JP2001143650A - Tool for covering grid hole with thin slice of electron microscope specimen - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a tool for correctly covering the grid hole with a thin slice floating on the water surface of the knife boat. SOLUTION: A support column 6 includes a displacement opening 5 and a compression spring 9 for compressing a horizontal rotary shaft in the middle part, and a permanent magnet 8 mounted in the inside thereof at the lower end. The horizontal rotary shaft 4 may be vertically displaced freely in the displacement opening 5 by a height adjustment screw 7 of the horizontal rotary shaft mounted on its upper end. A slide rotary shaft 2 is slidably inserted into the horizontal rotary shaft 5 perpendicularly thereto with one end being installed by a handle 3 and with the other end being installed by a thin circular slice plate of ring 1.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an ultra-thin section of a sample for observation with an electron microscope, and precisely stretches an ultra-thin section floating on the water surface of a knife boat into a hole of a grid by a pressing method. It is related to instruments that are sometimes used.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art To observe a tissue with an electron microscope, an ultrathin section prepared by an ultrathin section method is used. In the ultra-thin section method, a tissue is cut into 1 mm ³ , and a section sliced to a thickness of about 0.1 μm or less is observed by electronic staining. Briefly, a series of steps up to electron microscopic observation is fixed (osmic acid, glutaraldehyde) → water washing (buffer) → dehydration (alcohol) → embedding (epoxy resin, other resin)
→ Ultra-slicing (ultra-microtome) → load (with or without grid and supporting membrane) → electron staining (heavy metal) → observation (electron microscope) →
Photo shoot. When observing with an electron microscope, ultra-thin sections that are easily torn are placed on a grid with a support film placed on them and observed.However, the resulting images have poor resolution. Observe. Even if the ultrathin section is difficult to break, the ultrathin section that is not stretched over the entire surface of the grid hole is torn at the time of observation, or the ultrathin section moves due to shrinkage, so that a photograph cannot be taken. Good tensioning should cover the entire surface of the grid holes. The following method is used to stretch an ultrathin section into a hole in a grid. In the pressing method, the edge of the grid that has been subjected to the adhesive treatment is pinched with tweezers, and the adhesive surface is pressed against an ultrathin section floating on the water surface. This method moves the ultra-thin section instantaneously by contacting the water before contacting the ultra-thin section in order to bring the grid close to the water surface where the ultra-thin section floats exactly in parallel. It is stretched out of the hole of the target grid. In addition, since the water surface is technical at the time of ultra-slicing, the concave surface for lowering the water surface of the knife boat from the cutting edge promotes that the water surface is not stretched as intended. In the scooping method, grip the edge of the previously hydrophilic grid with tweezers, submerge the grid near the ultra-thin section floating on the water to the position where it is stuck to the surface, make it vertical, and use tools such as eyelashes on the grid surface The method of attaching the edge of an ultra-thin section and pulling it vertically, also known as the pulling method. The loop method uses a tool having a handle on a loop of an ultrathin plate made of 3 mm having the same outer diameter as the grid and having an inner diameter of 2 mm, which can be observed by an electron microscope. The ultra-thin section floating on the water surface is stored in the inner diameter of the loop, allowed to land, and pulled up. When the lower part of the water droplet of the loop is gently brought into contact with the prepared grid, the grid adheres concentrically through the water droplet.
The blotting paper is pressed against the side of the loop to absorb water droplets from the gap with the grid. Alternatively, when the grid is pressed against the blotting paper in a loop, water droplets are absorbed by the blotting paper from the holes in the grid. These methods do not align the findings of the ultra-thin sections with the grid holes, so the glue margin is widened to improve the rate of grid extension, and a wider ultra-thin section is used. A large number of slices are prepared and observed in order to compensate for a finding that cannot be observed with a lattice. The conventional method is wasteful because it requires time to observe a wide ultra-thin section and a large number of pieces.

[0003]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The object of the present invention is to provide an instrument for accurately pressing an ultra-thin section on a grid by a pressing method in order to eliminate the above-mentioned waste.

[0004]

In the drawings: (a) A horizontal rotation shaft moving hole (5) and a horizontal rotation shaft pressing spring (9) are provided in the middle of a column (6), and a permanent lower end is provided. A magnet (8) is provided inside, a horizontal rotating shaft (4) that freely moves up and down is passed through a moving hole (5) of the horizontal rotating shaft, and a horizontal rotating shaft height adjusting screw (7) is provided at an upper end. (B) a sliding spring holding shaft (10) is provided inside the tip of the horizontal rotating shaft (4), and the sliding rotating shaft (2) that intersects with the horizontal rotating shaft (4) and that freely enters and exits is passed through;
At one end there is a handle (3) and at the opposite end there is an ultra-thin loop (1).

[0005]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Since the present invention has the above-mentioned structure, when using the same, the handle (3) of the present invention is gripped, and the sliding rotary shaft (2) and the horizontal rotary shaft are rotated. Rotate the shaft (4) to level the ultra-thin loop (1). Slide the sliding shaft (2) so that the ultra-thin section (11) floating on the water surface (14) of the knife boat can be accommodated in the ultra-thin plate wheel (1). In case of excess or deficiency, the height is adjusted by turning the height adjusting screw (7) of the horizontal rotating shaft. The ultra-thin section (11) is moved to a position to be accommodated in the ultra-thin plate loop (1) by a conventional method using the tip of eyelashes or the like, and the handle (3) is raised to raise the water surface (14) of the knife boat. Above, an ultra-thin loop (1)
Then, the handle (3) is raised, and the ultra-thin ring (1) is pressed down against the ultra-thin ring (1) until the water surface (15) of the ultra-thin ring rises (FIG. 4).
The degree of raising the water surface (15) in the ring of the ultra-thin plate may be determined by the user. The ultra-thin section (11) floating on the water surface (15) in the ring of the ultra-thin plate is attached to the vertex of the water surface (15) in the ring of the ultra-thin plate by a conventional method using the tip of an eyelash or the like. 1
Move 1). The grip portion of the grip-attached grid (12) prepared in advance by adhesive treatment is sandwiched between the tweezers (13) held by hand, and the grid (12) is attached horizontally to the grid with respect to the direction of the ultrathin section (11). (1
An ultra-thin section (11) is set in the hole of the grid (12) by gently pressing in the direction of 2).

[0006]

Therefore, the water surface (1) in the ring of the extremely thin plate
5) floats the ultra-thin section (11) at the raised vertex, so that even if the ultra-thin loop (1) is not exactly horizontal or the grid (12) is not exactly horizontal, 1
2) can always make contact with the ultrathin section (11) first, and can stretch one ultrathin section (11) into the hole of the grid (12) at the target position.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a partial cross-sectional view including a ring according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a use state of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view showing a use state of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 (1) Ultra-thin plate wheel (2) Sliding rotating shaft (3) Handle (4) Horizontal rotating shaft (5) Moving hole of horizontal rotating shaft (6) Column (7) Height adjusting screw of horizontal rotating shaft (8) Permanent Magnet (9) Holding spring for horizontal rotating shaft (10) Holding spring for sliding rotating shaft (11) Ultra-thin section (12) Grid with grip (13) Tweezers (14) Water surface of knife boat (15) Inside of ultra-thin plate wheel Water surface

Claims (1)

[Claims] (1) A permanent magnet (8) is provided at the lower end of the column (6).
A pressing spring (9) for a horizontal rotating shaft is provided in between. (B) The support hole (6) is provided with a horizontal rotation shaft moving hole (5), a horizontal rotation shaft (4), and a horizontal rotation shaft height adjustment screw (7) at the upper end. (C) Sliding rotation axis (2) crossing the horizontal rotation axis (4)
Is provided. (D) Handle (3) at one end of sliding rotation shaft (2)
Is provided. (E) An extremely thin loop (1) is provided at the opposite end of the handle (3). An instrument for pasting ultra-thin sections of an electron microscope sample configured as described above.