Oops - that should be CORK not cord - dyslexia of the fingers!
Joyce Weems
Pathology Manager
Saint Joseph's Hospital of Atlanta


	-----Original Message-----
	From:	Weems, Joyce 
	Sent:	Wednesday, January 10, 2001 1:06 PM
	To:	'Tim Webster'; 'HistoNet@pathology.swmed.edu'
	Subject:	RE: Tissue Compression

	Our blades come through Allegiance - Sakura, AccuEdge - Hard to beat
for
	overall durability. They last longer than any that I've tried, and
will last
	even longer if you run a piece of cord over the edge after you've
faced the
	block and are ready to ribbon. I bet your AHS rep would work with
you for a
	good price. 
	Joyce Weems
	Pathology Manager
	Saint Joseph's Hospital of Atlanta


		-----Original Message-----
		From:	Tim Webster [SMTP:twebster@nmcinc.org]
		Sent:	Wednesday, January 10, 2001 11:42 AM
		To:	'HistoNet@pathology.swmed.edu'
		Subject:	Tissue Compression


		Hi everybody,

		I am looking for peoples opinions on the evils of tissue
compression
	during
		routine parrafin sectioning.

		Our lab uses Curtin Matheson Scientific blades which produce
clean
	sections
		(when new) but we experience serious compression when
cutting some
	tissues -
		Most notably lipomas and endometrial curretage - of up to
25%.

		I have tried adjusting the angle, the temperature of the
block,
		faster/slower cutting etc to no effect.  The archives talk
about
	using
		different wax for infiltrating and embedding, but little
about the
	day to
		day battle of cutting. (Incidentaly,we use the same wax for
	infiltrating and
		embedding.)

		Interestingly, using Leica blades produces almost
compression-free
	sections,
		but bloody specimens in particular -emc or ecc for example-
are
	unbelivably
		fragile and often croak before you can lay them out on the
	waterbath.  I
		like cutting with the leica because the  sections are SO
good, if
	you have
		the time to be a little finicky.  Our contract of course is
with
	CMS, so I
		jealously guard my dwindling supply.

		What do you guy's think? (Other than to fork out for Leica
blades!)

		Tim Webster
		Northwestern Medical Center
		Fairfield Street, VT
		(802) 524-1070
		twebster@nmcinc.org