Methodologies & MSDS

Decal®

Fix tissue in 10% Neutral Buffered Formalin or other suitable tissue fixative such as Bouins, B5, or Zinc Formalin. The volume of fixative should be ten times the tissue volume. Rinse fixed tissue in running water for at least 3 minutes. Immerse tissue in a volume of Decal equal to at least 10 times the tissue volume.

Decal Stat™

Fix tissue in 10% Neutral Buffered Formalin or other suitable tissue fixative such as Bouins, B5, or Zinc Formalin. The volume of fixative should be ten times the tissue volume. Rinse fixed tissue in running water for at least 3 minutes. Immerse tissue in a volume of Decal Stat equal to at least 10 times the tissue volume.

Formical-4™

There is no need for fixation prior to decalcification. Fresh tissue sections may be placed directly into Formical-4. As a rule of thumb, the volume of decalcifying solution should be ten times the tissue volume. If tissue arrives fixed in 10% Neutral Buffered Formalin, Bouins, B5, Zinc Formalin, or any other suitable tissue fixative, that is also acceptable. However, in those cases, we highly recommend the use of a non fixative decalcifying agent such as Formical-2000 or Decal. This will eliminate the possibility of overfixation.

Formical-2000™

Fix section in 10% buffered formalin, B5, Zinc Formalin, or other suitable fixative. Be sure to fix section in volume of fixative equal to at least 10 times the size of section. When tissue is fixed, wash section in running deionized water for at least 3 minutes. Immerse rinsed section in a volume of Formical-2000 equal to at least 10 times the size of the section. If necessary, replace solution evey 24 hours. Decalcification times will vary depending on type and nature of the specimen. It is best to establish your own base time and protocol.

Immunocal™

Fix section in 10% buffered formalin, B5, Zinc Formalin, or other suitable fixative equal to at least 10 times the size of section. When tissue is fixed, wash section in running deionized water for at least 3 minutes. Immerse rinsed section in a volume of Immunocal equal to at least 10 times the size of the section. Decalcification times will vary depending on type and nature of the specimen. It is best to establish your own base time and protocol.

Nitrical™

Decal® may be used to process all types of calcified histological specimens. This methodology is only meant to be used as a guideline in establishing a protocol. Larger, more dense bone will take longer to decalcify than the tissue referred to in this methodology. Fixation and decalcification times will need to be increased for denser, larger bone.

Dissect Aid™

Dissect™ should be used on fresh tissue sections during or just after gross pathology. You may want to remove some lymph nodes for immediate fixation and processing before gross pathology. The smaller the ection, the faster the fixation. Although radical cases may be fixed whole, they will fix more rapidly if small cuts are made into the tissue or if the tissue has been breadloafed. Place the tissue into a container and cover with Dissect Aid. We recommend that 10 times the volume of fixative to tissue ratio be used. Specimens that have been breadloafed or sliced through should fix within 3-4 hours.