X-Message-Number: 5413
Date: Tue, 12 Dec 1995 11:13:10 -0800 (PST)
From: Doug Skrecky <>
Subject: Radiation preservation

 There seem to be two main problems with using radiation as the sole
 preservation method. 
    #1. Poor uniformity of irradiation of large tissue blocks. 
    #2. Destruction of tissue components due to high temperatures. 
 Both problems appear to be solvable by using low intensity radiation only
 as an assist in chemical preservation of tissue stored in an ice bath. 
 Penetration rate of fixatives into tissue is increased by the use of a
 microwave oven at defrost setting. *1 Ethanol is the best fixative for
 DNA & RNA preservation and an ethanol/polyethylene mixture known as
 Kryofix is reputed to be the best fixative for use in conjunction with
 microwaves. *2 *3 *4

 *1 Histochemical Journal 25:719-725 1993
 *2 Exp. Hematol. 16:730-732 1988
 *3 Biotechniques 16(6): 1021-1023 1994
 *4 Archives in Histopathology 341-346 1990


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