Illustration of a cascade sampling design in the lung, using the estimation of the total volume of alveolar type II cells in a lung as an example. You just have to be willing to change a few lab habits regarding the processing of lung tissue for “standard histology”. For (almost) every task there is an appropriate tool. The production of data is straightforward.
Stereology based counting how to#
The basic principles how to use stereology can be learnt in a few hours. Therefore, you find a little glossary that defines common stereological terms in Table 2. These tools have names that may sound unfamiliar to you.
![stereology based counting stereology based counting](https://www.stereology.info/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/AFF-full-exposure-probe_yellow.png)
Rest assured that this is actually an advantage because it provides a solid scientific foundation (from stochastic geometry) for what you will be doing. Don’t be deterred by the mathematical theory of stereology (although we have to confess that some of the original articles we reference in this primer are a tough read). It aims to help you to do better next time, in particular by planning ahead for a quantitative assessment of lung micro-structure. What went wrong? If you don’t know, this primer is for you. Sadly, without these data the journal is not willing to accept your paper for publication.
![stereology based counting stereology based counting](http://www.stereology.info/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/edited-dan-particles.png)
After a few emails have been exchanged, this expert tells you that your study cannot be rescued at this stage, because all you have available for analysis is a few paraffin sections taken arbitrarily from each mouse lung without knowledge of the volume of the fixed lung, but these alone are not suitable for stereological analysis (compare Table 1 for common problems). You approach one of the leading scientists in the field of lung stereology and ask for help. There is even an official research policy statement by the American Thoracic Society (ATS) and the European Respiratory Society (ERS) about this. What now? After a brief search, you find out that there exists something called stereology (in case the reviewer didn’t already mention it) that is considered the gold standard to quantitate lung architecture in microscopy. One (or more) of the reviewers is asking for a formal quantification of the histological findings in your animal model.
![stereology based counting stereology based counting](https://www.stereology.info/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/PSI-cell-1024x536.png)
After a few weeks, you receive the reviewers’ comments. These characteristics establish the advantages of design-based stereologic methods in quantitative neuromorphology.Your nice and elaborate experimental study demonstrating that your favorite molecule is essential in the pathogenesis of a common lung disease is ready for submission. systematic error) in results obtained with design-based stereology can be limited to a minimum, and that it is possible to assess the variability of these results. It is demonstrated that results obtained with design-based stereology are representative for the entire brain region of interest, and are independent of the size, shape, spatial orientation, and spatial distribution of the cells to be investigated. Therefore, a comprehensive introduction to design-based stereologic methods for estimating these parameters is provided. the spatial distribution of cells within a region of interest).
![stereology based counting stereology based counting](https://www.stereology.info/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/4Tb4rraTg-1024x972.png)
It has been the experience of the authors that most neuroscientists potentially interested in design-based stereology need to analyze volumes of brain regions, numbers of cells (neurons, glial cells) within these brain regions, mean volumes (nuclear, perikaryal) of these cells, length densities of linear biological structures such as vessels and nerve fibers within brain regions, and the cytoarchitecture of brain regions (i.e. Rather, it is written by users for users, provides the reader with a guided tour through the relevant literature.
Stereology based counting full#
It does not comprise a full description of all stereologic methods available. The objective of this review is to provide some clarification. However, much confusion and uncertainty remains about the meaning, implications, and advantages of these design-based stereologic methods. In particular, several new approaches, known as design-based stereologic methods, have become available and have been successfully applied to neuromorphological research. Quantitative morphology of the CNS has recently undergone major developments.