Hi Carmen,

There are probably a number of reasons why your haematoxylin starts to fade
within a couple of years and I would start off by making sure that the
mounting medium you use for coverslipping is pH neutral.  An acid mounting
medium would cause the haematoxylin to fade.  How are your slides stored,
prolonged exposure to light would also cause fading.

Best regards,

Jim Hall.

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At 11:54 03/04/00 +0200, Buttigieg Carmen at MOH wrote:
>Especially to Europeans
>
>I have a few difficulties whith our H & Es. The Haematoxylin starts to fade 
>within a couple of years. Got any answers, like some miracle formula. I've
been 
>hearing a lot about Richard-Allan's stains but I have no idea where they
could 
>be purchased from. If they are available from a European country, it is more 
>convenient for us.
>Another problem is cutting frozen sections containing a lot of fat. Someone 
>spoke about the Cryojane System. Would it solve my porblem? At the moment
all I 
>get from fatty material are holes in the embedding medium. Again, if the
is a 
>supplier somewhere in Europe, it is easier for me.
>Thanks for all your help
>
>
>Carmen
>A/PLMT HISTOPATHOLOGY
>ST. LUKE'S HOSPITAL
>MALTA
>
>carmen.a.buttigieg@magnet.mt
>
>
>