Andi
We make up roughly a 1% dilution of fabric softener in tap water.
The tissue is allowed to sit in this solution, in their capsules for about 
an hour after fixation, prior to processing.  In the case of bone, it goes 
in the softener after decalcification.
After exposure to fabric softener it is quickly washed with tap water.
On our weekend cycle the tissue sits in the formalin for 48hrs before the 
processor starts, but it doesn't effect the action of the softener.
We've also found with eyes that have been fixed in bouins that you can 
still add the softener to the 70% alcohol and it will still improve the 
processing. Without this step the lens of the eye is brittle but including 
the softener makes the lens cuttable.
I've left the horses hoof in the softener for several days to get it to cut.
Gerard

>Can you outline the specifics of your bone processing program using the 
>fabric softener? Do you use the fabric softener after the fixative? Do you 
>make up the solution with water? Do you wash before continuing with the 
>processing?
>Thanks.
>Andi Grantham
>
>
>
>
>At 11:24 AM 3/21/03 +0800, you wrote:
>>We treat all our our hard tissue including bone(after decalcification) 
>>with a domestic fabric softener prior to processing. We leave the tissue 
>>for a hour in 1-5% fabric softener. This works very well. The problem 
>>with hard tissue is that you need much longer processing times to get 
>>adequate paraffin infiltration. The softener acts as a surfactant 
>>improving the dehydration of the tissue. In the time before we started to 
>>use softener, bone used to swell on the watery ice, clearing 
>>demonstrating that there was inadequate processing. Its possible that if 
>>you used the surfactant for all tissue other than hard tissue you may be 
>>able to bring down the processing times drastically, but I haven't tried this.
>>Gerard Spoelstra
>>Medical Scientist
>>Veterinary Histology
>>Murdoch University
>>Western Australia
>>
>>
>
>.....................................................................
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