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Fixation

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Question
Answer
destruction/digestion of tissue and cells by enzymes   autolysis  
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stabilize proteins   fixation  
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substance/structure not normally present, produced by some external action   artifact  
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heterogenous group of substances, contain enough color that they are visible w/o staining   pigment  
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are primarily acetone and ethyl/methyl alcohol (flammables)   Nonaqeous fixative  
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cloudiness, flocculation, and clot formation stages in coagulation   coagulation  
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chemically link/add themselves to tissue   additive fixative  
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solution that causes cells to swell   hypotonic  
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fluids into which normal animal cells can be placed w/o causing swelling or shrinkage of cells   isotonic  
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allows solution to penetrate or gain entry into the interior of the tissue   coagulating fixatives  
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formaldehyde, osmium tetroxide, potassium dichromate and acetic acid.   noncoagulant fixatives  
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do not allow good penetration by reagents   noncoagulant fixatives  
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Alcohol, zinc salts, mercuric chloride, chromium trioxide and picric acid   coagulating fixatives  
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stabilize and denature proteins   heat  
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mercuric chloride, chromium trioxide, picric acid, formaldehyde, gluteraldehyde, osmium tetroxide, and zinc sulfate or chloride   common additive reagents  
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act on tissue w/o combining with it   acetone and alchol  
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alters tissue stabilize proteins, so that its resistant to further change   fixative  
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kill the tissue so that postmortem activities of decay, putrefaction and autolysis is prevented   Function of fixative  
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maintain proper relationship between cells and extracellular substances   Function of fixative  
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will fail to stain   severely autolysed tissue  
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must change solube contents of a cell into insoluble so that those substances are not lost during processing   Fixative  
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causes proteins to be less capable of maintaining an intimate relationship w/water and become more reactive, but fixative molecule doesnot combine w/t protein   Denaturation  
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Render enzymes inactive, (brain, pancreas, liver) kill bacteria and molds   Action of fixatives  
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Make tissue receptive to dyes, Modify tissue for the maximum retention of form through subsequent processing   Action of fixative  
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Stabilize tissue elements so subsequent procedures will have minimal effect   Action of fixative  
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Physical and Chemical   Methods of Fixation  
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Heat and dessication   Physical  
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Microwave - heat tissue in saline   Heat method  
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Easily overheat, loss of enzyme activity and atingenicity, false locatlization of nuceleic acid, lysis of RBC's   Disadvantage of heat method  
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Increase spee, less destructive to connective tissue   Advantages of heat method  
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Another physical method of fixing proteins   Dessication  
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Air Drying, Basic use: peripheral blood smears, Wright staining most frequent use for this method   Dessication  
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Method that is rarely used   Dessication  
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Primary method of protein stabilization   Chemical fixation  
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additive vx nonadditive, Coagulant vx noncoagulant, Aqueous vx nonaqueous   Reagents can be classified as  
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elements that affect the quality of fixation   Fixation factors  
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Temperature, Size of tissue, Volume ration   Factors influencing fixation  
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increased temp causes increased autolysis and increased diffusion of cellular elements   Factors influencing fixation  
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Size- Sections should not be more than 3mm thick   Factors influencing fixation  
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15 to 20 times greater than the tissue volume   Fixative volume  
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Tissue should be placed in fixative immediately after surgical removal   Time  
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tissue underlying epithelium   lamina propria  
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Penetration, tissue storage, pH, osmolality   What to consider when choosing a fixative  
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Number of particles in a solution   Osmolality  
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Begins at Periphery of tissue and proceeds inward   Fixation  
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achieve their full effect on tissue at any particular depth as soon as they have penetrated to that depth at a concentration sufficient to cause coagulation   Coagulant fixatives  
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Affected by heat, but not the concentration of the fixative   Rate of penetration  
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Penetrates faster than any of the common fixatives ingridients   Formaldehyde  
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Stored wet   tissue storage  
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tissue may remain in this solution indefinitely   Neutral buffered formalin  
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Solutions with a pH value above 7.0 are   Alkali (base)  
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Solutions with a pH value below 7.0 are   Acidic  
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Solutions with a pH value of 7.0 are   Neutrals  
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is not important in light microscopy but is for electon microscopy   pH of solution  
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Fixatives used for EM need to be at a physiological   pH 7.2-7.4  
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most fixatives pH range between   4-9  
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pigment may be produced if pH drops below   4.0  
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have an osmolality of 340 mOsm   Body fluids  
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is a semipermealbe membrane that allows water molecules to pass through it very readily   Cell membrane  
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passes through the cell membrane toward the most concentrated solution to equalize the concentration on both sides of the membrane   Water  
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Water leaves the cell and the cell shrinks   When the cell is surrounded by a hypertonic solution  
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The cell swells possibly rupturing its membrane (cell cytosol)   When the cell is placed in a hypotonic solution  
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physiological or normal   isotonic  
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Additive vx nonadditive, coagulant vx noncoagulant, aqueous vx nonaqeuous   Fixative Classification  
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chemicaly combine with the protein molecules to changed them. the protein is made insoluble by the addition of the fixative and then becomes immobilitzed, remaining at is original location in the cell.   additive fixatives  
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change tertirary structure of the protein   additive fixatives  
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do not combine with protein   nonadditive fixatives  
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they act on the proteins to coagulate them and precipitate them, but do not change their chemical structures   nonadditive fixatives  
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The primary mechanism by whic these fixatives act is to dissociate bound water molecules from tissue protein groups   nonadditve fixatives  
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Mercuric chloride   additive  
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chromium tetroxide   additive  
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picric acid   additive  
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formaldehyde   additive  
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gluteraldehyde   additive  
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osmium tetroxide   additive  
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zinc sulfate   additive  
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zinc chloride   additive  
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methyl alcohol   nonadditive  
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ethyl alcohol   nonadditive  
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acetone   nonadditive  
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transformation of a liquid or a solid into a semi-solid or solid mass   coagulant fixative  
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forms a semisolid network of molecules that allows other preservative solutions to penetrate the tissue deeply   coagulant fixative  
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establishes a network in the tissue that allows solutions to readily penetrate or enter most freely   Coagulation  
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act by creating a gel that makes penetration by a subsequent solution difficult   noncoagulant fixative  
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forms a solid gel which does not allow for easy penetration of solutions and are not used for easy penetration of solutions and are not used for paraffin embedding   noncoagulant fixative  
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Alcohol   coagulant  
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zinc salts   coagulant  
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mercuric chloride   coagulant  
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chromium trioxide   coagulant  
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picric acid   coagulant  
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Formaldehyde   noncoagulant  
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gluteraldehyde   noncoagulant  
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osmium tetroxide   noncoagulant  
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potassium dichromate   noncoagulant  
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acetic acid   noncoagulant  
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Water based   Aqueous fixatives  
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most commonly used   Aqueous fixatives  
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formaldehyde   Aqueous fixative  
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acetic acid   Aqueous fixative  
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Picric acid   Aqueous fixative  
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organic compound known as simple aldehyde   Formaldehyde  
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occurs naturally as a colorless gas   Formaldehyde  
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used interchangeably   Formaldehyde and formalin  
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37-40% and are considered 100%formalin   Commercial grade formaldehyde  
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100% formalin is diluted to 10% formalin, which means the concentration of formaldehyde is 3.7-4%   Formalin fixation  
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Formalin   additive fixative  
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it reacts primarily with the amino groups on the amino acids of proteins to form bonds which cross link protein chains together   Formalin  
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nonacuagulating fixative forming a gel which makes the proteins insoluble and keeps them in place and are able to with stand further processing   formalin  
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causes less shrinkage to tissue   Formaldehyde  
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It is hypertonic it is not osmotaically active   Formaldehyde  
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preserves morphological detail so that tissue is life-like   Formaldehyde  
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penetrates tissue rapidly   Formaldehyde  
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Fixes tissue slowly up to 7days   Formaldehyde  
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cross linking proteins because it is an additve fixative   Formaldehyde  
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Chemically stable and kept at room temperature   Formaldehyde  
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tissue can be stored long term without distorting the tissue   Formaldehyde  
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hardens tissue more than other fixatives except ethanol and acetone   Formaldehyde  
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can be used as a simple aqueous solution or w/ addition of sodium chloride to achieve the correct osmolality   Formaldehyde  
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Buffers are added to maintain neutrality (pH of 6.8)and to prevent pigments/percipitates from forming   Formaldehyde  
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organic acid   Acetic acid  
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undiluted is called glacial acetic acid   Acetic acid  
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Diluted is known as vinegar and is used in pickling   Acetic acid  
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leaves tissue very soft   Acetic acid  
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it doesnt fix lipids or carbohydrates   Acetic acid  
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lyses red blood cells   Acetic acid  
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Hypertonic effect on cells   Acetic acid  
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coagulant fixative   Picric acid  
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penetrates tissue well   Picric acid  
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gives tissue a soft consistency   Picric acid  
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Causes extreme shrinkage   Picric acid  
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Not a good fixative for nucleic acids as it leaves DNA solube   Picric acid  
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not the fixative of choice for nucelic acid stains   Picric acid  
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Tissue must have picric acid washed out in 50% ethanol before processing so distortion or obliteration of almost all cellular structures does not occur   Picric acid  
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Toxic and explosive   Picric acid  
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Other than formaldehyde or gluteraldehyde most fixative solutions are combined so that the disadvantage of one component will be counterbalanced by an advantage or disadvantage of another   Compound or combined fixatives  
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hypertonic/hypotonic balance   Compound or combined fixatives  
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mercuric chloride, sodium acetate and formaldehyde   B-5 fixative  
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used to fix hematopoietic and lymphoreticular tissues   B-5 fixative  
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gives beautiful nuclear detail   B-5 fixative  
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wash in iodine the sodium thiosulfate to remove mercury pigments before processing   B-5 fixative  
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store wet tissue in 70% alcohol   B-5 fixative  
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great for immunofluorescence and immunohistochemistry   B-5 fixative  
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contains picric acid, acetic acid and formaldehyde   Bouin solution  
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Good for nuclear preservation   Bouin solution  
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Used for gastrointestinal and endocrine bx   Bouin solution  
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Not used for EM studies or nucleic acid demonstration   Bouin solution  
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Wash in 50-70% alcohol to remove yellow color of fixative   Bouin solution  
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Not for long term storage, place tissue in 70-80% alcohol   Bouin solution  
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NO water   nonaqueous fixatives  
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coagulating, nonadditve fixative   nonaqueous fixatives  
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are used only when the desired tissue components are destroyed or dissolved by aqueous fixatives   nonaqueous fixatives  
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overharden tissue   nonaqueous fixatives  
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shrink tissue   nonaqueous fixatives  
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acetone   nonaqeuous fixatives  
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ethyl/methyl alcohol   nonaqueous fixatives  
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used for enzyme studies especially acid and alkaline phosphatase   Acetone  
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used to fix brain tissue for diagnosis of rabies   Acetone  
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frequently used on frozen sections used for cell surface antigens by IHC   Acetone  
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Touch preps and blood smears   Methyl alcohol  
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Preserves water soluble tissue components like glycogen and urate crystals that are deposited in gout   Ethyl alcohol  
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preserves pigments, dissolves fat, overhardens and shrinks tissue   Ethyl alcohol  
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color deposits which may be found in or on tissue   Pigments  
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Result from chemical processing   Artifact pigments  
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black acid hematain pigment   Formalin pigment  
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brown crystalline pigments forms in tissue rich in blood when the pH is below 6.0   Formalin pigment  
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it is removed by treating slides with a solution of alcohol saturated w/picric acid or 70% alcohol w/ammonium hydroxide   Formalin pigment can be removed  
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these pigments can be confused w/relative pigments or microorganisms   Formalin pigment  
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found w/mercury containing fixatives (B-5) were not removed prior to processing   Mercury pigment  
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red in color   Mercury pigment  
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Treat w/Gram's or Lugol's iodine followed by sodium thiosulfate   Mercury pigment can be removed  
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nucleus, proteins, lipids, carbohydrates   cells that react w/fixatives  
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Dna, Rna and attached proteins are found in the   Nucleus  
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acetic and carnoy solution   fixatives for nucleic acids  
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produces nuclear bubbling where nuclei show coalescence of the chromatin into strands with clear spaces   Formalin fixation  
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have a primary, secondary and tertiary structure which determine the size and shape of protein molecule   Proteins  
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is determined by the sequence of the amino acids which are linked by covalent bonds   Primary protein structures  
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is determined by hydrogen bonding between the amino acids   Secondary protein structures  
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is determined by other types of chemical bonds between the amino acids such as ionic bonds, hydrogen bonds and linkages with sulfur atoms   tertiary protein structures  
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Many fixatives preserves lipids but only two fix them, so that they are not lost in subsequent processing   Lipids  
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two chemicals that fix lipids   Osmium tetroxide and chromic acid  
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some are lost in fixation   Carbohydrates  
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the storage form of glucose   glycogen  
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glycogen the storage form of glucose is thought to be retained by entrapment of fixed proteins   carbohydrates  
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for immunofluorescence study or enzyme profile   specimen must be frozen w/o fixation  
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tissue should be frozen, sectioned and briefly fixed in acetone   Immunohistochemistry T and B cell markers for dx of lymphomas  
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Special stain   choice of fixatives  
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for a trichrome fix in   Bouins  
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for chromaffin granules found in cells of the adrenal gland fix in   Orth's  
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for urate crystrals fix in   Alcohols  
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when muscle cross-striations are to be stained with PTAH use   Zenkers  
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cells shrink by releasing fluid   hypertonic  
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resist extracgtion by most strong acids, water, alcohol or acetone   Formalin pigments  
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highly polymeric form of formaldehyde   Paraformaldehyde  
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strong tendency to polymerize to dimers and trimers   formaldehyde  
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glutaraldehyde (most used in em) and osmium tetroxide   Electron microscopy fixation  
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Zenker   skeletal muscle cross striation (fixation)  
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use Orth solution when you need to demonstrate Chromaffin granules   pheochromocytomas  
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require nonaqeous fixated absolute alcohol   Urate crystals  
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Frozen w/o fixation   immunofluorescence  
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Bouin   tissue for trichrome (muscle)  
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frozen w/o fixation   enzyme histochemistry  
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frozen sectioned and briefly fixed in acetone   immunohistochemistry  
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a cell is a solution that is more concentrated than the cell cytosol   hypertonic  
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NH2   amino group  
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-COOH   Carboxyl group  
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Chromium, mercury and osmiums   Heavy metals  
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are cations that combine with anion group of proteins   Heavy metals  
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positvely charged   cations  
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negatively charged   anions  
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sulfhydryl, carboxyl and phosphoric   combine w/anions  
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-Sh   sulfhydryl  
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-PO4   phosphoric acid  
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most rapidly penetrating component of aqueous fixative   water  
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has freezing point of 16.6C   glacial acetic acid  
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prepared in water   aqueous  
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B-5, Bouin, Gendre, Hollande, Zenker/helly, Orth, Zamboni, Zinc formalin   compound fixative  
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