{
  "abstract": "AIM: To explore a novel morphological feature of the meibomian gland (MG) and evaluate its prevalence and diagnostic utility in Demodex blepharitis. METHODS: This study included an initial cohort examined for Demodex using in vivo confocal microscopy and an additional validation cohort examined using conventional light microscopy. The new Demodex-infected qualitative (DQ) dropout was defined as the appearance of one or more fully atrophied glands among relatively healthy MG. Diagnostic efficiency was assessed using a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, and diagnostic consistency was tested using Cohen’s kappa. The association between ocular surface parameters and DQ dropout was assessed. RESULTS: The initial cohort included 105 participants, comprising 70 Demodex-positive (DP; 18 males and 52 females; median age, 38y; range, 21–51y) and 35 Demodex-negative (DN; 11 males and 24 females; median age, 33y; range, 24–55y) individuals. The DQ dropout feature was 64.3% and 2.8% in the DP and DN groups, respectively (P<0.001). ROC analysis yielded an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.807. Substantial inter-rater agreement was achieved in confirming DQ dropout, with a Cohen’s kappa of 0.617. In the validation cohort of 887 patients, DQ dropout prevalence remained higher in the DP group than in the DN group (59.9% vs 28.5%, P<0.001), with strong expert agreement (kappa=0.642, P<0.001), and an AUC of 0.671. A multivariable logistic regression model incorporating tear meniscus height, MG area, and energy curve achieved an AUC of 0.969. CONCLUSION: This novel morphological feature of DQ dropout is common in Demodex infection, demonstrating good diagnostic ability and substantial inter-observer agreement.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "National Clinical Research Center for Ocular Diseases, Eye Hospital, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou 325027, Zhejiang Province, China",
    "College of Mathematical Medicine, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua 321004, Zhejiang Province, China"
  ],
  "article_type": "research article",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 9,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Lin Fu"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Xiao-Yu Chen"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Sen Wang"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Sheng-Lu Yao"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Heng-Li Lian"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Ya-Na Fu"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Xin-Xin Yu"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Zu-Hui Zhang"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        1
      ],
      "name": "Qi Dai"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/084e96zwy94n6.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.18240/ijo.2026.11.06",
  "fulltext_url": "https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC13717358/",
  "id": "084e96zwy94n6",
  "issns": [
    "2222-3959",
    "2227-4898"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://doi.org/10.18240/ijo.2026.11.06",
  "language": "en",
  "licence": "CC-BY-NC-ND",
  "licence_label": "CC BY-NC-ND",
  "licence_source": "journal",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "heading",
      "Clinical Research"
    ],
    [
      "openalex",
      "2739|Ocular Surface and Contact Lens"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7223000083",
  "pdf_url": "https://gjyk.ijournals.cn//gjyken/article/pdf/20261106",
  "pmcid": "PMC13717358",
  "pmid": "42959407",
  "published": "2026-11-02",
  "publisher": "Press of International Journal of Ophthalmology",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/084e96zwy94n6.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-11-02T12:21:41Z",
      "native_id": "PMC13717358",
      "source": "pmc",
      "url": "https://doi.org/10.18240/ijo.2026.11.06"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "medicine",
      "origin": "openalex:2739|Ocular Surface and Contact Lens",
      "subfield": "epidemiology-public-health"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Demodex-infected qualitative index based on meibomian gland dropout in Demodex blepharitis",
  "title_text": "Demodex-infected qualitative index based on meibomian gland dropout in Demodex blepharitis",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-11-02T12:21:41Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/084e96zwy94n6",
  "venue": "International Journal of Ophthalmology",
  "versions": []
}