Intro to Histology

Question 1

accessioning

Answer 1

giving a unique number to each patient

Question 2

gross examination

Answer 2

using the naked eye to obtain diagnostic information: tissue color, consistency, texture, discriminating features, and all dimensions

Question 3

fixation

Answer 3

preserving a specimen for microscopic study

Question 4

tissue processing

Answer 4

preparing tissue in such a way that it can be embedded (in paraffin): dehydration, clearing, and infiltration, typically takes 8-15 hours

Question 5

pathology

Answer 5

the study of disease

Question 6

embedding

Answer 6

tissue pieces are placed in molds and hardened in paraffin using a cold plate, this allows for correct alignment and orientation of tissues

Question 7

sectioning

Answer 7

using a microtome to cut thin ribbons of tissue to be placed on slides for examination

Question 8

staining

Answer 8

gives contrast to the tissue and highlights particular features

Question 9

histology

Answer 9

the study of tissues, their structures and functions that allows us to investigate the difference between normal healthy tissue and abnormal diseased tissue

Question 10

histotechnician

Answer 10

a member of the laboratory team who prepares human body tissue for examination by other medical professionals

Question 11

histotechnology

Answer 11

technical histology concerned especially with preparing and processing human and animal tissue

Question 12

pathology

Answer 12

the study of disease/diseased tissue

Question 13

4 areas that use histology

Answer 13

diagnosis for treatment, education, forensic examination, autopsy

Question 14

4 types of tissue

Answer 14

muscle, connective, neural, epithelial

Question 15

epithelial tissue

Answer 15

tissue that covers surfaces, lines body cavities, and forms glands, ex salivary glands

Question 16

muscle

Answer 16

cells with contractile properties

Question 17

nervous tissue

Answer 17

cells forming the brain, spinal cord, and nerves

Question 18

connective tissues

Answer 18

the body’s support system such as tendons, bones, and fatty tissue

Question 19

biopsy

Answer 19

a non-invasive, mostly painless procedure that allows for easy follow ups and evaluation of disease progression

Question 20

fixative

Answer 20

a chemical that preserves a specimen for microscopic study; 1 hour per 1mm of tissue

Question 21

fixative volume

Answer 21

should be 15 to 20 times the volume of the tissue

Question 22

NBF 10% Neutral buffered formalin

Answer 22

the most commonly used fixative, penetrates tissue rapidly, causes less shrinking, and permits most special stains

Question 23

dehydration (processing)

Answer 23

water from wet fixed tissues must be removed. This is done with progression of alcohols from 70 to 95 to 100%

Question 24

clearing (processing)

Answer 24

removal of the ethanol with a substance that will be miscible with paraffin. Most common clearing agent is xylene

Question 25

infiltration (processing)

Answer 25

tissue is permeated with the embedding agent (paraffin)

Question 26

microtome

Answer 26

a machine with a sharp blade used to cut thin 4-5um sections of tissue

Question 27

H&E hematoxylin and eosin stain

Answer 27

a stain to visualize general structures of the tissue, Hematoxylin stains acidic structures like nuclei and eosin stains basic structures like the cytoplasm

Question 28

NAACLS

Answer 28

national accrediting agency for clinical laboratory sciences

Question 29

Steps that tissue goes through

Answer 29

accessioning, grossing, fixation, processing, embedding, sectioning, staining, coverslipping, given to pathologist