In research lab situations particularly, one does not have the time or
technique for nailing down the ways of making each of the buffers,
reagents, and procedures work the "right" way or the most optimum way...a
lot of times it's students or postdocs just focused on getting their
project done and not caring how their fixative is made as long as it
"works" to some degree and, alas, it's up to us already over-booked
technicians to figure out the best way to make the PFA....and we usually
don't have a whole day (week, or year) to spend researching the
back-and-forth arguments, either! ;-)
Merced
--On Friday, December 12, 2008 2:04 PM +0000 "Edwards, R.E."
<r...@leicester.ac.uk> wrote:
You hit the nail on the head "That's what we always use", fear of
change is a common human condition.
-----Original Message-----
From: histonet-boun...@lists.utsouthwestern.edu
[mailto:histonet-boun...@lists.utsouthwestern.edu] On Behalf Of Pat
Flannery Sent: 11 December 2008 16:59
To: histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu
Subject: [Histonet] Silly Question?
Please humor me on this if it's obvious (to everyone but me): why do
we use paraformaldehyde (which is so inconvenient to make up) rather
than buffered formalin or just diluted formaldehyde itself?
It seems that around here, some folks prefer paraformaldehyde (either
2% or 4%) and others use formalin, while some others stick to diluted
formaldehyde (I see all 4 on labels for specimens submitted for
histology). Is it mostly a matter of personal preference or where you
were trained (i.e. force of habit) or is there a valid reason to use
each solution (basically the same chemical once in solution, merely
buffered or not)? The only answer I've gotten when I've asked is,
"That's what we always use."
Thanks.
-Pat Flannery (not a "real" histologist - I just play one in the lab)
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Merced M Leiker
Research Technician II
354 BRB (pkgs) / 140 Farber Hall (letters)
School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences
State University of New York at Buffalo
3435 Main St, Buffalo, NY 14214
Ph: (716) 829-6033
Fx: (716) 829-2725
"Without my flaws I'm really very boring."
- random internet blog commentator
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