Dear Maureen,

    Should you need reference material (along with our personal accounts of the
rehydrating tissue with warm water) the following is found in the late Lee
Luna's book -Histopathologic Methods and Color Atlas of Special Stains and
Tissue Artifacts - p63, Microvibrations in Tissue Sections.      It reads, in
part, "....dip your thumb in the warm floatation water bath and rub it on the
surface of the specimen one time for two seconds.  Without icing, cut the
section.  Cut [another] section after the surface of the specimen has been
exposed to the water-soaked thumb three times for two seconds each.  Cut four
or
five more sections in a similar manner, except increase the number and duration
of moisturizing treatments by a factor of one for each subsequent section.
Stain all slides as usual.  Microscopic examination of the slides will reveal a
dramatic gradual improvement in each subsequent section as the time of water
treatment and seconds of exposure increase.  The improvement in quality
encompasses all artifacts often seen after microtomy, including
microvibration."

    A former workmate of mine folded a piece of gauze to block-size to use on
blocks you describe.  Many people have shared that they face all blocks and
place them into bowls of tepid water containing a small portion of dish
detergent.   Many times cold (melted ice) water will suffice.  But for tissue
that is more dehydrated or brittle, the warm water seems to penetrate a bit
deeper.

Best regards,
Nancy

Nancy Klemme, HT(ASCP)
Customer/Product Support Mgr.
Sakura Finetek USA, Inc.
1750  West 214th Street
Torrance, CA  90501

Web Page = www.sakuraus.com
e-mail = nancy.klemme@sakuraus.com
Phone = 800/725-8723