Prevalence of <i>Demodex folliculorum</i> in a university-based population
Bibliographic record
Abstract
Clinical relevance The multifactorial aspect of dry eye disease remains challenging. Demodex folliculorum, a common ectoparasite on human eyelashes, may impact eye conditions such as blepharitis which can be a contributor to dry eye disease. Exploring risk factors for Demodex helps to raise awareness for early detection potentially improving ocular health.Background Demodex folliculorum found on eyelashes can cause blepharitis. Its gelatinous debris at the base of the lashes, termed cylindrical dandruff is often associated with ocular itching. This study examined the prevalence of Demodex in a University population and assessed its relationship to symptoms of dry eye and itching.Methods Visual acuity, dry eye questionnaire (OSDI), non-invasive break up time (NIBUT), meibography, and slit-lamp examination were measured. When cylindrical dandruff was observed, lateral tension was exerted on two eyelashes to identify Demodex tails. Mann–Whitney tests were applied for comparisons, logistic regressions were applied to determine relationships, and chi-square, Fisher’s exact test and Spearman correlation tests determined associations.Results Of the 101 participants (mean age: 28 ± 12, range: 19–68 years, 90 females), 20% had dry eye (OSDI score ≥ 13 and NIBUT < 10 sec). Demodex tails/lash were significantly more prevalent in the upper (44%) compared with the lower eyelids (19%). Anterior blepharitis and cylindrical dandruff were significantly correlated with Demodex. Ocular itching (prevalence: 39%) was significantly associated with presence of Demodex only for the upper eyelids (p = 0.02). UODS was positively correlated (p < 0.001) with Demodex, cylindrical dandruff and anterior blepharitis.Conclusions There was a relatively high prevalence of Demodex among a university population. The prevalence of Demodex was not significantly different in those diagnosed with dry eye. Cylindrical dandruff and anterior blepharitis were significantly associated with the presence of Demodex, while itching was associated with presence of Demodex only for the upper eyelids. The UODS can be a valuable tool to add in future Demodex studies.
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How this classification was reachedexpand
Full frame machine prediction
Teacher imitationNot calibrated prevalence, not ground truth. Human validation pending. The Gemma side is a direct model label for every work in the frame, read from the title-only record. The Codex side is a classifier learned from the 10,348 direct Codex labels and calibrated to design-weighted sample rates; fields without enough sample support carry no Codex call. Candidate is the union of the two sides; consensus is their intersection. These outputs are machine_predicted_unvalidated and are not human labels.
Distilled classifier scores by category (both heads)
| Category | Codex | Gemma |
|---|---|---|
| Metaresearch | 0.000 | 0.002 |
| Meta-epidemiology (narrow) | 0.000 | 0.000 |
| Meta-epidemiology (broad) | 0.000 | 0.000 |
| Bibliometrics | 0.001 | 0.001 |
| Science and technology studies | 0.001 | 0.000 |
| Scholarly communication | 0.001 | 0.000 |
| Open science | 0.000 | 0.000 |
| Research integrity | 0.000 | 0.000 |
| Insufficient payload (model declined to judge) | 0.003 | 0.001 |
Machine scores (provisional)
The two teacher heads of the student model, read on this work. A score orders the frame for review; it never asserts a category, and the validation status ships verbatim with every row.
Baseline scores from an immature model (maturity gate not passed, 7 training rounds). Scores rank; they never assert a category.
score_only:v0-immature-baseline · verbatim from the scoring run: score_only means the number may rank works, and no category label ships from itClassification
machine, unvalidatedMachine predicted; a candidate call from one source (direct Gemma or distilled Codex), not a consensus.
How this classification was reached, model by model and score by score, is at the end of the page under "How this classification was reached".