| periodic acid Schiff stain | <technique> A histochemical technique based on periodic acid oxidation of a substance containing the 1,2-glycol grouping. It is used for staining carbohydrates as the resulting dialdehyde reacts with Schiff reagent to form a coloured product. Substances that can be demonstrated include carbohydrates, mucins, cartilage matrix, collagen, reticulum, basement membranes, fibrin, thyroid colloid, amyloid, glomerular hyaline deposits, and a number of other secretions or tissue constituents. Also used in for staining gels on which glycoproteins have been run. See: periodic acid Schiff reaction Synonym: PAS stain. (22 Sep 2002) |
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| phosphotungstic acid stain | <technique> The first general stain used for electron microscopy; a selective stain for extracellular components such as elastin, collagen, and basement membrane mucopolysaccharides; it can be followed by uranyl acetate or lead. Synonym: PTA stain. (05 Mar 2000) |
| Ehrlich's acid haematoxylin stain | <technique> An alum type of haematoxylin stain used as a regressive staining method for nuclei, followed by differentiation to required staining intensity; the solution may be allowed to ripen naturally in sunlight or partially oxidised with sodium iodate. (05 Mar 2000) |
| Klinger-Ludwig acid-thionin stain | <technique> For sex chromatin, a method using a preliminary acid treatment on buccal smears, prior to staining with buffered thionin, to differentiate Barr body. (05 Mar 2000) |
| Lillie's sulfuric acid Nile blue stain | <technique> A technique for showing fatty acids when present in high concentrations. (05 Mar 2000) |
| Abbott's stain | <technique> Spores are stained blue with alkaline methylene blue; bodies of the bacilli become pink with eosin counterstain. (05 Mar 2000) |
| aceto-orcein stain | <technique> A stain used for chromosomes in air-dried or squashed cytologic material. (05 Mar 2000) |
| Ag-AS stain | <technique> A stain for the acid protein component of nucleolar regions which are active or which were transcriptionally active in the preceding interphase; uses silver nitrate, ammoniacal silver, and formalin. Synonym: Ag-AS stain. (05 Mar 2000) |
| Albert's stain | <technique> A stain for diphtheria bacilli and their metachromatic granules; contains toluidine blue, methyl green, glacial acetic acid, alcohol, and distilled water. (05 Mar 2000) |
| auramine O fluorescent stain | <technique> A rapid and accurate technique for Mycobacterium tuberculosis, using auramine O-phenol and a methylene blue counterstain. (05 Mar 2000) |
| basic fuchsin-methylene blue stain | <technique> A stain for intact epoxy sections; semi-thick sections of plastic-embedded tissues have nuclei stained purple; collagen, elastic lamina, and connective tissue are stained blue; mitochondria, myelin, and lipid droplets are stained red; cytoplasm, smooth muscle cells, axoplasm, and chrondroblasts are stained pink. (05 Mar 2000) |
| basic stain | <technique> A dye in which the cation is the coloured component of the dye molecule that binds to anionic groups of nucleic acids (PO4≡) or acidic mucopolysaccharides (e.g., chondroitin sulfate). (05 Mar 2000) |
| Becker's stain | <technique> For spirochetes, a stain applied to thin films fixed in formaldehyde-acetic acid; preparations are treated successively with tannin, carbolic acid, and carbol fuchsin. (05 Mar 2000) |
| Bennhold's Congo red stain | <technique> An amyloid stain useful for amyloid detection in pathologic tissue; gives red staining of amyloid; also induces green birefringence to amyloid under polarised light. (05 Mar 2000) |
| Berg's stain | <technique> A method for staining spermatozoa, utilizing a carbol-fuchsin solution followed by dilute acetic acid and methylene blue; spermatozoa are stained a brilliant red and most other structures appear blue to purple. (05 Mar 2000) |