The Vibratome may be your best bet if you don't want to freeze the tissue.
It can be very frustrating to cut with the Vibratome however it does allow
the use of slightly fixed to well fixed tissue to be cut in thicker
sections.  The tissue can also be kept very cold but not frozen.  It just
does not produce even sections.  They often look like venetian blinds.
Pam Marcum

-----Original Message-----
From: emaher9@home.com [mailto:emaher9@home.com]
Sent: Saturday, August 04, 2001 2:12 AM
To: Robert Geske; histonet@pathology.swmed.edu
Subject: Re: fat analysis


How about trying a vibrating microtome?  I don't know if the fat is solid
enough to try this, but thick sections of brain are cut  this way.
Evanne Maher
 Leica Specimen Preparation

----- Original Message -----
From: "Robert Geske" <RGeske@lexgen.com>
To: <histonet@pathology.swmed.edu>
Sent: Saturday, July 28, 2001 5:47 AM
Subject: fat analysis


> we are currently engaged in quantitation of different types and anatomic
> locations of fat. we want to analyze the adipocytes in terms of their
number
> per unit volume and the individual cells maximum diameter and from that
> infer cell volume.  given that the cells maximum diameter can be up to 200
> microns, we want to sample slices of fat in excess of that number.
> we initially looked at 200 micron sections of fat frozen in OCT and
> sectioned in a cryostat.  this was not adequate.  our cryostat will
section
> up to 300 microns in thickness and this is the next step.  the sections
are
> floated on a buffer and viewed at 4X with images being  captured with a
> digital camera before analysis. we do not want to mount the sections on
> slides as this causes shape distortion (this was our first thought
also ---
> section, mount, and ORO).  are there any suggestions on equipment and/or
> techniques for cutting up to 500 micron sections of fixed or fresh fat.
> another possiblity i am looking into this weekend is sterological methods
to
> determine the information we are after.  we this, i believe, we will not
> have to take such thick sections.  with the knowledge of the measurment of
> section thickness and area we should be able to analyze multiple planes
> through the section and make reasonable estimates about the population of
> adipocytes.  does anyone have experience using this method for fat
analysis?
>
> regards to all,
>
> rob
>
>
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