For some reason, I have a chapter copied from a book titled Animal and 
Insect Histotechnology, no author - all I have is a chapter from this book 
authored by Debra A. McElroy - but it contained some words of wisdom for 
insects.

Fixation NBF, Bouins, or Zenkers - after fixation, soak fixed specimens in 
4% phenol (4 ml melted phenol in 96 ml 80% ethanol) for 24 hours to soften 
the chitnous exoskeletaons then process into paraffin.

If you try this, please keep us posted on results.



  At 08:29 AM 1/26/2006, you wrote:
>         With cuts in staff I've been asked if I can teach the histology 
> portion of a zoology class. Problem, one of the tissue I'll be using is 
> insect abdomen with its chitin exoskeleton. Any hints and tips regarding 
> this type of material, processing, embedding, sectioning, that sort of 
> thing. Or, is it Mollifix time again?
>
>Dr. Ian Montgomery,
>Histotechnology,
>IBLS Support Services,
>Graham Kerr Building,
>Institute of Biomedical & Life Sciences,
>University of Glasgow,
>Glasgow,
>G12 8QQ.
>Tel: 0141 339 8855
>Office: 4652
>Lab: 6644.
>Pager: 07623 975451
>e-mail: ian.montgomery@bio.gla.ac.uk
>
>
>_______________________________________________
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>Histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu
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Gayle Callis
Research Histopathology Supervisor
Veterinary Molecular Biology
Montana State University - Bozeman
PO Box 173610
Bozeman MT 59717-3610
406 994-6367
406 994-4303 (FAX)



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