Tissue arrays can evaluate molecular targets in high numbers of samples in parallel. Array construction presents technical difficulties and tissue arrayers are expensive, particularly for small and medium sized laboratories. This report describes a method for the construction of 36 sample arrays using widely available materials. A blunted 16 gauge needle for bone marrow aspiration was used to e...

AIMS To detect intestinal microsporidiosis in paraffin wax embedded biopsy specimens using a fluorescence technique incorporating optical brighteners. METHODS Eight HIV infected patients with confirmed intestinal microsporidiosis (six with Enterocytozoon bieneusi, one with Encephalitozoon intestinalis and one with Encephalitozoon cuniculi infection) and 10 without infection were studied. Tiss...

An excess Gibbs free energy model is applied to in®estigate the influence of n-paraffin composition on the aging beha®ior of wax-oil gel deposits known to form in subsea petroleum transport pipelines. The aging of wax-oil gels occurs by a counterdiffusion process where wax molecules with carbon numbers greater than a critical carbon num( ) ber CCN diffuse into the gel matrix, and ®ice ®ersa. Mo...

BACKGROUND DNA extraction from paraffin wax embedded tissue requires special protocols, and most described methods report an amplification success rate of 60-80%. AIMS To propose a simple and inexpensive protocol consisting of xylene/ethanol dewaxing, followed by a kit based extraction. METHOD Xylene/ethanol dewaxing was followed by a long rehydration step and a kit based DNA extraction ste...

Fast-scan cyclic voltammetry (FSCV) is a powerful technique for measuring sub-second changes in neurotransmitter levels. A great time-limiting factor in the use of FSCV is the production of high-quality recording electrodes; common recording electrodes consist of cylindrical carbon fiber encased in borosilicate glass. When the borosilicate is heated and pulled, the molten glass ideally forms a ...

AIM To investigate the role of human papillomavirus (HPV) in the development of bladder transitional cell carcinoma (TCC). METHODS Seventy eight paraffin wax embedded TCC samples were tested for the presence of HPV by two methods. First, immunohistochemistry was carried out using a polyclonal antibody capable of detecting the capsid protein of all known papillomaviruses. The second method was...

Paraffin wax exhibits a volumetric expansion of ∼15%, at around its melting point. By exploiting this phenomenon, high performance bulkachined electrothermal hydraulic microactuators have been demonstrated. The microactuators have been integrated into microfluidic valves, icrogrippers and micropipettes. The paraffin wax is confined within a bulk-micromachined silicon container. This container i...