Our blades come through Allegiance - Sakura, AccuEdge - Hard to beat for
overall durability. They last longer than any that I've tried, and will last
even longer if you run a piece of cord over the edge after you've faced the
block and are ready to ribbon. I bet your AHS rep would work with you for a
good price. 
Joyce Weems
Pathology Manager
Saint Joseph's Hospital of Atlanta


	-----Original Message-----
	From:	Tim Webster [SMTP:twebster@nmcinc.org]
	Sent:	Wednesday, January 10, 2001 11:42 AM
	To:	'HistoNet@pathology.swmed.edu'
	Subject:	Tissue Compression


	Hi everybody,

	I am looking for peoples opinions on the evils of tissue compression
during
	routine parrafin sectioning.

	Our lab uses Curtin Matheson Scientific blades which produce clean
sections
	(when new) but we experience serious compression when cutting some
tissues -
	Most notably lipomas and endometrial curretage - of up to 25%.

	I have tried adjusting the angle, the temperature of the block,
	faster/slower cutting etc to no effect.  The archives talk about
using
	different wax for infiltrating and embedding, but little about the
day to
	day battle of cutting. (Incidentaly,we use the same wax for
infiltrating and
	embedding.)

	Interestingly, using Leica blades produces almost compression-free
sections,
	but bloody specimens in particular -emc or ecc for example- are
unbelivably
	fragile and often croak before you can lay them out on the
waterbath.  I
	like cutting with the leica because the  sections are SO good, if
you have
	the time to be a little finicky.  Our contract of course is with
CMS, so I
	jealously guard my dwindling supply.

	What do you guy's think? (Other than to fork out for Leica blades!)

	Tim Webster
	Northwestern Medical Center
	Fairfield Street, VT
	(802) 524-1070
	twebster@nmcinc.org