Medical Histology Learning Resources
                                  The University of Michigan Medical School
  
Course Info
Digital Microscopy
Set-up a Microscope
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Introduction to Histology and Virtual Microscopy

Atlas:     Wheater's, pgs. 2-32, Cell Structure and Function (review)

 
Text:     Ross, Chapters 1-3, pgs 1-72 (review)

 
Lab Resources
  
 

Objectives:

From the lecture:

  1. Understand the processes of preparing and viewing tissues by light and electron microscopy.


  2. Understand the physical bases for the appearance of tissues in the light and electron microscopes (e.g. What is basophilia and what causes structures to be basophilic? What creates the contrasting light and dark regions in an electron micrograph?)

From the lab session:

  1. Become familiar with the various ways to access and view images in the Michigan virtual slide collection

 

Part I. Set up to access the virtual slides on campus

Part I, STEP 1: Plug in your computer (most laptops run faster when plugged in).

 

 

 

 

 

 

Part I, STEP 2: Disable your wireless connection.

  • If you are unsure how to do this, ask for help from the LRC staff (or one of your colleagues).

 

 

 

 

Part I, STEP 3 (Windows users only): Create a mapped drive to the virtual slide file server for "on-campus" access if you have not already done so.

  • Click here to download the "HistoDriveMap" batch file (click on the link and save the file to your desktop). Double click on the file on your desktop to create the mapped drive. YOU MUST RUN THE "HistoDriveMap" FILE EACH TIME YOU RESTART YOUR COMPUTER AND CONNECT TO THE CAMPUS NETWORK!

 

 

 

 

Part I, STEP 4 (Windows Only): Confirm and optimize installation of ImageScope v10.

  • If you've previously installed Imagescope, launch the program from Start->Programs->ScanScope->ImageScope. The upper left-hand corner of the window will show which version of Imagescope you have. The most recent version is v10.0.36.1808.

  • If you do not have latest version of ImageScope v10, click here to download the ImageScope installer (save it to your desktop). After downloading, double-click on the file (ImageScopeInstaller.exe) to launch the installation program.


 

To optimize performance of ImageScope, you MAY need to make some adjustments default settings:

  • Go to the "Tools" menu, then "Options". In the Options window, click on the "Performance" tab and UNCHECK the "Prefetching" option (see example) if it is checked, but leave the "Progressive Rendering" option checked.

prefetching option

 

PART II. The Basics

Part II A. Accessing the Digital Slides

There are currently 3 different ways to access the slides, so you will see 3 different links for each digital slide in the online lab modules:

  1. [WinLab]: use this link when ON CAMPUS (requires a Windows machine with ImageScope installed AND a mapped network drive to the high-speed file server)


    2.
  2. [Mac]: this link will work on ANY machine ON or OFF CAMPUS, but it is really intended for those who are unable to run ImageScope (i.e. non-Intel Macs)


  3. [WinHome]: use this link when OFF CAMPUS using a Windows machine with ImageScope

When in the lab, using the [WinLab] links is PREFERRED as this will ALWAYS deliver the images at the highest speed.

 

To help you remember, you will find the following table at the beginning of each lab module:

 

Windows users ON CAMPUS
Mac users OR those without the ImageScope viewer installed (ON or OFF campus)
Windows users OFF CAMPUS
1. DO NOT use the wireless network--turn off your wireless and connect with an ethernet cable only!
1. Use the blue [Mac] links.
1. Use the green [WinHome] links.
2. Map network drive (click on this link and select "Run") to connect to the file server 2. If on campus, DO NOT use the wireless network --turn off your wireless and connect with an ethernet cable only! 2. Best performance will be via a wired network connection, but wireless will work.
3. Use the red [WinLab] links ONLY!    

 

 

Part II B. Viewing slides on the web server using "[Mac]" links -MAC users ONLY.

  • Click on this [Mac] link here to open slide 29 from the digital slide collection. Take some time to use some of the basic features of the viewer such as panning and zooming.

 

 


Part II C. Viewing slides on the local file server using "[WinLab]" links -PC users ONLY.

  • Click on this [WinLab] link to open slide 29 in ImageScope. Internet Explorer may ask "Do you want to open or save this file?" If you don't want to continue being asked this, you can uncheck the box that says, "Always ask before opening this type of file," then select Open.

IntroImage1

  • Once slide 29 has been opened in Imagescope, you may drag and re-size the window to your liking. Take some time to use some of the basic features of the viewer such as:

    1. Panning and Zooming
    2. Filmstrip view (under the "View" menu)
    3. Thumbnail view
    4. Magnifier view
    5. Scale axes/grid view

 

 

 

 

Part II D. Viewing slides on the web server using "[WinHome]" links -PC users ONLY.

  • Click on this [WinHome] link to open slide 176 in ImageScope. [WinHome] links are to be used when viewing this site from OFF CAMPUS or if you have any difficulty using the [WinLab] links.


  • Notice that your filmstrip now contains slide #29 (029-1_HISTO_40X.svs) and slide #176 (176_HISTO_40X.svs). You can switch between the two by clicking on the thumbnails in the filmstrip. You can also "tile" the two slides for side-by-side comparisons (under the "Window" menu).

 

Part III. Load testing

This part of the session requires COORDINATED activity. DO NOT click on any of the links until instructed to do so.

Part III, Step 1. ALL USERS (Mac AND Windows):

A. Click on LINK 1A to open a virtual slide.

-Once the slide is open, please pan and zoom on the image.

B. Click on LINK 1B to open one of 10 possible images.

-Once the slide is open, please pan and zoom on the image.

 

 

 

 

Part III, Step 2. ALL USERS, close the previous images; then click on the links below when asked:

A. Click on LINK 2A to open a virtual slide.

-Once the slide is open, please pan and zoom on the image.

B. Click on LINK 2B to open one of 10 possible images.

-Once the slide is open, please pan and zoom on the image.

 

 

 

 

Part III, Step 3. ALL USERS, close the previous images; then click on the links below when asked:

A. Click on LINK 3A to open a virtual slide.

-Once the slide is open, please pan and zoom on the image.

B. Click on LINK 3B to open one of 10 possible images.

-Once the slide is open, please pan and zoom on the image.

 

 

 

 

Part III, Step 4. ALL USERS, close the previous images; then click on the links below when asked:

A. Click on LINK 4A to open a virtual slide.

-Once the slide is open, please pan and zoom on the image.

B. Click on LINK 4B to open one of 10 possible images.

-Once the slide is open, please pan and zoom on the image.

 

 

 

 

Part III, Step 5. ALL USERS, close the previous images; then click on the links below when asked:

A. Click on LINK 5A to open a virtual slide.

-Once the slide is open, please pan and zoom on the image.

B. Click on LINK 5B to open one of 10 possible images.

-Once the slide is open, please pan and zoom on the image.

 

 

 

 

Part III, Step 6. ALL USERS, close the previous images; then click on the links below when asked:

A. Click on LINK 6A to open a virtual slide.

-Once the slide is open, please pan and zoom on the image.

B. Click on LINK 6B to open one of 10 possible images.

-Once the slide is open, please pan and zoom on the image.

 

 

 

Part III, Step 7: Mixed usage; click on the link below to go to an index page of our slide collection and then pick several slides at random to open and manipulate (MAC users use the "Mac" links; WINDOWS users use the "Winhome" links):

http://www.med.umich.edu/histology/dmindex2.html

 

Step 7b (if necessary): use the link below instead (MAC users use the "Mac" links; WINDOWS users use the "Winhome" links):

http://www.med.umich.edu/histology/dmindex1.html

 

 

 

Part IV: Wrap-up

When you are finished in the lab:

A. (Windows only) Disconnect your mapped network drive

If the batch file fails to delete the drive, you can still do this manually:

  • Look in My Computer for the mapped drive "lrc-images on 'UMMS Storage(172.20.57.220)’(V:)".
  • Right Click on the mapped drive and select Disconnect.

 

 

B. (ALL users) Shut down, disconnect network cable, etc.

 

 

PLEASE BE SURE TO PICK UP A LAB MANUAL ON YOUR WAY OUT!

 

If you experience any technical problems, see one of the LRC staff or E-mail: lrc_help@umich.edu

 

Produced and supported by:
The Learning Resource Center - Office of Medical Education
Department of Pathology, Virtual Microscopy Facility
Department of Cell and Developmental Biology

Questions or comments? E-mail Dr. J. Matthew Velkey (jvelkey@med.umich.edu)

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