Name a common artifact that can affect tissue analysis.

A common artifact that can affect tissue analysis is air-drying artifact. This occurs when tissue samples are allowed to dry out during the preparation process, leading to changes in the cellular morphology and potentially obscuring important histological features. Air-drying can cause artifacts such as retraction of cells, loss of cytoplasmic detail, and distortion of tissue architecture, which can ultimately impact the interpretation of the histopathological findings.

Although freezing artifact is another concern and can lead to issues such as ice crystal formation that disrupts tissue structure, the fundamental question focuses on identifying common artifacts, and air-drying is widely recognized as one of the more prevalent issues that can arise during sample preparation. Fixation and dehydration artifacts are also significant but may not be as frequently highlighted in discussions concerning routine analysis. Understanding these artifacts is critical, as they can complicate the diagnostic process and lead to misinterpretation of the tissue's histological characteristics.