Chapter 3: Instrumentation Flashcards
The ability of a microscope to separate small details is defined as:
Resolution.
Sections 90nm thick are commonly cut with a/an:
The ultramicrotome.
Tissues embedded in glycol methacrylate are commonly cut with a/an:
A regular, rotary microtome but with a glass knife to cut 1-2nm sections.
When cutting sections from paraffin blocks, the most common cause of unsatisfactory sections is:
A poor blade edge, it has become dulled.
The regular lab incubator maintains a temperature of:
37C (body temperature).
When the magnification can be changed without the need to refocus, the microscope objectives are said to be:
Parfocal.
If a ribbon splits when cutting paraffin sections, the most likely cause is:
Nicks in the blade edge.
Care must be taken when using the automatic coverslipper to ensure that:
The mounting medium applied is correct for long term storage.
The temperature of the oven used to maintain a supply of melted paraffin for embedding tissue is most commonly about:
60C.
Doubly refractive particles are examined using what instrument?
A polarized light microscope (uric acid crystals).
Crooked paraffin ribbons may be caused by:
Nonparallel block edges, they need to be straight in order to have a non-crooked ribbon.
When using a microscope with a 10X ocular and a 40X objective, what is the total magnification?
400x
What is the routine clearance angle of a microtome blade?
3-8 degrees.
The ordinary freezer when operating normally has an internal temperature of:
-4C and should never exceed 10C.
When a lens for a light microscope has been corrected for 2 colors, it is said to be:
Achromatic (red and blue).
When using paraffin with a melting point of 55-57C, the most common temperature for floating sections would be:
45-50C, water bath temps are typically set 5-10C below the melting point.
What causes compressed or wrinkled sections?
The wrong blade tilt will cause compressed, wrinkled or jammed sections.
The scanning objective on the light microscope is found:
At the lower end of the body tube.
Various sized holes are noted in sections of paraffin embedded liver on the flotation bath. With further ribboning, these holes disappear after decreasing in size. What happened?
The block was faced too aggressively and small pieces of tissue were torn off during rough facing, leaving a hole.
Birefringent substances are best examined with which type of microscope?
The polarizing microscope.
During microtomy, the sections lift from the blade when the block is raised. The most likely cause is:
The blade is either dull or there is not enough blade tilt.
Microscopic evaluation of an H&E reveals chatter, especially at the edges of the tissue. What happened?
The tissue was overdehydrated and was not “soaked” at microtomy.
During cryotomy, sections of varying thickness are obtained. This is most likely the:
Too little blade tilt, it needs to be increased and the parts of the cryostat need to be examined for looseness.
When checking the pH of a staining solution, the pH meter should be calibrated using a standard solution with a pH value:
Closest to that of the staining solution.
The microwave oven creates heat in staining solutions by:
Using nonionizing radiation to produce heat.
Tissue components can be measured with the light microscope in a process known as:
Micrometry.
A microscope that has two eyepieces is called a:
Binocular microscope.
When a lens for a microscope has been corrected for three colors, it is said to be:
Apochromatic.
The “high dry” lens for a light microscope has a magnification of about:
45X.
Tissues are subject to a series of different reagents in a closed processor by:
Fluid transfer.
When processed on a short cycle, tissue must be first:
Cut thin at the grossing station so the reagents can adequately penetrate.
What are the three types of microscopy associated with histotechnology?
Light, polarizing and fluorescent microscopy.
What are the two most common types of EM?
Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) are the two most common types.
T/F: Living cells are usually examined with a dark field microscope.
False, they are examined with phase-contrast microscopy, not darkfield.
T/F: a 3-D image is obtained with the TEM.
False, the SEM yields a 3-D image, not the TEM.
T/F: Another name for the ocular of a microscope is the eyepiece.
True.
T/F: The analyzer of the polarizing microscope is placed between the specimen and the eye.
True.
T/F: Steel microtome blades are commonly used to section glycol methacrylate.
False, glass knives are usually used for this.
T/F: The angle formed by the block face and the cutting facet of the blade is known as the bevel angle.
False, it is known as the clearing angle.
T/F: When examined microscopically, 8 micron sections will show all nuclei in the same plane of focus.
False. Sections must be cut less than 6 microns in order for the nuclei to all be on the same plane of focus.