Frozen sections can be cut and stained with H&E for immediate
diagnostic reasons, ie resection lines for melanoma lesions. I don't
have the exact procedure on hand but the slide mounted sections are
fixed in acetone? if I remember right and then a rapid H&E is
performed. I'm sure someone will have a protocol. The morphology
isn't ever going to be as good as well fixed tissue but if
pathologists can diagnose from these, you should be able to see what
you're looking for.

I find a cresyl violet stain is better for brain tissue especially if
the sections are reasonably thick (30-50µm), but it depends what
you're interested in, and I don't know how well it will work on post
fixed sections.

Cath



At 3:39 PM -0400 6/6/02, sebres@comcast.net wrote:
>I hope you folks will forgive a naive question from a psychologist who does
>some histology & is trying to help another psychologist who knows even less
>about histology:  she wants to use H&E to assess toxicity in rat brain, but
>in fresh-frozen brain (not yet sectioned).  I've provided her with a
>protocol for H&E, but can the slide-mounted sx's be fixed adequately at that
>stage for H&E to work?  Or might there be another stain or assay that would
>work better for this purpose?  Thanks for any advice!   Susan


--
---------------------------------------------------
Cathy Gorrie
Scientific Officer
Neural Injury Research Unit,
School of Medical Sciences,
University of New South Wales
Sydney, N.S.W. 2052

Phone: 61-2-9385 2462
Fax   : 61-2-9313 6252
e-mail: c.gorrie@unsw.edu.au