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The estimation of object volume from rotationally randomised sections relies on an ancient geometrical principle due to the Alexandrian mathematician Pappus. In this paper we describe two studies that make estimates of eye volume using a stereological version of the Pappus principle. The first study uses a design-based version of the Pappus theorem to make estimates of eye volume in Sprague–Dawley rats and the second uses a model-based implementation for estimating eye volume in juvenile Dover sole. In the sole study we compare the estimates of volume with estimates made using the Cavalieri method and show that the Pappus method gives identical volume estimates with a markedly lower coefficient of variation (2.5%) than the Cavalieri method (13.5%). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is one of the leading causes of cancer-related mortality. Despite significant advances made in the treatment of other cancers, current chemotherapies offer little survival benefit in this disease. Pancreaticoduodenectomy offers patients the possibility of a cure, but most will die of recurrent or metastatic disease. Hence, preventing metastatic disease in these patients would be of significant benefit. Using principal component analysis (PCA), we identified a LOX/hypoxia signature associated with poor patient survival in resectable patients. We found that LOX expression is upregulated in metastatic tumors from Pdx1-Cre Kras(G12D/+) Trp53(R172H/+) (KPC) mice and that inhibition of LOX in these mice suppressed metastasis. Mechanistically, LOX inhibition suppressed both migration and invasion of KPC cells. LOX inhibition also synergized with gemcitabine to kill tumors and significantly prolonged tumor-free survival in KPC mice with early-stage tumors. This was associated with stromal alterations, including increased vasculature and decreased fibrillar collagen, and increased infiltration of macrophages and neutrophils into tumors. Therefore, LOX inhibition is able to reverse many of the features that make PDAC inherently refractory to conventional therapies and targeting LOX could improve outcome in surgically resectable disease., (© 2015 Cancer Research UK Beatson Institute. Published under the terms of the CC BY 4.0 license.)