Gastric signet ring cell carcinoma histopathology, PAS stain Esophageal candidiasis, PAS stain Liver in glycogen storage disease, PAS stain PAS staining is mainly used for staining structures containing a high proportion of carbohydrate macromolecules (glycogen, glycoprotein, proteoglycans), typically found in e.g. connective tissues, mucus, the glycocalyx, and basal laminae. PAS staining can be used to assist in the diagnosis of several medical conditions: * Glycogen storage disease (versus other storage disorders). * Adenocarcinomas, which often secrete neutral mucins. * Paget disease of the breast. * Alveolar soft part sarcoma. * Staining macrophages in Whipple's disease. * It can be used to diagnose α1-antitrypsin deficiency if periportal liver hepatocytes stain positive. * Aggregates of PAS-positive lymphocytes are present in epidermis in Mycosis fungoides and Sézary syndrome, called Pautrier microabscesses. * Ewing sarcoma * Erythroleukemia, a leukemia of immature red blood cells. These cells stain a bright fuchsia. * Pulmonary alveolar proteinosis. * Fungal infection, the cell walls of fungi stain magenta; this only works on living fungi. In contrast, Grocott's methenamine silver stain (GMS) will stain both living and dead fungal organisms. * It is used to identify glycogen in lung biopsy specimens of infants with pulmonary interstitial glycogenosis (PIG). * It can be used to highlight super cross-linked lipids inclusions in ceroid lipofuscinosis (NCL). Presence of glycogen can be confirmed on a section of tissue by using diastase to digest the glycogen from a section, then comparing a diastase digested PAS section with a normal PAS section. The diastase negative slide will show a magenta staining where glycogen is present within a section of tissue. The slide that has been treated with diastase will lack any positive PAS staining in those locations on the slide PAS staining is also used for staining cellulose. One example would be looking for implanted medical devices composed of nonoxidized cellulose. If the PAS stain will be performed on tissue, the recommended fixative is 10% neutral-buffered formalin or Bouin solution. For blood smears, the recommended fixative is methanol. Glutaraldehyde is not recommended because free aldehyde groups may be available to react with the<unk>  reagent, which may result in false positive staining.
Periodic acid–Schiff stain
Mucicarmine stain
PAS diastase stain
Auramine phenol stain
HPS stain
Romanowsky stain
Alcian blue stain
Grocott's methenamine silver stain