Ultrasmall superparamagnetic iron oxide (Fe3O4) nanoparticles coated by biocompatible pullulan (Pu‐USPIO) with sizes below 10 nm and having a magnetite core and a hydrophilic outer shell of pullulan were prepared. The formed Pu‐USPIOs were thoroughly characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, and small‐angle X‐ray scattering experiments. The content of magnetic nanoparticles embedded into the pullulan matrix was determined by thermogravimetric analysis. Vibrating sample magnetometry analysis was used to evaluate the magnetic properties of the Pu‐USPIO samples. Because of the presence of pullulan, these nanoparticles could be conditioned in many versatile forms, from a clear solution to magnetic films, for potential applications, including magnetic hyperthermia mediators. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2016, 133, 42926.

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Hip fractures are a major public health problem. Romania is one of the few countries in Europe that has no registries for the incidence, risk factors, treatment and evolution of hip fractures. This paper presents a database based on Epi Info TM that allows the management of data related to hip fractures. Our final goal is to use the data obtained to create a National Registry of Hip Fractures. The software used in this study, Epi Info TM is free software developed to facilitate field epidemiological investigations and statistical analysis. By creating this database, we aimed to electronically store as much data as possible regarding hip fractures and to make that data as accessible as possible to all doctors, no matter their knowledge of informatics. We believe that a database that contains information about patients with hip fractures is essential for improving treatment and outcome.