Unit 9 Mounting Labeling

Question 1

Process that involves the use of a medium and a coverslip to facilitate the ease of handling and storage of the slide and to prevent damage to the section.

Answer 1

MOUNTING

Question 2

Goal: Preparation to last for years.

Will prevent contamination and facilitate ease of handling

Answer 2

MOUNTING

Question 3

Mounting is important because the mounting medium will improve the refractive index.

The fresh slides are blurry; you can’t see the cellular details.

Mounting preserves more of the slide contents.

Answer 3

TRUE

Question 4

Remove excess mounting medium via?

Answer 4

Xylene

Question 5

When mounting, we must make sure that there are no bubbles.

Answer 5

TRUE

Question 6

Syrupy fluid applied between the section and the coverslip after staining, setting the section firmly preventing the movement of the coverslip.

Answer 6

MOUNTING MEDIUM

Question 7

It makes the refractive index of the image closer to a glass which makes it clearer under the microscope.

Hardens over time

Answer 7

MOUNTING MEDIUM

Question 8

★ Protects the stained section from scratches.
★ Facilitate easy handling.
★ Allows permanent keeping and storage.
■ Forensic: indefinite or permanent.
■ Non-forensic: at least 10 years.
★ The actual specimen (ex. kidney or liver) can be disposed 15-30 days after the results were released.
★ Helps to prevent the distortion of image during microscopic examination

Answer 8

BENEFITS OF MOUNTING

Question 9

✓ Refractive index near to that of the glass (1.518).
✓ Should be freely miscible with xylene (clearing) and toluene.

■ First use is for complete deparaffinization.
■ Last use is for the addition of a mounting media.

✓ Sets hard and produces permanent mounting of sections.

Answer 9

CHARACTERISTICS OF A GOOD MOUNTING MEDIUM

Question 10

⤫ Does not dry quickly, non-stick consistency and should not harden quickly.
⤫ Does not produce artifacts on the slides, nor should it produce any adverse effect on the tissue components.
⤫ Does not dissolve out or fade tissue sections.
⤫ Does not cause shrinkage and distortion of tissues.
⤫ It should not cause stains to diffuse or fade.
⤫ Does not leach out any stain or affect staining.
⤫ Does not change in color or pH.

Answer 10

CHARACTERISTICS OF A GOOD MOUNTING MEDIUM

Question 11

Designed to mount water-miscible preparations directly from water in cases where the stain is removed or decolorized with alcohol or xylene, or for metachromatic staining of amyloid.

Water-miscible preparations: those that still contain water in their stained tissue sections.

Answer 11

AQUEOUS MOUNTING MEDIA

Question 12

Usually made up of:
- Gelatin
- Glycerin jelly or Gum Arabic
- Glycerol/Glycerin
- Sugar, and
- Preservative solution

Answer 12

AQUEOUS MOUNTING MEDIA

Question 13

Used for preparations that have been dehydrated and cleared in xylene or toluene, and are recommended for the majority of staining methods.

Used for routine preparations.
Toluene is the alternative for xylene.

Divided into natural and synthetic.

Answer 13

RESINOUS MOUNTING MEDIA

Question 14

AMM: Temporary medium. We may simply use water if the slide is immediately observed under the microscope.

Answer 14

Water

Question 15

AMM:
- Preservative actions;
- Set hard;
- Keeps sections for years after ringing.
- Good preservative for the nuclear detail but is not commonly used because it’s expensive.
- It quickly hardens compared to other media.

Answer 15

Glycerin

Question 16

AMM:
- Dissolved Gum Arabic;
- Takes longer time to harden and requires a ringing.

Answer 16

Farrant’s medium

Question 17

It takes long to seal the entire coverslip so there’s a need for ringing.

Ringing acts like a sealant that would seal the edges of the tissue slide to enclose the entire setup.

Answer 17

Farrant’s medium

Question 18

AMM:
- Used for methylene blue stained nerve preparations;
- Sets hard (compared to the farrant’s) and does not require ringing.

Answer 18

Apathy’s medium

Question 19

AMM: Recommended for mounting frozen sections.

Answer 19

Brun’s fluid

Question 20

RMM:
- Transparent and colorless resin that adheres to glass;
- Darkens with age and oxidizes xylene to become acidic;

Drawback: becomes brownish over time.

Recommended for while mounts and thick sections.

Answer 20

Natural: Canada Balsam

Question 21

RMM:
- For small tissue sections due to shrinkage produced upon drying;
- Dries rapidly.

Answer 21

Synthetic: DPX (Dibutylphthalate polystyrene Xylene)

Question 21

RMM:
- Synthetic mixture in xylene;
- Dries quickly without retraction.

Retraction: the edges lack mounting media that’s why the mounted section shrinks.

Answer 21

XAM

Question 22

• Clarite
• Histoclad
• Eukitt
• Permount
• Entallan

Answer 22

SYNTHETIC RMM

Question 23

• Process of sealing the margins of the coverslip to prevent the escape of fluid or semi-fluid mounts and evaporation of mountant, to immobilize the coverslip, and to prevent sticking of the slides upon storage.
• Not commonly used for resinous mounting media (expensive).

Answer 23

RINGING

Question 24

• KRONIG CEMENT
• DUROFIX

Answer 24

KINDS OF RINGING MEDIA

Question 25

Cellulose adhesives

Answer 25

DUROFIX

Question 26

Made up of two parts paraffin wax
mixed with 4-9 parts powdered colophonium resin, heated and filtered.

Answer 26

KRONIG CEMENT

Question 27

Process of indicating the year and specimen number on one end of the prepared slide for proper identification.

Answer 27

LABELING