staining MMA sections

It would be helpful if we could get more information regarding the specimens. After your second email, it sounds like there is a medical device in the bone specimens. More information on the animal model, the implant site and metal device. However, the processing of metal implants in bone is well established in the literature and there are many publications that are available that were published in the 90's. Diane Sterchi and I published quite a few papers during that time that may be beneficial to the work your lab is doing. If you go to my website www.wasatchhisto.com I have listed many of my old publications. Getting hold of these publications will lead you to others in all the citations referenced in the papers. If your colleague still has questions he may want to post more direct questions on Histonet or I would be happy to help him as well. The processing of mineralized bone can be very challenging and frustrating to the "newbie" but you have a great support system already in place. Barry Rittman, Gayle Callis and others have already given some very helpful information. The previous publications will be very beneficial reading to your colleague. The nice thing is that there are folks around to point you in the right direction. When I started a new position in the early 80's leaving a hospital histo lab for an orthopedic research lab, it was rude awakening and at time there was no one to help, so it was all trial and error. However, those trials and errors were put into publications so that others did not have to struggle like our lab did in the early 80's. Also, NSH has a subcommittee called the Hard Tissue Committee (HTC) that may be beneficial to for your colleague to become a member of. More information on NSH and the HTC can be found at www.nsh.org.