They can not freeze the muscle in OCT because it needs to be frozen in the 
clamped state. If they immersed the thing in OCT and froze it then the 
clamp would have to remain attached because it would be frozen to the 
muscle and OCT - unless somebody has a better idea.
As for freezing it correctly - they are doing that. I just wondered if 
there was some way to freeze the muscle and do sectioning anyway 
differently from what I have been doing.
Andi



>Reply-To: "Diane G. Miller" 
>From: "Diane G. Miller" 
>To: "Andrea Grantham" 
>Subject: Re: freezing sketetal muscle - need some suggestions
>Date: Thu, 24 Jan 2002 10:26:21 -0800
>Organization: Miller Consultant Service
>X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook Express 6.00.2600.0000
>
>Hi Andi,
>
>Why don't you ask the other lab to snip freeze it in OCT.  I use to rap
>aluminum foil around a pencil, take the molded foil off the pencil, put OCT
>in it, stand the muscle bx upright in the OCT and snip freeze it, put it in
>the -70 freezer until I had time to cut it.  It was easy to attach to the
>chuck and gives you a matrix around your specimen.
>
>Diane
>----- Original Message -----
>From: "Andrea Grantham" 
>To: 
>Sent: Thursday, January 24, 2002 9:42 AM
>Subject: freezing sketetal muscle - need some suggestions
>
>
> > I have some labs who bring me hunks of frozen skeletal muscle for frozen
> > sectioning. They clamp the muscle and snap freeze it and then store it in
>a
> > microcentrifuge tube at minus 80 until needed. When I get the muscle I
>have
> > to attach it to the cryostat chuck with OCT without thawing any of the
>tissue.
> > What I have had to do is make a base of OCT and just as it is about to
> > freeze over I stick only a tip of the tissue into it. However when
> > sectioning I'm cutting only the tissue with no supporting medium around it
> > and this ain't easy!
> > If any other labs are doing this and would want to share how they are
>going
> > about it I'd be really grateful!!!
> > Thanks!
> > Andi Grantham
> > .....................................................................
> > : Andrea Grantham, HT(ASCP)     Dept. of Cell Biology & Anatomy     :
> > : Sr. Research Specialist       University of Arizona               :
> > : (office:  AHSC 4212)          P.O. Box 245044                     :
> > : (voice:  520-626-4415)        Tucson, AZ  85724-5044    USA       :
> > : (FAX:  520-626-2097)          (email:  algranth@u.arizona.edu)       :
> > :...................................................................:
> >            http://www.cba.arizona.edu/histology-lab.html
> >
> >
> >
> >

.....................................................................
: Andrea Grantham, HT(ASCP)     Dept. of Cell Biology & Anatomy     :
: Sr. Research Specialist       University of Arizona               :
: (office:  AHSC 4212)          P.O. Box 245044                     :
: (voice:  520-626-4415)        Tucson, AZ  85724-5044    USA       :
: (FAX:  520-626-2097)          (email:  algranth@u.arizona.edu)       :
:...................................................................:
           http://www.cba.arizona.edu/histology-lab.html