CHAPTER 15 ADHESIVES AND MOUNTING MEDIA Flashcards

1
Q

is the last step in tissue processing that results in a permanent histological preparation suitable for microscopy, after adhesion of the sections on to the slide and appropriate staining of the tissue.

A

Mounting

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2
Q

After draining, the sections are fixed to the slides. This can be done either by leaving the slides in a [?] incubator overnight, by placing the slides in a wax oven at [?], or by drying the slides on a hot plate at [?].

A

37°C

56° to 60°C for 2 hours

45° to 55°C for 30 to 45 minutes

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3
Q

For more delicate tissues like the CNS tissue or brain, a longer drying time at lower temperature (e.g. [?]) is recommended to avoid splitting and cracking of the section due to excess heat.

A

37°C for 24 hours or longer

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4
Q

Another alternative to drying is by the use of [?].

A

adhesives

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5
Q

are not necessary for routine staining, provided that the slides are clean and free from grease.

A

Adhesives

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6
Q

they are essential for methods that require exposure of sections to acids and alkalis (especially ammoniacal silver solutions) during staining.

A

Adhesives

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7
Q

There are still certain instances when sections may float from the slide:

A

For urgent cryostat sections to be submitted for immunocytochemistry
For central nervous system tissues
For tissues containing blood clot
For tissues which have been decalcified
When sections are to be subjected to high temperatures

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8
Q

The most commonly use adhesive is .

A

Albumin

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9
Q

Albumin solution is prepared by mixing equal parts of [?], then filtered through coarse filter paper and a crystal of Thymol is added.

A

glycerin, distilled water and white of eggs

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10
Q

One disadvantage is that it retains some of the stain and gives a dirty background.

A

albumin

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11
Q

also a favorite adhesive; can be bought as a 0.1 % solution and further diluted (1 in 10 with distilled water) when ready to use.

A

Poly-L-lysine,

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12
Q

Sections are coated with this and allowed to dry. With time, the adhesive ability of this substance slowly loses its effectiveness. Therefore the coated slides should be used within a few days.

A

Poly-L-lysine

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13
Q

is a better section adhesive and coated slides can be stored for a long time.

A

Aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APES)

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14
Q

Slides are dipped in 2% APES in acetone drained then dipped in acetone, drained again and finally dipped in distilled water.

A

Aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APES)

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15
Q

It is invaluable in cytology particularly for cytosine preparation of proteinaceous or bloody material.

A

Aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APES)

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16
Q

is the most commonly used because it is very easy to make, is convenient, and is relatively inexpensive.

A

Mayer’s egg albumin

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17
Q

For celloidin sections, egg albumin is smeared on the slide. The section is then transferred from 95% alcohol bath to the slide, pressed flat on the slide with a smooth filter paper coated with thin celloidin mixture.

A

Mayer’s egg albumin

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18
Q
  • dried, and stored in 70% alcohol until it is ready for staining.
A

Dried Albumin

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19
Q

Adding up to 30 ml of [?] to the water in a floating out bath and mixing it well is a most convenient alternative to direct coating of slides.

A

Gelatin (1%)

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20
Q

Coat the slides with the above mixture. Allow coated slides to dry at 37°C for one hour or overnight before use.

A

Gelatin-formaldehyde mixture

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21
Q

This aqueous detergent can be purchased as a 0.1% solution which is further diluted 1:10 with distilled water (final dilution to 0.01%) prior to use. Sections are coated with this and allowed to dry.

A

Poly-L-Lysin e

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22
Q

This is widely used as a section adhesive in immunohistochemistry.

A

Poly-L-Lysin e

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23
Q

must be used within a few days after they are prepared, since its effectiveness as an adhesive slowly decreases in time.

A

Poly-L-Lysin e

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24
Q

are very useful in cytology, particularly for cytospin preparations of proteinaceous or bloody material.

A

APES (3-aminopropylthriethoxysilane)

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25
The slides are dipped in 2% [?] in acetone, drained, dipped in acetone, drained again, and finally dipped in distilled water. They are then placed upright in a rack and allowed to dry.
APES (3-aminopropylthriethoxysilane)
26
are better than poly-L-lysine coated slides because they can be stored for a long time without losing their adhesiveness.
APES (3-aminopropylthriethoxysilane)
27
bonds specimen, slide and coverslip together with a clear durable film.
mounting medium
28
is usually a syrupy fluid applied between the section and the coverslip after staining, setting the section firmly, preventing the movement of the coverslip.
mounting medium
29
It protects the stained section from getting scratched, to facilitate easy handling and storage of the slides, and to prevent bleaching or deterioration due to oxidation, thereby preserving the slides for permanent keeping
mounting medium
30
helps prevent the distortion of image during microscopic examination.
mounting medium
31
are often chosen for a specific refractive index (R.I.), which can enhance specimen details or make them invisible
mounting medium
32
Materials like [?] become totally invisible if immersed in a solution of the same refractive index.
glass
33
is important because it governs the contrast between the cellular detail and the background, and also the transparency of the observed sample against the bright field of the microscope.
Refractive index
34
The mounting media must always have an [?] higher than the mounted sample to impart more
RI
35
The slide may then be incubated at [?] after mounting, to harden the medium.
37°C for 12-24 hours
36
Do not store mounted slides vertically for [?] if cured at room temperature.
2 days
37
will cause it to ooze out of the sides of the cover glass, and should be carefully wiped with a fine cloth moistened with xylene.
Excessive mounting medium
38
will dry up the section, causing shrinkage and cracking of the specimen.
Excessive blotting
39
if not removed, will mix with the mountant and form bubbles on the slide.
Excess xylene
40
may also cause improper setting of the coverslip or formation of bubbles on the section, which can be teased out by gently pressing on the cover glass with a pointed forceps or mounting needle.
Too little mounting medium
41
Setting may be hastened in a hot oven at
50°C for 2 hours.
42
should be chosen that will not fade the particular stains used
mounting medium
43
should be mounted in non-acid containing mountants.
basic aniline dyes
44
Preparations showing the Prussian blue reaction should be mounted in
non-reducing media.
45
Slides should be properly labeled with an [?] on the side of the mounted coverslip to.
identifying case number
46
As a general rule, a paper label bearing the [?], is attached to the slide for proper identification, while also avoiding any damage to the sections caused by wiping the "wrong" side of the slide.
patient's name, section number and preferably the staining method used
47
Mounting media may be divided into two main groups:
a. Aqueous Media b. Resinous Media
48
are used for mounting sections from distilled water when the stains would be decolorized or removed by alcohol and xylene as would be the case with most of the fat stains (Sudan methods) or for metachromatic staining of amyloid.
Aqueous mounting medium
49
Aqueous mounting medium are usually made up of
gelatin, glycerin jelly or gum arabic (to solidify the medium), glycerol (to prevent cracking and drying of the preparation), sugar (to increase the refractive-index), and a preservative solution
50
(to solidify the medium)
glycerin jelly or gum arabic
51
(to prevent cracking and drying of the preparation)
glycerol
52
(to increase the refractive-index)
sugar
53
Following are examples of common aqueous mounting media:
1. 2. Glycerin
54
has a low refractive index, is moderately transparent and evaporates easily, hence is good only for temporary mounting
Water
55
does not allow tissues to be examined under the oil immersion lens
Water
56
may also be used as a preservative.
57
It has a high index of refraction and provides greater visibility if slightly diluted with water (for moist sections).
58
This is a very suitable semi-permanent mounting medium with a refractive index of 1.46, sets quite hard, and will keep sections mounted for years, especially if sealed on the edges with paraffin wax.
59
It is miscible with water, is inexpensive, and is non-poisonous.
60
It is also not necessary to treat the specimens with alcohol or organic solvents, which may introduce artifacts and remove pigments.
61
This is usually regarded as the standard mountant for fat stains.
62
The refractive index of the water improves the image quality and also supports the specimen.
water
63
The disadvantage is, that it is difficult to prepare slides that are truly permanent in nature.
Glycerin
64
As with other solvents it is used because it is cheap, safe and quick to use with little preparation.
Glycerin
65
is commonly used to mount sections for immunofluorescence and glycerol may be added to other agents to retard drying and cracking.
Phosphate buffered glycerol (RI = 1.47)
66
GLYCERIN JELLY (KAISER'S 1880) (Refractive Index)
1.47
67
FARRANT'S MEDIUM (Refractive Index)
1.43
68
APATHY'S MEDIUM (Refractive Index)
1.52
69
is the standard mounting medium used when dehydration and clearing with xylene cannot be made (as in fat stains).
Glycerin jelly
70
has the highest index of refraction and thus provides the best viewing and may be optimal for critical or irreplaceable material, because old material, when glycerin is mostly evaporated, is easily retrieved with hot water or steam.
Pure glycerin
71
The disadvantage is that it should be melted before use (due to the presence of gelatin).
Glycerin jelly
72
Stains mounted tend to fade.
Glycerin jelly
73
[?]l, often used as a mountant in immunofluorescence microscopy, has been recommended as an alternative for glycerine jelly. The mountant is not set in the desired amount of hardness and therefore requires "ringing".
Polyvinyl alcoho
74
This gum arabic medium does not solidify upon storage and therefore does not need to be heated before use.
FARRANT'S MEDIUM
75
However, it takes a longer time to harden and may therefore require ringing.
FARRANT'S MEDIUM
76
may be used as a substitute of sodium merthiolate for preservation of the FARRANT'S MEDIUM.
Arsenic trioxide
77
Addition of 50 gm. potassium acetate will produce a neutral (pH 7.2) instead of an acid (pH 4.4) medium, and therefore, will raise the refractive index to 1.44.
FARRANT'S MEDIUM
78
This medium is used for methylene blue-stained nerve preparations and as a general purpose aqueous mountant. APATHY'S MEDIUM It is one of the most useful aqueous mountants for fluorescent microscopy, being virtually non- fluorescent.
APATHY'S MEDIUM
79
is not compatible with normal histological stains.
APATHY'S MEDIUM
80
The pH of the medium is near 4.0 (highly acidic) so stains fade or bleed into the medium. Addition of 50 grams potassium acetate, 20 grams of calcium chloride or 10 grams sodium chloride can raise the pH to near 7.0 and will prevent "bleeding" of metachromatic stains for amyloid.
APATHY'S MEDIUM
81
The medium sets quite hard, has a higher refractive index, and does not require ringing.
APATHY'S MEDIUM
82
is recommended for mounting frozen sections from water.
BRUN'S FLUID
83
Frozen sections that are mounted directly from water or paraffin sections which require dehydration and clearing, usually should be mounted on glycerin, gum syrup or Brun's fluid.
BRUN'S FLUID
84
are used for preparations that have been dehydrated and cleared in xylene or toluene, and are recommended for majority of staining methods.
Resinous media
85
They may be divided into natural and synthetic resins.
Resinous media
86
The most important synthetic resins are used for embedding undecalcified bones, and for electron microscopy.
Resinous media
87
Canada Balsam (Refractive Index)
1.524
88
is a natural resin extracted from the Canadian tree, Abus Balsamea, usually dissolved in xylene in an incubator at 37°C or paraffin oven at 58 °C, and filtered, obtaining the desired consistency by controlled evaporation of the solvent.
Canada Balsam
89
The solution can be made neutral or acid by adding excess amounts of calcium carbonate or salicylic acid, allowing the mixture to settle, decanting the supernatant liquid into a stock bottle, and discarding the residue.
Canada Balsam
90
It is a transparent, almost colorless oleoresin that adheres firmly to glass and sets to a hard consistency without granulation.
Canada Balsam
91
it darkens slightly with age and slowly becomes acid because it oxidizes xylene, thereby causing gradual fading of many stains.
Canada Balsam
92
DPX - (Dibutyl Phthalate and Xylene) (Refractive Index)
1.532
93
This is a resinous medium recommended for small tissue sections but not for whole mounts because of shrinkage produced on drying; hence, it should be used in excess amounts.
DPX - (Dibutyl Phthalate and Xylene)
94
It is a colorless, neutral medium in which most standard stains are well preserved. It is prepared by dissolving the common plastic, polystyrene, in a suitable hydrocarbon solvent (usually xylene).
DPX - (Dibutyl Phthalate and Xylene)
95
It tends to set quickly and, in doing so, often retract from the edge of the coverslip.
DPX - (Dibutyl Phthalate and Xylene)
96
It has a greater advantage over Canada balsam in that slides can be cleaned of excess mountant simply by stripping it off after cutting around the edge of coverslip.
DPX - (Dibutyl Phthalate and Xylene)
97
XAM (Refractive Index)
1.52
98
is a synthetic resin mixture in xylene, available in a pale yellow or colorless solution.
Xam
99
It dries quickly without retraction, and preserves stains well.
Xam
100
Sections are quickly mounted from xylene.
Xam
101
CLARITE (Refractive Index)
1.544
102
is a synthetic resin which is soluble in xylene (it is used as a 60% solution in xylene), and is generally preferred over D.P.X.
CLARITE
103
Other recommended synthetic mounting media include Permount (made by Fisher Scientific), H.S.R. (Harleco Synthetic Resin), and Clearmount (Gurr).
CLARITE
104
is generally suitable for all enzymatic label/chromogen combinations and fluorescent labels
Aqueous mounting medium
105
Aqueous mounting media for [?] must not contain glycerol as this quenches the staining intensity.
phycobiliprotein fluorescent labels (phycoerythrin, phycocyanin)
106
is the most useful aqueous mountant for fluorescent microscopy, being virtually non-fluorescent.
Apathy’s medium (Refractive Index 1.52)
107
is an alternative for glycerine jelly, commonly used for fluorescent labels with paraphenylene-diamine as antifading agent. Ready-to- use anti-fading kits are also commercially available.
Polyvinyl alcohol (Refractive Index 1.5)