If you have crystals embedded in the material, you really should embed
     it in GMA or another plastic. Wax will be too soft and will allow the
     crystalline material to move (as well as having many, many knife
     marks, like in improperly decalcified bone). Plastic will also allow
     very thin cuts- 1 micron or less.
           -jc



______________________________ Reply Separator
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Subject: pineal organ help
Author:  Tamara Howard <howard@cshl.org> at internet
Date:    01/13/2000 11:47 AM


I'm posting this for someone else, so please - if you can help - reply to
his address (it is at the bottom of the message), but I'll keep an eye out
for reponses and send them on to him. I think he wants paraffin sections.
The material is already formalin-fixed...sounds like it is archival, but
not embedded.

Thanks!

Tamara Howard
CSHL

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Hi,
I'm a post graduate student, and i'm working on the pineal gland, a gland
located in the middle of the brain.

I'd like to know what would be the better way to prpare it for a thin cut
and a hard fixation??

I'm just gonna do first, light microscopy but with very thincut. And the
other problem is that i want my pineal gland to be very hard because there
are some crystal in it and i don't want them to move during the cuting.

Thank you for answering!!

Simon
simonb@bgumail.bgu.ac.il