Objective: To analyze the differences in blink patterns among patients with mild thyroid-associated ophthalmopathy (TAO, with eyelid retraction<2 mm), patients with primary dry eye disease (DED), and non-dry-eye controls, and to explore the association between these patterns and tear film stability. Methods: The data of patients who were admitted to the Department of Ophthalmology at Ningbo Medical Center Lihuili Hospital between July and September 2025 were retrospectively collected. Based on clinical features, patients were classified into three groups: mild TAO group, primary DED group, and non-dry-eye control group. All subjects underwent standardized ocular surface assessments. Dry eye-related parameters were measured, and spontaneous blink frequency and incomplete blink ratio were quantified. Intergroup differences were compared, correlations between blink patterns and dry eye parameters were analyzed, and multiple linear regression was performed to identify factors associated with incomplete blink ratio. Results: A total of 140 patients (140 eyes) were included. The mild TAO group comprised 45 patients (45 eyes; 19 males and 26 females), with a median age of 45 (31, 50) years. The primary DED group comprised 45 patients (45 eyes; 18 males and 27 females), with a median age of 40 (32, 54) years. The non-dry-eye control group comprised 50 subjects (50 eyes; 19 males and 31 females), with a median age of 40 (30, 50) years. No significant differences were observed in age or sex among the three groups (all P>0.05). Between the mild TAO group and the primary DED group, no significant differences were found in Schirmer test results, tear meniscus height, ocular redness score, meibomian margin morphology score, lipid layer saturation, or lipid spread speed (all P>0.05). However, non-invasive tear film breakup time (NIBUT) was significantly shorter in the mild TAO group than in the primary DED group [2.0 (2.0, 2.5) s vs 4.2 (2.4, 6.0) s, P<0.001]. The meibomian gland area ratio was higher in the mild TAO group than that in the primary DED group (P<0.001), but was comparable to that in the non-dry-eye control group (P=0.051). Blink frequency was lower in the mild TAO group than those in both the primary DED group (P=0.026) and the non-dry-eye control group (P<0.001). The incomplete blink ratio in the mild TAO group [50.0% (31.7%, 70.7%)] was significantly higher than that in the primary DED group [16.7% (7.7%, 26.7%)] and the non-dry-eye control group [5.6% (0, 11.1%)] (both P<0.001). In the mild TAO group, the incomplete blink ratio was strongly negatively correlated with NIBUT (rₛ=-0.826, P<0.001) and positively correlated with ocular surface disease index (OSDI) score (rₛ=0.320, P=0.032). Multiple linear regression showed that shortened NIBUT (β=-0.061, 95%CI:-0.093--0.029, P<0.001) and reduced blink frequency (β=-0.042, 95%CI:-0.053--0.030, P<0.001) were independently associated with an increased incomplete blink ratio. Conclusion: In patients with mild TAO who have minimized mechanical exposure (eyelid retraction<2 mm), an abnormal blink pattern characterized by increased incomplete blink ratio and decreased blink frequency is observed, and this pattern is significantly correlated with reduced tear film stability.

Fluorogen-activating proteins (FAPs) provide renewable fluorescence signals through continuous fluorogen exchange, resulting in imaging that is virtually resistant to photobleaching, an especially appealing feature for deterministic super-resolution microscopy (SRM) techniques. Furthermore, careful adjustment of the fluorogen concentration may lead to reversible, exchange-driven stochastic blinking, allowing the use of FAPs in stochastic SRM methods. The green-light-excitable, far-red-emitting fluorescence-activating and absorption-shifting tag (frFAST) is particularly well suited for biological imaging due to its favorable spectral properties and live-cell compatibility, however, its performance across different SRM modalities has not been evaluated. Here, we assess frFAST for single-molecule localization microscopy (SMLM), fluctuation-based computational approaches (super-resolution optical fluctuation imaging (SOFI) and extended super-resolution radial fluctuations (eSRRF)), and stimulated emission depletion (STED) microscopy. By tuning fluorogen concentration, we induced reversible stochastic blinking in fixed and live cells, enabling SMLM imaging of cytoskeletal structures and filopodia in mammalian and neuroblastoma cells, without the need for harsh reducing agents. Additionally, we successfully labeled and imaged mitochondrial outer membrane, microtubules, cytoskeleton and histone proteins in live cell STED microscopy. While the renewable nature of the frFAST:HPAR-3OM interaction supports extended live-cell imaging for up to 40 min with limited photobleaching, we found that its performance is strongly modality dependent. In particular, intrinsic photophysical properties limit its suitability for classical SMLM, whereas fluctuation-based methods and live-cell STED microscopy are more compatible with frFAST.

Lid wiper epitheliopathy (LWE) and meibomian gland inversion (MGI) are increasingly recognised causes of ocular surface discomfort and lid margin disease, yet their relationship remains poorly understood. This review examines the clinical, mechanistic, and histopathological evidence linking these conditions and evaluates whether they represent distinct entities or overlapping manifestations of a common disease process. A comprehensive literature search was conducted using PubMed, Embase, Scopus, Web of Science, the Cochrane Library, National Institutes of Health resources, and Google Scholar, supplemented by reference list screening and conference abstract review. The available evidence was analysed with emphasis on recent publications. Both LWE and MGI are characterised by symptoms that may be disproportionate to observable ocular surface findings and involve pathological changes localised to the upper eyelid margin. Shared features include associations with tear film instability, inflammation, mechanical forces generated during blinking, and alterations in the position of the mucocutaneous junction. However, important differences exist in their clinical presentation, diagnostic evaluation, histopathological characterisation, and the strength of supporting evidence. Current data suggest substantial overlap between the two conditions while remaining insufficient to establish whether they represent different stages or phenotypes of a single disease spectrum. An integrated conceptual framework may facilitate earlier recognition, improve diagnostic accuracy, and inform future research into eyelid margin disorders.

We have performed single-particle photoluminescence studies of individual silicon quantum dots (Si QDs) precisely anchored on DNA-origami nanostructures to elucidate how nanoscale spatial organization reshapes blinking dynamics, lifetime, and emission statistics. Compared to bare Si QDs and ssDNA bound Si QDs, origami bound emitters exhibit ∼2-fold enhancement in ON-time with increased photon yields by 40-60%. Our findings reveal that the fluorescence lifetime increases from ∼3 ns to 6-7 ns, together with a transition from inverse to truncated power-law blinking behavior after immobilization with DNA origami. Single-step photobleaching and photon-antibunching analyses confirm emission from individual Si QDs rather than aggregates. Taken together, these results demonstrate that DNA origami acts as a programmable passivation environment that suppresses surface-oxidation-related trap states, thereby enhancing the photostability of Si QDs and enabling their integration into nanoscale optoelectronic and photonic assemblies.

Electrical water-bath stunning remains the predominant method used in commercial poultry slaughter worldwide yet its effectiveness and welfare implications may vary among breeds. Taiwanese red-feathered chickens differ from commercial broilers in growth rate and body composition, which may influence their response to electrical stunning. This study investigated the relationships between electrical stunning conditions, electroencephalographic (EEG) indicators of unconsciousness, behavioural reflexes, and carcass quality in Taiwanese red-feathered chickens. A total of 200 female chickens were subjected to direct-current water-bath stunning at 80, 100, 120, 140, or 160 V for 7 s. EEG activity and physical indicators of consciousness were assessed during the first 40 s after stunning, and carcass defects were evaluated post-mortem. Of the 200 birds initially evaluated, EEG data from 153 birds met predefined signal quality criteria and were included in the final analysis. EEG-defined unconsciousness was more frequent and lasted longer at higher voltages (140-160 V), although intermediate voltage levels (e.g., 120 V) did not follow a strictly linear trend. Corneal reflex and spontaneous eye blinking were strongly associated with EEG-based unconsciousness, supporting their use as practical on-site welfare indicators. At the lowest voltage (80 V), birds with higher abdominal fat percentages were more likely to be effectively stunned. In contrast, no statistically significant associations between abdominal fat percentage and stunning effectiveness were observed at 100-160 V. However, higher voltages were also associated with an increased prevalence and severity of carcass defects. These findings suggest that stunning conditions or commercial broilers may not ensure effective unconsciousness in Taiwanese red-feathered chickens. Corneal reflex and spontaneous eye blinking provide reliable, welfare-relevant indicators of unconsciousness under field conditions. Electrical settings must be carefully balanced to achieve effective stunning while minimising adverse welfare outcomes associated with excessive neuro-muscular responses.

BACKGROUND: Psychopathic characteristics are associated with an elevated risk for violent behavior and are therefore of interest in research studies. Despite extensive research, the role of emotional and attentional anomalies in subclinical psychopathic traits remains a subject of ongoing debate, possibly attributed to the multifaceted nature of the construct. The study aims to explore how distinct psychopathic traits may differently relate to underlying emotional and attentional mechanisms. METHODS: To further explore the emotional and attentional anomalies underpinning the three Triarchic Psychopathy constructs, boldness, meanness, and disinhibition, this study employed an optimized picture-startle paradigm to address the limitations in commonly used paradigms that capture these dynamics only after 1000 ms post-image onset. This paradigm included negative, positive, and neutral images to elicit varied emotional responses, while auditory startle probes were presented at 50, 700, or 4500 ms post-image onset to measure emotional and attentional fluctuations. In this study, it was proposed that each psychopathic trait correlates with distinct emotional and attentional anomalies. A mixed-gender community sample of 115 participants was included. Eyeblink startle amplitudes (ESAs) were recorded via smartphone technology that utilizes facial landmark data captured via phone cameras, while the P3a and late positive potential (LPP) were measured through electroencephalography (EEG). RESULTS: The results revealed an exaggerated attentional bottleneck associated with boldness in males, indicated by increased P3a amplitudes in response to negative images. Meanness was associated with lower empathy scores and arousal ratings, and reduced ESAs at 4500 ms for negative images, supporting socio-emotional difficulties in meanness. In contrast, disinhibition showed no significant emotional or attentional deviations in this study. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings highlight trait-specific differences in neurocognitive functioning and validate the effectiveness of the optimized picture-startle paradigm for dissociating attentional versus emotional anomalies across triarchic psychopathic traits. The study also demonstrates the feasibility of using BlinkLab’s integrated stimulus presentation and camera-based eyelid tracking with concurrent EEG measures of attentional and affective processing (P3a and LPP), providing a complementary approach that may facilitate scalable data collection.

The modulation of the hand-blink reflex (HBR), a prototypical nocifensive response, is increasingly used to investigate defensive behaviour, related to the notion of peripersonal space. However, HBR responsiveness is highly variable across participants. This variability has led researchers to use several seemingly arbitrary criteria to determine whether a subject should be included as a participant in a study. But are these criteria justified? Can better and more rigorous criteria be formulated? Does the traditional division into responders and non-responders reflect a practical decision to exclude participants with very low signal-to-noise ratio, or does it reflect two distinct biological categories? Here, we addressed these issues by systematically varying a set of parameters, which together form an objective and quantifiable criterion of HBR responsiveness. We describe classification criteria for HBR responsiveness that were both reliable and consistent with previous studies. We also found no evidence for a clear-cut biological distinction between HBR responders and non-responders. We recommend to (1) no longer preliminarily screen subjects, simply collecting data on all subjects, and (2), after collecting the data, only include subjects identified as blinkers using the following criteria: The mean of the rectified HBR must exceed 2.5 SD of the baseline EMG in 40% or more of trials in the hand-near condition. We formulate rigorous inclusion criteria for HBR studies, which can be adapted for use on other neurophysiological responses in health and disease.