{
  "abstract": "Aims: Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a chronic, multifactorial disease with systemic effects, demanding ongoing clinical vigilance and risk-reduction strategies. Among its most prevalent microvascular complications is diabetic retinopathy (DR), affecting 30–40% of individuals with DM and associated with sustained hyperglycaemia. This study investigates the role of erythropoietin (EPO), a glycoprotein primarily known for its role in erythropoiesis, in retinal pathology. Methods: Secondary analysis was conducted on 117 participants from the Australian cohort of the LANDMark study, examining the relationship between systemic EPO levels and DR severity, as measured by the Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study (ETDRS) Severity Scale. Results: Significant positive correlations were observed between serum EPO and DR severity at both baseline and the four-year follow-up (baseline: ρ = 0.212, p = 0.025; four-year ρ = 0.205, p = 0.030). Ordinal regression indicated that both baseline and four-year EPO levels were associated with higher DR severity at the four-year follow-up (baseline: log-odds coefficient = 2.258, OR ≈ 9.57, p < 0.01; four-year: log-odds coefficient = 2.111, OR ≈ 8.26, p = 0.01). Conclusion: These findings suggest that systemic EPO shows a modest association with subsequent retinopathy severity and may reflect an exploratory biomarker of ocular disease activity.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "School of Health, Medical and Applied Sciences, Central Queensland University, CairnsQLD, Australia",
    "School of Health, Medical and Applied Sciences, Central Queensland University, North Rockhampton, QLD, Australia",
    "Centre for Vision and Eye Research, School of Clinical Sciences, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD, Australia",
    "Faculty of Medicine, Greenslopes Clinical School, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia",
    "LVF Ophthalmology Research Centre, Translational Research Institute, Brisbane, QLD, Australia"
  ],
  "article_type": "Research Article",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 8,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Ingrid A. Wise"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Siska Dupont Berry"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2
      ],
      "name": "Alisa McKenzie"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        3
      ],
      "name": "Jason C. Steel"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        4
      ],
      "name": "Katie Edwards"
    },
    {
      "name": "Nathan Efron"
    },
    {
      "name": "Christopher J. Layton"
    },
    {
      "name": "Charmaine A. Ramlogan-Steel"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/63kmbh8jm59zf.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.1371/journal.pone.0358455",
  "fulltext_url": null,
  "id": "63kmbh8jm59zf",
  "issns": [
    "1932-6203"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0358455",
  "language": null,
  "licence": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY 4.0",
  "licence_source": "journal",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "openalex",
      "2731|Retinal Diseases and Treatments"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Biology and life sciences/Anatomy/Ocular system/Ocular anatomy/Cornea"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Biology and life sciences/Anatomy/Renal system"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Biology and life sciences/Biochemistry/Biomarkers"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Biology and life sciences/Biochemistry/Proteins/Hemoglobin/HbA1c"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Biology and life sciences/Cell biology/Cellular types/Animal cells/Neurons/Nerve fibers"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Biology and life sciences/Neuroscience/Cellular neuroscience/Neurons/Nerve fibers"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Medicine and health sciences/Anatomy/Ocular system/Ocular anatomy/Cornea"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Medicine and health sciences/Anatomy/Renal system"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Medicine and health sciences/Diagnostic medicine/Diabetes diagnosis and management/HbA1c"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Medicine and health sciences/Endocrinology/Endocrine disorders/Diabetes mellitus"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Medicine and health sciences/Medical conditions/Eye diseases/Retinal disorders/Retinopathy/Diabetic retinopathy"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Medicine and health sciences/Medical conditions/Metabolic disorders/Diabetes mellitus"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Medicine and health sciences/Ophthalmology/Eye diseases/Retinal disorders/Retinopathy/Diabetic retinopathy"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Physical sciences/Mathematics/Statistics/Statistical data"
    ]
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  "openalex": "W7213332927",
  "pdf_url": "https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0358455&type=printable",
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-09-15",
  "publisher": "Public Library of Science",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/63kmbh8jm59zf.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:17:50Z",
      "native_id": "10.1371/journal.pone.0358455",
      "source": "plos",
      "url": "https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0358455"
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  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "medicine",
      "origin": "plos:endocrinology",
      "subfield": "endocrinology-metabolism"
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    {
      "field": "medicine",
      "origin": "plos:anatomy",
      "subfield": "physiology"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Exploring systemic erythropoietin in diabetic retinopathy: Longitudinal associations and biomarker potential in the LANDMark cohort",
  "title_text": "Exploring systemic erythropoietin in diabetic retinopathy: Longitudinal associations and biomarker potential in the LANDMark cohort",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:17:50Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/63kmbh8jm59zf",
  "venue": "PLOS One",
  "versions": []
}