Applications Leica RM2265
Knife Angle in Microtomy
Tips & Tricks in Sample Preparation
12 January 2011
The knife angle is important to the application
Charles W. Scouten, Ph.D., Leica Microsystems
To prepare biological tissue for observation under a microscope, the tissue is usually cut in thin slices. Most biological tissue is too soft to cut; the knife would push into it and compress it, even if the cutting edge was very sharp.
Therefore, the tissue is either frozen and sectioned in a cryostat or embedded in a hardening material like paraffin or resin, or cut while still soft with a vibrating blade microtome. The correct knife angle is the subject of much misunderstanding, misleading experience, and incorrect information passed between microtomists, but in fact can be logically derived.
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Resin Histology Methods for Stented Arteries
Comparison of Processing and Sectioning Methodologies for Arteries Containing Metallic Stents
14 August 2009
Resin Histology Methods for Stented Arteries
Peter Rippstein, Melanie Black, Marie Boivin, John P. Veinot, Xiaoli Ma, Yong-Xiang Chen, Paul Human, Peter Zilla, Edward R. O’Brien
The histological study of arteries with implanted metallic scaffolding devices, known as stents, remains a technical challenge. Given that the arterial response to stent implantation can sometimes lead to adverse outcomes, including the re-accumulation of tissue mass within the stent (or in-stent restenosis), overcoming these technical challenges is a priority for the advancement of research and development in this important clinical field.
Essentially, the task is to section the stent-tissue interface with the least amount of disruption of tissue and cellular morphology. Although many methacrylate resin methodologies are successfully applied towards the study of endovascular stents by a variety of research laboratories, the exact formulations, as well as subsequent processing and sectioning methodology remain largely coveted.
In this paper we describe in detail a methyl methacrylate resin embedding methodology that can successfully be employed towards tungsten carbide blade, as well as saw and grinding sectioning methods and transmission electron microscopy.
In addition, we present a comparison of the two sectioning methodologies in terms of their effectiveness with regards to morphological, histochemical and immunohistochemical analyses.