Abstract: Diagnostic methods for identifying a test subject who has or is at risk of developing age-related macular degeneration (AMD) or an analogous disease associated with oxidation of DHA-containing lipids are provided. In one aspect, the methods comprise: assaying for the presence of elevated levels of 2-(?-carboxyethyl) pyrrole (CEP) adducts in a bodily fluid which has been obtained from the test subject. In a preferred embodiment, such methods comprise providing an antibody that is immunospecific for CEP, contacting a bodily fluid from the subject with the anti-CEP antibody, and assaying for the formation of a complex between the antibody and an antigen in the sample. In another aspect, the methods comprise assaying for the presence of elevated levels of an antibody that binds to or is immunospecific for a CEP adduct in the bodily fluid of the test subject. The present invention also relates to CEP protein and peptide adducts, an antibody reactive with a CEP adduct and a diagnostic kit comprising such antibody.

Abstract: A rack packer for loading containers onto a rack comprises a loading station, a transfer station, an elevator, and a rack positioning means. The loading station receives and supports successive incoming rows of vertically oriented identical containers. The transfer station is positioned adjacent to the loading station. A starwheel at the transfer station is rotatably mounted about a transfer axis parallel to the successive rows of containers at the loading station. The starwheel has multiple sets of radial arms extending from the transfer axis to support individual containers of each row. The starwheel moves successive rows of containers from their vertical positions at the loading station upwardly to horizontal positions above the loading station. The elevator is located adjacent to the starwheel to receive multiple rows of horizontally oriented containers from the starwheel.