MasterTech's Modified
Bielschowsky's

                   Stain Kit

Stains in just 30 minutes...
...Imagine the possibilites

Brief Overview on Alzheimer's
As we age, most of us develop altering neurofibrils in neurons causing them to clump up and twist, but when the majority of these neurofibrils tangle, it starts to affect memory, thinking, and behavior. This is what we know as Alzheimer's disease. Alzheimer's disease is believed to have affected as many as 12.5% of Americans over the age of 65 and nearly 50% of American's 85 and older. At this rate, nearly 8 million people may have the disease by 2030 and by 2050 the rate could reach up to 16 million people! Why such an increasing rate? As advances have been made in the treatment for cancer, heart disease, etc, the life span has gone up. It appears that as people who are living longer are now living long enough to get Alzheimer's disease. Though there is no known cure for Alzheimer's disease, it can be demonstrated by using the Bielschowsky's silver staining technique.


Bielschowsky's Stain's History
The Bielschowsky's silver staining technique is an improvement on the method developed by Ramon y Cajal, who is considered by many to be the father of modern neuroscience. Max Bielschowsky a German neuropathologist, improved on Ramon Y Cajal's method by using a histological silver stain to detect nerve fibers. The stain begins with sensitization of the tissue in a silver nitrate solution followed by immersion in an ammoniacal silver solution. The tissue is then treated in a reducing solution followed by a sodium thiosulfate solution to remove the unreduced silver.


MasterTech's Bielschowsky's Stain Kit
American MasterTech's Modified Bielschowsky's Stain Kit stains for axons, intracellular neurofibrils, and senile plaques in just thirty minutes. This MasterTech Bielschowsky's Stain Kit is suitable in lieu of and comparable to the Gros-Bielschowski's, Sevier-Munger, Rio-Hortega, and Holmes' procedures for staining axons. The MasterTech Modified Bielschowsky's Stain Kit differs from these procedures through time required, ease of use, and consistency. The specially formulated stock developer solutions in the MasterTech Bielschowsky's Stain Kit removes the need to produce several intermediary developer solutions that add more than an hour to the procedure, involve using multiple hazardous chemicals such as nitric acid, and are extremely sensitive, translating to poor consistency. Silver Nitrate serves as both the primary stain and counterstain, producing black axons, neurofibrils, and senile plaques against a tan to gold background.

The 100ml Bielschowsky's Stain Kit yields between 30 and 96 slides. Slide Yields assume maximum slides stained per run, maximum runs per use. Actual Slide Yields may vary.

Don't forget to pick up a pack of Alzheimer Control Slides to complete the stain!