Principles and Practices of Unbiased Stereology: An Introduction for Bioscientists

The Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, Maryland (June 2002; ISBN 0801867975).

All-time best-selling stereology book according to online booksellers (Amazon.com and BarnesandNobel.com), this well-organized text is written by a Ph.D neurobiologist with a Master's degree in Scientific/Medical Writing from the Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland. The book moves logically from the historical background of the field to the identification and elimination of bias that can confound biomedical research studies. As the official U.S. representative of the International Society For Stereology, author Peter R. Mouton delivers a clear and concise review of design-based (unbiased) stereology for beginners to experienced users. An essential text for the library of all biomedical scientists.

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Beginning in the 1960s, scientists across a wide range of disciplines cooperated in developing unbiased or assumption free-stereology, based on stochastic geometry and probability theory, as a way to estimate the parameters of irregularly shaped objects without introducing bias. In recent years these new estimation techniques, originally painstaking in terms of time and effort, have stimulated progress in a variety of scientific disciplines. This progress has been accelerated through computer software and comprehensive training to support bioscientists in the essential craft of design-based (unbiased) stereology.

Principles and Practices of Unbiased Stereology fills a need in the biomedical community as a clear, user-friendly introduction to this area for the increasing number of scientists who need to learn these techniques for their research. The work moves logically from a discussion of the historical background of stereology to full explanations of terms, concepts, and tools, with the latter part of the manuscript devoted to typical stereology designs.

Dr. Patrick R. Hof, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
"This book is a valuable addition to the current literature on stereologic methods. Beginners will find it useful and easy to read. The text will also offer an excellent support for stereology courses as it provides the reader with sufficient technical background without being overwhelming with mathematical details, and is designed for a 'hands-on' approach to learning stereologic methods, unlike other books on the subject. The author's expertise is in neurobiology and neuropathology, but clearly this book is not targeting only 'neurostereologists'; investigators from all domains of biology, as well as geologists, material scientists, and engineers, will benefit from reading and using it."

Michail E. Kalaitzakis, Ph.D. D.I.C. Candidate, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Neuropathology, Imperial College London, University of London, UK
"Stereology refers to a set of methodological tools (e.g. mathematical, statistical, and geometric) for obtaining information about three-dimensional objects from two-dimensional profiles. This book provides the necessary theoretical and methodological framework for beginners in the field, by describing the basic ‘principles and practices’ of stereology. It is primarily written for neuroscientists and biomedical scientists but geologists and other scientists from a variety of different disciplines will find it very useful. The first chapter offers a historical overview of the fundamental concepts of stereology and the events that led to the present era of modern stereology. Subsequent chapters deal with stereological techniques for quantifying first-order parameters (volume, length, surface area, number) as well as issues of experimental design, sampling strategies and possible sources of bias. The concise illustrations and figures that accompany the text help to promote better understanding of the abstract concepts. Complex formulations are avoided and the simple explanations that are provided make the entire book very easy to read and follow.  Overall, this book is well-written and straightforward introduction to the basic principles of modern stereology."

Celso Agner, MSc, MD, Albany Medical Center, Albany, New York
"This book offers an overview of the principles of stereology and how it can be applied to modern medicine. This is a worthy goal, since stereology is an emerging and important area in biological sciences. The book is divided into 12 chapters that delve into the basic and sophisticated aspects of stereology, in particular how it applies to modern medicine and in the prediction of three-dimensional structures based on two-dimensional information. Through multiple mathematical formulas, this book addresses and proofs the concept and how it can be applied in daily medicine. In neurosurgery, this concept may be applied in several different areas, such as in neuronavigation, stereotaxis, and other situations where prediction of three dimensions is necessary. The audience is primarily neurobiologists and other professionals involved in the prediction of three dimensions based on two-dimensional information. In my view, the audience is clearly reached by this well-recognized author. This is an important book for the libraries of professionals in neurobiology, neurology, and neurosurgery. The author fully meets his objective. Overall, it is a straightforward and complete book, full of good figures and accompanied by an updated reference list."

Gregory Tinkler, Ph.D. Candidate, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina
"Principles and Practices fills a much needed niche-- this book excels at introducing beginners to stereology and is sufficiently advanced that more experienced scientists will find themselves using it for reference. The most interesting and useful feature of this book is its organization. Beginning with an historical perspective, the reader learns the importance of stereology as a separate field, as well as its recent impact on the biological sciences. The author does an excellent job of providing pertinent information instead of overwhelming with formulas and jargon. Dr. Mouton's treatment of bias and error is superb; I find myself referring to it frequently."

Neal Melvin, Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada
This book provides an excellent initiation to the field of stereology with a style that is logical, linear, and readily comprehensible. Throughout the book, Mouton raises the reader’s awareness about various sources of bias, as well as the strength and importance of optimizing experimental design. The final three chapters ('All Variation Considered', 'Typical Stereology Designs', and 'Frequent Questions about Stereology') excel at merging theory with practical applications. If you believe that any conclusion in quantitative histology can only be as strong as the methods used to obtain it, Principles and Practices of Unbiased Stereology provides a first-rate resource.

Book News, Inc., Portland, OR.
"This introductory guide outlines the historical development of unbiased stereology and describes its techniques and typical designs. Specific chapters concentrate on sampling, geometric probes, estimates, the disector principle, volume, length and surface area, nonstereological bias, and variation. As it progresses, the book covers the relevant terms, concepts, and tools related to stereology. An appendix provides a conceptual framework of modern stereology."

Dr. Eimir A. Perez-Arjona, Neurological Research, January 3, 2003
"This book describes the historical and current concepts in Stereology, the science that analyzes biological tissues in three dimensions. Ten chapters explain mathematical and geometrical concepts and resources used to study biological tissues in different spatial dimensions. Special reconstructions of microscopic biological specimens created from two dimensions to three dimensions are analyzed determining the reliability of these models. The book is descriptive and filled with experimental results. Recommendations to biologists are given highlighting the performance of these procedures with the help of computer and microscope. We recommend this book to biologists, mathematicians, computer scientists, and medical school libraries. Because of its potential applications in sophisticated imaging techniques and microenvironment studies, this book would be of great help for 'inquisitive' pathologists and radiologists."

Peter R. Mouton, Ph.D. is the USA representative for the International Society For Stereology; the Director and CEO of the Stereology Resource Center, Inc.; and, Consulting Director of the Stereology Laboratory at the Gerontology Research Center located at the National Institutes on Aging (NIH) in Baltimore, Maryland.

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