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Scientists have identified the protein responsible for transporting nutrients to the eye that are believed to protect against the development of age-related macular degeneration, a leading cause of vision loss in elderly Americans. The research sought to illuminate the process by which compounds called lutein and zeaxanthin move from the bloodstream to the eye.

A genetic variant found almost exclusively in individuals of Asian descent increases the risk of elevated plasma triglycerides over four-fold. In fact, all 11 subjects who carried both copies of this rare variant for apolipoprotein A-V had extremely high and dangerous triglyceride levels in their blood.

A new vision screening device, already shown to give an early warning of eye disease, could give doctors and patients a head start on treating diabetes and its vision complications, a new study shows. It captures images of the eye to detect metabolic stress and tissue damage that occur before the first symptoms of disease are evident.

Both schizophrenia and bipolar disorder can be disabling conditions, and both present clinically with significant mood and psychotic symptoms. These two illnesses also share genetic variants that might be involved in the predisposition to both disorders.

Golfers who heed the advice of instructors to keep their heads perfectly still while putting may be hampering their game, according to a study that examined coordination patterns. The findings run contrary to conventional wisdom, or at least conventional golf wisdom. Using an infrared tracking system, researchers recorded the putter head and the golfer's head during sixty putts.

In Caesarean deliveries the placenta is usually removed by hand or by a technique known as 'cord traction'. A recent systematic review by Cochrane researchers shows that cord traction poses less risk to the mother than manual removal.

Obesity and common weight gain share a genetic basis. Scientists have discovered a new obesity gene that plays an essential role in the maturation of several key hormones that control food intake. Mutations in this gene increase the risk of severe obesity and can lead to excessive weight.

Researchers have discovered that people with OCD and their close family members show under-activation of brain areas responsible for stopping habitual behavior. This is the first time that scientists have associated functional changes in the brain with familial risk for the disorder.

Researchers have extended the functionality of the wireless ECG patch for cardiac monitoring. The innovative ECG patch is intended to monitor single-lead ECG in daily-life conditions, opening new perspectives for cardiovascular disease management.

Resistance to ciprofloxacin, a member of one of the most commonly used groups of antibiotics in the world, has been discovered by a team of Canadian researchers among people in remote South American villages who are believed to have never taken this medication.