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Introduction: Deliberate corrosive substance attacks (DCSA) have traditionally been associated with low- and middle-income countries (LMIC). However, the incidence of DCSA in certain geographical locations of the UK has increased in recent years. These attacks have a relatively low mortality rate but cause extensive life-changing injuries and the management from point of wounding to definitive care is challenging for all involved. Methods: A systematic review was used to identify literature about DCSA and establish how much evidence about these attacks has been published over the last decade. Victim and perpetrator characteristics, substances used, injury patterns, mortality, pre-hospital and hospital-based management and complications associated with management were areas of interest. The review included any medical literature (case reports, letters, reviews) published within the last 10 years that described DCSA against human victims. Non-English language articles were excluded. Results: Eighteen articles containing 762 victims of DCSA were included; seven victims had incomplete data. Articles were mostly from LMIC (Bangladesh, Columbia, Cambodia, India, Iran, Sri Lanka and Pakistan) but there were five articles were from the UK (three 'Letters to Editors', one survivor letter and one retrospective review of 21 victims). UK victim and perpetrator characteristics varied from those in LMIC. Seven papers described pre-hospital management and nine described hospital/surgical management. Conclusions: The evidence base surrounding DCSA is limited especially in the UK setting. More research into the epidemiology and management of DCSA in the UK is warranted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Improving infant and young child feeding practices will help South Asian countries achieve the Millennium Development Goal of reducing child mortality. This paper aims to compare key indicators of complementary feeding and their determinants in children aged 6-23 months across five South Asian countries - Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. The latest Demographic and Health Survey and National Family Health Survey India data were used. The analyses were confined to last-born children aged 6-23 months - 1728 in Bangladesh, 15 028 in India, 1428 in Nepal, 2106 in Sri Lanka and 443 infants aged 6-8 months in Pakistan. Introduction of solid, semi-solid or soft foods, minimum dietary diversity, minimum meal frequency and minimum acceptable diet, and their significant determinants were compared across the countries. Minimum dietary diversity among children aged 6-23 months ranged from 15% in India to 71% in Sri Lanka, with Nepal (34%) and Bangladesh (42%) in between. Minimum acceptable diet among breastfed children was 9% in India, 32% in Nepal, 40% in Bangladesh and 68% in Sri Lanka. The most consistent determinants of inappropriate complementary feeding practices across all countries were the lack of maternal education and lower household wealth. Limited exposure to media, inadequate antenatal care and lack of post-natal contacts by health workers were among predictors of inappropriate feeding. Overall, complementary feeding practices among children aged 6-23 months need improvement in all South Asian countries. More intensive interventions are necessary targeting the groups with sup-optimal practices, while programmes that cover entire populations are being continued. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]