Chapter 11: Pigments, Minerals and Cytoplasmic Granules

Question 1

In the Prussian Blue reaction for Iron, the incubating system uses:

Answer 1

Potassium ferrocyanide and dilute HCl (same with our Iron stain in lab).

Question 2

A method recommended for demonstrating argentaffin granules (ex. in carcinoid tumors) is the:

Answer 2

The Fontana Masson, both for silver-binding molecules and for seeing how silver reduces to its metallic form.

Question 3

What is a stain that can be used to demonstrate Calcium?

Answer 3

The Von Kossa with silver nitrate, even though it is an indirect method.

Question 4

What pigment will reduce silver?

Answer 4

The formalin pigment is a reducing substance and may give a false positive with the Von Kossa and the Schmorl techniques.

Question 5

What is a stain that will demonstrate urate crystals?

Answer 5

The methenamine silver technique.

Question 6

A reducing or developing solution is used in which stain?

Answer 6

The Churukian-Shenk technique.

Question 7

What does the Churukian-Shenk technique demonstrate?

Answer 7

Argyrophil granules.

Question 8

What is Rhodanine used to demonstrate?

Answer 8

Copper.

Question 9

An aid to the definite identification of anthracotic pigment is the:

Answer 9

Insolubility in concentrated sulfuric acid.

Question 10

When the content of tissue is to be examined by microincineration, the recommended fixative would be:

Answer 10

A non-aqueous fixative, such as formalin alcohol.

Question 11

Argentaffin granules present in cells of the GI tract are best preserved with which fixative?

Answer 11

10% NBF.

Question 12

The end-product in the Prussian blue reaction is:

Answer 12

Ferric ferrocyanide.

Question 13

The Turnbull stain is used for the detection of:

Answer 13

Ferrous iron.

Question 14

Red blood cells are very eosinophilic because:

Answer 14

Their high content of hemoglobin stains well with acid dyes.

Question 15

Why should alcoholic fixatives not be used for argentaffin granules?

Answer 15

Because they are soluble in alcohol.

Question 16

Melanin can be demonstrated with the:

Answer 16

The Schmorl reaction.

Question 17

A good control for the Schmorl technique would be:

Answer 17

Small intestine.

Question 18

The end product in the Schmorl reaction is:

Answer 18

Turnbull blue.

Question 19

Why is small intestine a good control for the Schmorl technique?

Answer 19

Because of its high concentration of argentaffin cells.

Question 20

The preferred fixative for the Churukian-Shenk technique would be:

Answer 20

NBF.

Question 21

A tissue frequently used as a control for the Fontana-Masson technique is:

Answer 21

Skin.

Question 22

Why is skin commonly used as a control for the Fontana-Masson technique?

Answer 22

Because of the high melanin granule content.

Question 23

In the Hall technique, bilirubin is oxidized to biliverdin by:

Answer 23

Fouchet reagent.

Question 24

In the Grimelius technique, what substances will be demonstrated?

Answer 24

Substances that can bind to silver but need a chemical reducer.

Question 25

What are argyrophil substances?

Answer 25

Substances that can bind to silver but that need a chemical reducer to do so.

Question 26

What is the preferred fixative for the Fontana-Masson technique?

Answer 26

NBF.

Question 27

What is a good tissue for the Grimelius technique?

Answer 27

Small intestine.

Question 28

The Churukian-Shenk technique will demonstrate substances that:

Answer 28

Substances that bind to silver but that need a reducing agent (argyrophilic)

Question 29

An argentaffin substance that is present in some tissues is:

Answer 29

Melanin.

Question 30

The control for the Hall stain must contain:

Answer 30

Bile pigment.

Question 31

How can urate crystals be visualized?

Answer 31

By using polarized light.

Question 32

What is a good control tissue for iron?

Answer 32

Spleen.

Question 33

Fouchet reagent is used for the demonstration of:

Answer 33

Bile pigments.

Question 34

The preferred fixative for a gouty trophus would be:

Answer 34

Absolute alcohol.

Question 35

The Fontana-Masson technique will demonstrate substances that can:

Answer 35

Both bind and reduce silver.

Question 36

Pigment lying on top of the tissue is most likely:

Answer 36

Artifact.

Question 37

Polarized light can be used to assist in the identification of what pigment:

Answer 37

Formalin pigment because it is not birefringent.

Question 38

Bile will be stained emerald green in which stain?

Answer 38

The Hall technique.

Question 39

A good control for the Lindquist rhodanine technique is fetal:

Answer 39

Liver.

Question 40

A substance that can both bind and reduce silver is called:

Answer 40

Argentaffin substances.

Question 41

The Schmorl technique demonstrates substances that are known as:

Answer 41

Reducing substances.

Question 42

Methenamine silver is often used in the demonstration of:

Answer 42

Urates.

Question 43

Melanin present in tissue can be bleached with the use of:

Answer 43

Potassium permanganate.

Question 44

Chromaffin granules are often found in what kind of tissue?

Answer 44

The cells of the adrenal gland.

Question 45

What is a breakdown product of hemoglobin?

Answer 45

Bile.

Question 46

Sections of bone marrow reveal no iron stores when stained with the Prussian blue. What happened?

Answer 46

The tissue was likely decalcified with a strong acid.

Question 47

When viewed with a light microscope, a 5 micron section from tissue from a gouty trophus fails to reveal anything when the Gomori stain is used. What happened?

Answer 47

The tissue was not fixed in absolute alcohol.

Question 48

Sections of skin stained with the Fontana-Masson show dark black melanosomes and dirty gray staining of both the squamous epithelium and collagen. What happened?

Answer 48

Prolonged incubation in the silver solution.

Question 49

A section of ileum stained with the Fontana-Masson shows a marked black precipitate on top of the section. What happened?

Answer 49

The glassware was not chemically cleaned.

Question 50

A section of ileum stained with the Grimelius technique does not demonstrate any positively stained cells. What happened?

Answer 50

The developer used was too old.

Question 51

When viewed with the light microscope, a 5 micron section from tissue known to contain a gouty trophus fails to reveal any staining with the methenamine silver. The presence of the trophus would be verified using what kind of microscope?

Answer 51

A polarizing light microscope.

Question 52

Control sections stained with the Prussian blue reaction shows diffuse blue staining, and the solution is also blue. What happened?

Answer 52

The staining jar was likely contaminated.

Question 53

On x-ray, a breast biopsy revealed areas of microcalcification. Multiple sections of the parrafin embedded tissue stained with H&E and Von-Kossa fail to demonstrate these areas. What happened?

Answer 53

The tissue was likely fixed in Bouin which would remove these calficications.

Question 54

Sections of fetal liver were cut at 3 microns, stained with rhodamine for 18 hours at 37C and then counterstained with Mayer hematoxylin. Very light copper can be seen when the slides are examined microscopically. What happened?

Answer 54

The sections were cut too thin, they should be cut at 6-9 microns.

Question 55

In her clinical studies, a student has prepared Fouchet reagent with acetic acid and ferric chloride for the demonstration of bile. Microscopic examination of the stained slides reveals a negative result. What happened?

Answer 55

The Fouchet reagent should have been prepared with ferric chloride and trichloroacetic acid.

Question 56

What section type would a stain for simple lipids be performed on?

Answer 56

Frozen sections.

Question 57

What is the toughest connective tissue fiber?

Answer 57

Collagen.

Question 58

What is the only hematogenous pigment found in normal rbcs?

Answer 58

Hemoglobin.

Question 59

What method involves the use of the reduction of ferrous ions followed by the precipitation with the Turnbull blue reaction?

Answer 59

The Schmorl technique.

Question 60

In the Gomori aldehyde fuchsin technique, what color are the elastic fibers stained?

Answer 60

Violet-purple.

Question 61

What special stain can demonstrate urate crystals?

Answer 61

The modified GMS.

Question 62

What is a method that will selectively stain astrocytes in frozen sections?

Answer 62

The Cajal gold sublimate technique.

Question 63

What is an argyrophil stain that will demonstrate both neurofibrils and neurosecretory granules?

Answer 63

The Sevier-Munger technique.

Question 64

What is another name for agentaffin cells?

Answer 64

Endocrine cells or Kulchitsky cells.

Question 65

What acts as the differentiating agent in the Verhoeff-Van Gieson (VVG)?

Answer 65

Ferric chloride.

Question 66

What is the staining mechanism in which metallic substances are selectively deposited on structures and made visible by the reduction of that metal?

Answer 66

The impregnation method.

Question 67

Entamoeba histolytica can be demonstrated by the use of which stain?

Answer 67

The PAS stain.

Question 68

In the Gomori 1-step trichrome stain (on the automatic machine, but not our trichrome), what color does the collagen stain?

Answer 68

Collagen stains green.

Question 69

In humans, nonkeritanizing stratified squamous epithelium is found covering and lining what organ?

Answer 69

The esophagus.

Question 70

What stain works really well on the cytoplasmic granules in connective tissue mast cells?

Answer 70

Toludine blue, but the Giemsa works as well.

Question 71

What is the counterstain for the VVG?

Answer 71

It contains picric acid, but is formally called the VVG working solution.

Question 72

What are the granules found in cells of the adrenal medulla that are preserved ONLY when fixed in Orth solution?

Answer 72

Chromaffin cells.

Question 73

Microscopic evaluation of an H&E stained brain section reveals basophilic material in the cytoplasm of the neurons. What is this material?

Answer 73

The rough endoplasmic material of cells, specifically all of the ribosomes in it.

Question 74

What technique is a modified Bodian technique that uses an NBF impregnating solution to increase the specificity of the stain?

Answer 74

The Holmes technique.

Question 75

What stain is dependent on differences of bacterial cell wall for differential staining?

Answer 75

The Gram stain.