Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome. It has been spreading rapidly worldwide, causing serious public health crisis. Although most SARS-CoV-2-infected cases have asymptomatic or mild-to-moderate diseases. This study was carried out to evaluate the prevalence of asymptomatic COVID-19 among Students of Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma. A total of 100 Students were recruited for this study (50 males and 50 females). Ages were from 16 years upwards. 5ml of blood was drawn from each subject, 3 ml into an EDTA while 2ml was dispensed into plane tube for Elisa test of COVID-19 antibody dictation. The sensitivity and specificity of the Elisa kits used were 94.36% and 100% respectively. The full blood count was determined using Sysmex KX 21 Haematology autoanalyzer). Results of this showed that 48% of the subjects tested positive for COVID-19 antibody, while 52% tested negative. The mean white blood cells of COVID-19 antibody positive and negative subjects revealed 5.61±1.79x10/9 and 5.30±1.37x109/l respectively. There were no significant statistical differences (p>0.05) in the white cell, Red cell indices of subjects positive for COVID-19 antibody when compared with those negative for COVID-19 antibody. Also result shows that those positive for COVID-19, their platelets revealed significant (<0.001) lower count 234.1 ±151.1 x109/l when compared with those who were negative (250.0±152.7 x109/l). The study concludes that lymphocytes, neutrophils and mixed cell counts studied were lower in subjects positive for COVID-19 antibody while total white blood cell count was higher in positive group (p>0.05). There was no significant difference (p>0.05) in the WBC, LYM, MXD and NEUT of the subjects with respect to age and sex.

In recent years, many research groups have begun to utilize bioengineered in vitro models of cancer to study mechanisms of disease progression, test drug candidates, and develop platforms to advance personalized drug treatment options. Due to advances in cell and tissue engineering over the last few decades, there are now a myriad of tools that can be used to create such in vitro systems. In this review, we describe the considerations one must take when developing model systems that accurately mimic the in vivo tumor microenvironment (TME) and can be used to answer specific scientific questions. We will summarize the importance of cell sourcing in models with one or multiple cell types and outline the importance of choosing biomaterials that accurately mimic the native extracellular matrix (ECM) of the tumor or tissue that is being modeled. We then provide examples of how these two components can be used in concert in a variety of model form factors and conclude by discussing how biofabrication techniques such as bioprinting and organ-on-a-chip fabrication can be used to create highly reproducible complex in vitro models. Since this topic has a broad range of applications, we use the final section of the review to dive deeper into one type of cancer, glioblastoma, to illustrate how these components come together to further our knowledge of cancer biology and move us closer to developing novel drugs and systems that improve patient outcomes. Glioblastomas are universally fatal cancers and contain self-renewing glioblastoma stem cells (GSCs) that initiate tumors. Traditional anticancer drug development based on in vitro cultures tends to select targets with low therapeutic indices and fails to effectively represent the tumour microenvironment's impacts. Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the most common and aggressive form of brain cancer, with treatment options often constrained due to inherent resistance of malignant cells to conventional therapy. We investigated the impact of triggering programmed cell death (PCD) by using BH3 mimetic drugs in human GBM cell lines. Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) has been characterized by the high incidence, therapy tolerance and relapse. The molecular events controlling GBM resistant to chemotherapy temozolomide (TMZ) remain to be elusive. Here, we identified WNT signaling was amplified by TMZ and mediated drug response in GBM. We found O6-methylguanine DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) was redundant to WNT-mediated chemoresistance, which was highly associated with p53 mutation status. In GBM with p53 mutation, loss of function of p53 downregulated miR-34a expression, which represses transcription of WNT ligand 6 (WNT6) by directly binding to 3′ UTR of WNT6 mRNA, leading to activation of WNT signaling, and the eventual WNT-mediated chemoresistance to TMZ. Combined treatment of TMZ with WNT inhibitor or miR34a mimic induced drug sensitivity of p53-mutant GBM cells and extended survival in xenograft mice in vivo. Our findings provide insight into understanding the molecular mechanism of GBM chemoresistance to TMZ and facilitating to develop novel treatment strategy to combat p53-mutant GBM by targeting miR-34a/WNT6 axis. Advantages and drawbacks of dexamethasone in glioblastoma multiforme: Dexamethasone has been used for many years to treat brain edema and inflammation caused by GBM.Several investigations have shown that dexamethasone also exerts antitumoral effects against GBM.Unfortunately, steroids are associated with various undesirable side effects. Herein, we review pre-clinical and clinical applications of Dexamethasone in GBM. The most widespread, malignant, and deadliest type of glial tumor is glioblastoma multiforme (GBM). Despite radiation, chemotherapy, and radical surgery, the median survival of afflicted individuals is about 12 months. Unfortunately, existing therapeutic interventions are abysmal. Dexamethasone (Dex), a synthetic glucocorticoid, has been used for many years to treat brain edema and inflammation caused by GBM. Several investigations have recently shown that Dex also exerts antitumoral effects against GBM. On the other hand, more recent disputed findings have questioned the long-held dogma of Dex treatment for GBM. Unfortunately, steroids are associated with various undesirable side effects, including severe immunosuppression and metabolic changes like hyperglycemia, which may impair the survival of GBM patients. Current ideas and concerns about Dex's effects on GBM cerebral edema, cell proliferation, migration, and its clinical outcomes were investigated in this study. Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is one of the most common, most formidable, and deadliest malignant types of primary astrocytoma with a poor prognosis. At present, the standard of care includes surgical tumor resection, followed by radiation therapy concomitant with chemotherapy and temozolomide. New developments and significant advances in the treatment of GBM have been achieved ..........