Abstract
A rapid and simple method is described for demonstrating early ischaemic/anoxic damage to the myocardium due either to coronary artery disease or hypertensive heart disease. Using formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded standard histological sections, staining for only 3 seconds in an aqueous solution of acridine-orange was sufficient to demonstrate a green shift of the secondary emission produced when the section was viewed in ultraviolet light. The results correlated well with sensitive enzyme studies which, however, were technically more difficult. The ease of retaining tissues and the rapidity of the technique, coupled with the reliability of the method even in the presence of moderate post-mortem autolysis, makes this a useful method for routine use.
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