cool.
Ideally you have have the temp so that the section expands but does not
disintegrate.

You could also try to pick up the wrinkly section on a slide, and then sort
of "dab" it on a hotplate to "steam" out the wrinkles before  you set the
slide to drain.

regards
On Fri, Apr 13, 2012 at 3:30 PM, nancy lowen <claycal44 <@t> yahoo.com> wrote:

> Hello to all,
> I am having on ongoing problem with wrinkles in the midshaft marrow area
> of sections of whole mouse tibias.  Leaving them in the waterbath longer
> does not help--water bath temp. is 48 to 49 degrees.  I have tried several
> waxes to help, and am currently using McCormick Paraplast Plus.
> Processing times are : 70%-1hour, 80% etoh,1hour, 95%-1hour, 3 100%
> alcohols at 1 hour each. 2 Citrisolvs at 1:30 hours each, and four waxes
> for 1hour, 1hour,1hour, and 3hours for the last.
> Specimens seem to cut fine, and the head of the bone is good, but the
> wrinkles are in the middle to lower part of the diaphysis.
> Is is possible that the polymers in the wax could be the problem?
> I see it mostly in the thinner, densely maarrow packed bones.
> If anyone has any ideas, could you please pass it along, as I am getting
> gray hairs from trying to figure it out.
> Also, I do not fix the bones myself, but most of the bones I get have been
> fixed for 24 hours in 10% Formalin.
> Thanks in advance.
> Nancy.lowen <@t> Va.gov
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-- 
Louise Renton
Bone Research Unit
University of the Witwatersrand
Johannesburg
South Africa
+27 11 717 2298 (tel & fax)
073 5574456 (emergencies only)
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