Design and Fabrication of Ultra-Thin Soft Sensors Based on Electrospun Metal Oxide Semiconductors

The advancement of bioelectronics in the health care field has increased in recent years. To better their use, non-invasive continuous monitoring patch-sensors have been developed by increasing conformal mounting and developing ultralight weight devices. The convoluted surface of these sensors allow for better conformity to the human body due to the micro-ridges on the surface of the patches. The ultra-thin design of the patch reduces the surface adhesion energy for patch to skin conformity, and increases bending insensitivity to mechanical deformations which allows for continuous monitoring. These epidermal sensors can be utilized for better diagnostics in the health care field as well as implemented in future research for artificial skin needs. Using one-dimensional metal-oxide material and an ultra-thin mechanical design, temperature and glucose epidermal patches were fabricated with bending insensitive, environmentally inert, ultra-thin and non-invasive characteristics.Biomedical Engineering, Department o

Prevalence of Toxoplasma gondii infection in animals of the Arabian Peninsula between 2000–2020: A systematic review and meta‐analysis

Abstract Background Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) is a zoonotic parasite that can be transmitted from animals to humans, with felids acting as its definitive host. Thus, understanding the epidemiology of this parasite in animal populations is vital to controlling its transmission to humans as well as to other animal groups. Objectives This systematic review and meta‐analysis aims to summarise and analyse reports of T. gondii infection in animal species residing in the Arabian Peninsula. Methods : It was conducted in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta‐Analyses (PRISMA), with relevant studies being retrieved from MEDLINE/PubMed, Scopus, Cochrane Library, Google Scholar and ScienceDirect. All articles published in Arabic or English languages between January 2000 and December 2020 were screened for eligibility. Random effects model was used to calculate the pooled prevalence of T. gondii infection in different animal populations which were found to harbour this infection. The critical appraisal tool for prevalence studies designed by the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) was used to assess the risk of bias in all included studies. Results A total of 15 studies were retrieved, reporting prevalence estimates from 4 countries in this region and in 13 animal species. Quantitative meta‐analysis estimated a pooled prevalence of 43% in felids [95% confidence interval (CI) = 23–64%, I2 index = 100%], 48% in sheep (95% CI = 27–70%, I2 = 99%) and 21% in camels (95% CI = 7–35%, I2 = 99%). Evidence of possible publication bias was found in both felids and sheep. Conclusions This meta‐analysis estimates a high prevalence of T. gondii infection in animal species which are of high economic and cultural importance to countries of this region. Hence, these findings provide valuable insight to public health authorities as well as economic and animal resources advisors in countries of the Arabian Peninsula