Definition and research guide
This page combines a MeSH definition, publication statistics and selected research abstracts. It is a starting point for reading the literature, not a medical textbook or a systematic evidence review.
Content available: 3 complete abstracts (598 words), 9 references. Full article text is not stored or reproduced here; follow the PMID, DOI or PMC links to read the original sources and their access terms.
Definition
Methods of preparing tissue for examination and study of the origin, structure, function, or pathology.
Definition: NLM Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) scope note (Public domain (U.S. National Library of Medicine); attribution requested). View the MeSH record.
Also known as: Histological Technique; Technique, Histological; Techniques, Histological; Histologic Technic; Histologic Technics; Histologic Technique; Histologic Techniques; Histological Technics.
Where it fits in the MeSH classification
- Broader topics
- Clinical Laboratory Techniques
- Narrower topics
- Autoradiography; Decalcification Technique; Histocytochemistry; Histocytological Preparation Techniques
Research landscape
PubMed indexes 792,809 records tagged with the MeSH heading “Histological Techniques” (counts retrieved 2026-11-04). 44,795 of them (5.7%) were published from 2020 onward, and the busiest period so far is through 1999 with 363,326 records.
Reviews account for 31,062 records (3.9%) and meta-analyses for 712. Randomized controlled trials number 2,652 (0.3%) as a share of all records on the topic. Randomized trials make up only a small share of this literature, so much of what is known comes from laboratory, observational or descriptive work.
Show the data
| Period | Records |
|---|---|
| through 1999 | 363,326 |
| 2000-2009 | 210,831 |
| 2010-2019 | 173,857 |
| 2020 onward | 44,795 |
Publication-type chart data
| Type | Records | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Reviews | 31,062 | 3.9% |
| Meta-analyses | 712 | 0.1% |
| Randomized controlled trials | 2,652 | 0.3% |
Method: PubMed query "Histological Techniques"[MeSH Terms] with publication-type and date filters, retrieved 2026-11-04.
Reading the evidence in diagnostics and medical technology
A test or device is judged by how well it detects a condition, how often it gives false alarms or misses cases, and whether using it improves outcomes for people. Accuracy depends on who is tested and how common the condition is, so a test that performs well in a specialist hospital can perform differently in the community. Check the reference standard, the population studied, the sensitivity and specificity and whether results were confirmed in a separate group.
Evidence from open-access studies
These open-access studies come from PubMed’s best-match results for this heading (papers whose main topic it is), ranked here by citation count, with one recent addition. Each abstract is reproduced in full under its recorded open licence so that you can read the authors’ own words. They illustrate the literature; they are not a systematic summary of it. Citation counts measure attention, not reliability or clinical benefit.
| Study / authors | Year | Source label / design | Europe PMC citations | Licence / source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bridging Histology and Tractography: First In Vivo Visualization of Short-Range Prefrontal Connections Informed by Primate Tract-Tracing | 2026 | Research article Design not recorded in structured metadata | 2 | cc by PMID 41947581 · DOI · PMC13058440 |
| Semi-Automated Analysis of Lymph Node Immune and Fibroblast Architecture From Immunofluorescent Images | 2026 | Research article Design not recorded in structured metadata | 1 | cc by PMID 42623020 · DOI · PMC13492504 |
| Lessons From Drug Discovery for Cryoprotective Agent Design: An AI-Oriented Perspective | 2026 | Research article Design not recorded in structured metadata | 1 | cc by PMID 42272450 · DOI · PMC13336916 |
Bridging Histology and Tractography: First In Vivo Visualization of Short-Range Prefrontal Connections Informed by Primate Tract-Tracing [1]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- Decades of histological research in non-human primates have revealed a dense web of short-range connections underpinning prefrontal cortex (PFC) function.
- Closing excerpt
- Ultimately, this study shows how linking histology to tractography provides a powerful framework to advance our understanding of the human connectome and opens avenues to investigate local circuitry that underpins cognition and disease.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (204 words)
Decades of histological research in non-human primates have revealed a dense web of short-range connections underpinning prefrontal cortex (PFC) function. However, translating this anatomical ground-truth to the living human brain has been a major challenge, leaving our understanding of the PFC's intrinsic wiring incomplete. These short-range fibers are difficult to resolve with non-invasive methods like diffusion tractography, which are often hampered by false positives. Here, we provide the first systematic in vivo visualization of these pathways in the human brain. By informing high-resolution probabilistic tractography with established tract-tracing findings, we mapped 91 histologically-defined short-range connections within and between five major PFC subdivisions in 1003 individuals (547 F, 456 M). Our anatomically-informed approach successfully reconstructed these intricate connections with high precision (> 80%) and accuracy (> 70%) relative to histological findings. The resulting tracts not only captured broad organizational principles but also replicated fine-grained patterns previously only seen in invasive studies. Furthermore, these connections showed high test-retest reliability within individuals alongside significant variability between them, highlighting a stable yet unique anatomical fingerprint. Ultimately, this study shows how linking histology to tractography provides a powerful framework to advance our understanding of the human connectome and opens avenues to investigate local circuitry that underpins cognition and disease.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 41947581 · DOI · PMC13058440
Semi-Automated Analysis of Lymph Node Immune and Fibroblast Architecture From Immunofluorescent Images [2]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- Tissues are highly ordered structures, with cellular localization essential to the optimal function of the tissue.
- Closing excerpt
- Basic Protocol 1: Quantifying changes in lymph node regional architecture Alternate Protocol: Adapting KVA1 for use on spleen tissue sections Basic Protocol 2: Measuring follicular dendritic cell network area within individual B cell follicles.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (208 words)
Tissues are highly ordered structures, with cellular localization essential to the optimal function of the tissue. In lymph nodes the spatial arrangement of immune cells and their associated with stromal cell architecture is essential for the generation of optimal immune responses. Circumstances such as aging and chronic disease can alter lymph node architecture in a manner that impacts immune function. Immunologists have developed many tools for analyzing the cellular content of lymphoid tissue, with flow cytometry a central workhorse in the field. While flow cytometry is a powerful high-throughput tool for analyzing multiple cell types in a tissue, it cannot assess where those cells are located. Imaging, on the other hand, is relatively low throughput, with objective image analysis often presenting a significant hurdle for many immunologists. Here we describe two analysis tools built in Fiji (ImageJ) that semi-automate the analysis of lymph node spatial architecture, can be adapted to different antibody staining panels, and are straightforward to implement with little computational experience. © 2026 The Author(s). Current Protocols published by Wiley Periodicals LLC. Basic Protocol 1: Quantifying changes in lymph node regional architecture Alternate Protocol: Adapting KVA1 for use on spleen tissue sections Basic Protocol 2: Measuring follicular dendritic cell network area within individual B cell follicles.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 42623020 · DOI · PMC13492504
Lessons From Drug Discovery for Cryoprotective Agent Design: An AI-Oriented Perspective [3]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- Cryopreservation is the storage of biological materials like cells, tissues, or even organs at cryogenic temperatures.
- Closing excerpt
- Treating cryoprotectant development as a multiparameter optimization challenge, akin to drug lead optimization, could enable systematic design of the next generation of safer and more effective CPAs.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (186 words)
Cryopreservation is the storage of biological materials like cells, tissues, or even organs at cryogenic temperatures. This technology is a key enabler for biobanking, reproductive medicine, and cell therapy, and is positioned as a vital part of the future of transplantation. Successful cryopreservation relies on cryoprotective agents (CPAs) that protect biological structures from ice-induced damage. However, CPAs can have significant drawbacks, including toxicity, particularly at the high concentrations required for vitrification. As efforts advance toward preserving more sensitive cells, whole organs, and, ultimately, entire organisms, there is a pressing need for new CPAs with improved profiles across multiple parameters. The drug discovery discipline has long recognized that an effective compound must meet many criteria beyond potency, absorption, distribution, metabolism, elimination, and toxicity (ADME-T), and that these criteria must be balanced through multiparameter optimization. Similarly, an ideal cryoprotectant must simultaneously satisfy a broad spectrum of requirements. In this perspective, lessons from drug discovery are applied to the design of cryoprotectants. Treating cryoprotectant development as a multiparameter optimization challenge, akin to drug lead optimization, could enable systematic design of the next generation of safer and more effective CPAs.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 42272450 · DOI · PMC13336916
Key reviews and meta-analyses
The most cited review-type papers among PubMed’s best-match results for this heading, listed with bibliographic details only. Follow the links for the full text and access terms.
- Research article Oocyte, embryo and blastocyst cryopreservation in ART: systematic review and meta-analysis comparing slow-freezing versus vitrification to produce evidence for the development of global guidance [4]
- Research article Clinical application of oocyte vitrification: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials [5]
- Research article Cryopreservation of human embryos by vitrification or slow freezing: a systematic review and meta-analysis [6]
- Research article Visceral pleural invasion: pathologic criteria and use of elastic stains: proposal for the 7th edition of the TNM classification for lung cancer [7]
- Research article Different storage and freezing protocols for extracellular vesicles: a systematic review [8]
- Research article "Interchangeability" of PD-L1 immunohistochemistry assays: a meta-analysis of diagnostic accuracy [9]
References
- Amandola M, Kim ME, Rheault F, Landman B, Schilling K. Bridging Histology and Tractography: First In Vivo Visualization of Short-Range Prefrontal Connections Informed by Primate Tract-Tracing. . 2026. PMID 41947581 · DOI · PMC13058440
- Vezyrgianni K, Rothery S, Denton AE. Semi-Automated Analysis of Lymph Node Immune and Fibroblast Architecture From Immunofluorescent Images. . 2026. PMID 42623020 · DOI · PMC13492504
- Wilczok D, Valdés-Hernández J, Bernales V, Aspuru-Guzik A, Zhavoronkov A. Lessons From Drug Discovery for Cryoprotective Agent Design: An AI-Oriented Perspective. . 2026. PMID 42272450 · DOI · PMC13336916
- Rienzi L, Gracia C, Maggiulli R, LaBarbera AR, Kaser DJ, Ubaldi FM, et al.. Oocyte, embryo and blastocyst cryopreservation in ART: systematic review and meta-analysis comparing slow-freezing versus vitrification to produce evidence for the development of global guidance. Hum Reprod Update. 2017. PMID 27827818 · DOI · PMC5850862
- Cobo A, Diaz C. Clinical application of oocyte vitrification: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Fertil Steril. 2011. PMID 21718983 · DOI
- Loutradi KE, Kolibianakis EM, Venetis CA, Papanikolaou EG, Pados G, Bontis I, et al.. Cryopreservation of human embryos by vitrification or slow freezing: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Fertil Steril. 2008. PMID 17980870 · DOI
- Travis WD, Brambilla E, Rami-Porta R, Vallières E, Tsuboi M, Rusch V, et al.. Visceral pleural invasion: pathologic criteria and use of elastic stains: proposal for the 7th edition of the TNM classification for lung cancer. J Thorac Oncol. 2008. PMID 19057261 · DOI
- Ahmadian S, Jafari N, Tamadon A, Ghaffarzadeh A, Rahbarghazi R, Mahdipour M. Different storage and freezing protocols for extracellular vesicles: a systematic review. Stem Cell Res Ther. 2024. PMID 39593194 · DOI · PMC11600612
- Torlakovic E, Lim HJ, Adam J, Barnes P, Bigras G, Chan AWH, et al.. "Interchangeability" of PD-L1 immunohistochemistry assays: a meta-analysis of diagnostic accuracy. Mod Pathol. 2020. PMID 31383961 · DOI · PMC6927905
About this article
- Sources
- NLM Medical Subject Headings (definition, synonyms); NCBI PubMed (counts, identifiers); Europe PMC (open-access abstracts and citation counts).
- Verification
- Every reference was resolved against PubMed on 2026-11-04; title, year and DOI matched.
- Review state
- automated source verified; no human expert review has been recorded yet.
- Version
- 1, last updated 2026-11-04.
See how EvidenceLib is built. Spotted an error? Email support@evidencehelix.com.
Evidence strength
EvidenceHelix's computed view of the study designs behind this topic: how common meta-analyses, randomized trials and reviews are, how recent the literature is, and a plain-language reading. It describes the design mix of the literature. It is not a quality appraisal of any study, and it is not medical advice.