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Purpose: To report the types of keratoplasty and analyze trends over a period of two decades in central and northern India. Methods: This was a retrospective review of eye bank registries of six tertiary eye care centers located in central and north India from 2005 to 2021. The indications and various keratoplasty procedures were compared between 2005–2012 and 2013–2021 to analyze the trend. Results: A total of 13,223 corneal grafts were performed, of which therapeutic penetrating keratoplasty (TPK) (5719, 43.3%) was the most common procedure, followed by optical penetrating keratoplasty (OPK) (5528, 41.8%), Descemet stripping endothelial keratoplasty (DSEK) (1279, 9.7%), deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty (DALK) (376, 2.8%), Descemet membrane endothelial keratoplasty (DMEK) (215, 1.6%), patch grafts (75, 0.6%), and keratoprostheses (31, 0.2%). Overall, OPK procedures decreased (−14.1%, P < 0.001), but TPK (+3.1%, P < 0.019), DSEK (+7.1%, P < 0.001), and DMEK (+1.9%, P < 0.001) procedures increased. Although there was an increasing trend in the use of DALK (+0.8%, P < 0.083) and keratoprostheses (+0.3%, P = 0.074) procedures, the trends were not statistically significant. Conclusion: In keeping with worldwide trends, an increasing trend in lamellar keratoplasties was observed in central and northern India during the past decade. The trend was significant for DSEK. However, as corneal ulcers and scars were the major indications for keratoplasty, TPK and OPK remained the most common procedures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In India, the fruits and vegetables supply chain operates with limited value-added processes, characterized by fragmentation and disorganization in distribution. This situation underscores the pressing necessity for the establishment of an efficient supply chain that connects farmers, retailers, and consumers. This, in turn, will reduce wastage in the fruits and vegetable sector while ensuring that farmers receive a more substantial portion of the consumers' expenditure. The objective of this study is to explore Consumer Preferences in the Purchase of Fruits and Vegetables from Organized and Unorganized Retailers in Navsari City. Primary data was gathered through a survey employing a well-structured questionnaire. The study included a sample of 100 consumers selected purposively from Navsari city in Gujarat. Analytical techniques such as tabular analysis and relevancy rating were employed to rank the factors and retail formats. Additionally, the study explored the correlation between consumer characteristics and their preferences for either unorganized or organized retail stores using the Pearson Chi-square test. The data analysis indicates a noticeable disparity in how consumers perceive and interact with both organized and unorganized retailers when it comes to buying fruits and vegetables. Moreover, the study revealed that income, gender, and education levels play pivotal roles in determining the choice of retail format for purchasing fruits and vegetables. In conclusion, there is a compelling need for both organized and unorganized retail establishments to enhance their facilities to align with customer expectations. Furthermore, it is imperative to establish a robust supply chain that integrates farmers into contemporary retail practices, ensuring that they receive fair compensation for their produce. The success of these retail formats hinges on their ability to meet the evolving expectations of consumers in the market. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To evaluate the efficacy of releasable single suture (RS) for conjunctival autograft (CAG) and to compare it with sutureless gluefree (SG) technique in pterygium surgery. Methods: We conducted a retrospective comparative study on patients with primary pterygium who underwent CAG. In 150 patients, CAG was additionally secured by a single 10-0 nylon releasable suture (RS) which was released on the first postoperative day. In 47 patients, no suture was applied, and CAG was allowed to stick to the scleral bed by autologous fibrin only (SG group). The duration of surgery and size of CAG (in mm2) was noted in both groups. All patients completed one year of follow-up. Factors that were studied included graft stability, patient comfort, complications, and recurrence. Results: The mean age of patients in RS and SG groups was 39.6 ± 11.8 and 47.3 ± 13.8 years, respectively. The mean duration of surgery was 4.84 ± 1.34 min in RS group and 4.90 ± 1.42 min in SG group (P = 0.001). The size of CAG used in both groups was comparable with more stability in RS group postoperatively. Graft retraction rate in RS group was 5.3% (1 mm retraction in CAG more than 36 mm2) with no event of graft loss. The graft loss occurred in 6.3% of eyes in SG group. The recurrence rate in RS group was 4%, while in SG group it was 6.3% (P = 0.4). Conclusion: RS, by augmenting the autologous blood mechanism, may offer an easy to learn option for pterygium surgery with good stability even in large sized CAGs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Food is an important part of life as it gives energy to body. Our health largely depends on our eating habit. Eating habits are about to what we eat, what we prefer to eat, how we eat and why we eat. The present study investigates Consumers' Preference towards eating out. To meet objectives of study the cross sectional research design was applied. Primary data were collected by using personal interview from 108 respondents in Gujarat state. It has been observed that preferred time for eating out is dinner and preferred place for eating out is hotels or restaurants followed by quick service restaurants. The exploratory factor analysis and cluster analysis were performed to analyse data along with descriptive statistics. The exploratory factor analyses results into three factors value for money, means of socializations and Peer influence. The present research will helpful to market players in designing marketing strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Real India live in villages as we have around 6,58,000 villages in the country. There are 70 percent of the total Indian population resides in rural areas. The food is basic necessity of human being. As the time passes, the food choices become more complex. There are numbers of factors affecting on food choice. To understand the food consumption practices in rural areas, the present study was conducted. The descriptive research design was adopted for the study and 100 respondents from the rural areas of south Gujarat region were surveyed. The data were analyzed with descriptive statistics and multivariate analysis. The present study focuses on food consumption time, frequency and factors affecting food choice. The study would be useful to marketer in understanding consumer behavior towards food and that would help to design marketing strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]