This sounds good now where do you order the corks????

> -----Original Message-----
> From:	Tim Fairchild [SMTP:timf@cyllene.uwa.edu.au]
> Sent:	Thursday, July 01, 1999 3:14 AM
> To:	HistoNet Server
> Subject:	Freezing muscle sections
> 
> We have recently undertaken a project which required a portion of muscle
> to be analysed for fibre type and oxidative capacity.  The technique we
> adopted to freeze the muscle (human muscle), was to mount the muscle on
> cork using 'gum tragacanth', and then freezing this in isopentane cooled
> in liquid nitrogen.  The trouble we're having is that every 5th sample
> (roughly speaking) has ice crystal artifact through it.  I am
> attributing this to the isopentan not being cold enough.  I guess my
> questions therefore are:
> 
> 1. Is there a way to protect the muscle from the freezing process, i.e.
> putting O.C.T. over the muscle?
> 2. If the muscle has to be frozen in isopentane, what 'set up' has
> worked for other people (i.e. we put the isopentane in a long metal
> cylindrical container, inserted in a larger container holding liquid
> nitrogen) and what techniques have you found useful (e.g. hold in
> isopentane for 20 seconds)?
> 
> Any help (or small tips) would be very much appreciated!
> 
> Thanks in advance,
> 
> Tim Fairchild.
> -----------------------------------------------------------------
> Timothy J. Fairchild B.Sc. (Hons)
> PhD Candidate
> Co-ordinator for Centre of Athletic Testing
> Department of Human Movement and Exercise Science
> Nedlands, Western Australia 6907
> Telephone: (+61 8) 9380 2793
> Facsimile:  (+61 8) 9380 1039
> Email: timf@cyllene.uwa.edu.au
> http://www.general.uwa.edu.au/~hmweb/index.htm
> 
> 
>