Thank you for helpful suggestions. I have further questions. Yes, I have a bird head (probably 1 cm X 1 cm ) stored in 70 % ethanol. But i have a similar size bird head fixed in 3.7% formalin for over night and am actually processing the head to store in 70% ethanol since my lab is just ordering the decalcifying solution. I need to decalcify this sample later. But i am wondering if it is better to keep the sample in formalin for a week or so till i get the decalcification solution or i should store it in 70 % ethanol and then fix it for a few days again later? I am afraid that longer fixative time would affect the sample somehow (e.g. the sample become too rigid?)
Thank you, rui > From: [email protected] > To: [email protected] > Date: Wed, 4 Mar 2015 16:25:28 -0700 > Subject: [Histonet] Re: Bird head stored in 70% alcohol and possible > decalcification > > You wrote: > > > > I have an adult bird skull that fixed with formalin and then has been stored > in 70% ethanol. > > I have seen the post that the sample stored in 70% ethanol can be walking > back through to series of ethanol to water and can be decalcified if it > needs to be. > > > > I am wondering if anybody has done this and there is any side effects from > decalcification after going through dehydration and rehydration of a sample > compared to a general straight forward protocol from decalcification to > dehydration? > > **************************************************************************** > **************************************************************************** > ******************************** > > > > I have, in the past, when a weekend arrive, I interrupted acid bone > decalcification by removing it from acid decalcifier, a quick water rinse > and immersed into 70% alcohol before returning bone to fresh acid > decalcifier the next working day. The bones always decalcified without > problems but I am sure the decalcification took longer since partially > decalcified bone had to rehydrate. I later learned more about dipolar (hope > I said that correctly) alcohol slowing and/or stopping ionization of calcium > and ceased using 70% alcohol to interrupt acid decalcification. I now use > NBF to interrupt decalcification. Interestingly, I learned the alcohol > technique from the AFIP bone pathology lab. > > > > Alcohol is put into Perenyi's nitric acid decalcifying solutions to slow > down or control very rapid nitric acid decalcification. > > > > You did not say how big the bird skull was? I suggest immersing the skull > back into NBF to let it totally rehydrate for several days (depending on > skull size and if the brain is present). I suggest changing NBF if you > rehydrate longer than a day. You don't need to go back through an alcohol > gradient since many processing schedules have tissue samples going from NBF > directly into 70%. If you leave residual alcohol in the bones, the acid > decalcification could be slower and hopefully not retarded in any way. > > > > > It certainly is worth a try. Good luck. > > > > Gayle M. Callis > > HTL/HT/MT(ASCP) > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > Histonet mailing list > [email protected] > http://lists.utsouthwestern.edu/mailman/listinfo/histonet
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