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Background: Burns are the second most common etiology of injury death in children under 5 years old and are the most common cause of death in a home accident. Materials & Methods: This study was performed to investigate the epidemiology of childhood burn in children under 16 years old referred to Velayat Burn Center, Rasht City, Iran, from 2013 to 2018. Data were collected from electronic hospital records of burn patients aged under 16 years of age. Results: Out of 717 patients, 44.5% were girls, and 55.5% were boys (sex ratio=1.2). The highest frequency of burns (56.1%) was reported in the 1-5 years age group. The most common cause of burn was scalds (76%), and the most common burn severity was second-degree burns (46.7%). The Mean±SD duration of hospitalization was 3.07±4.15 days, and the hospital stay was significantly associated with the cause of the burn, Burned Body Surface Area (BBSA), and burn severity. The highest frequency was reported on Saturdays, i.e., (the first working day in Iran) (22.7%), between 6 and 12 o’clock (42.8%). Conclusion: This study found that children in 1-5 years old were the most susceptible age group for burn injuries and scalds were the most common cause of the burn. The male to female ratio was 1.2, and the majority of burns occurred in the winter.

Nowadays, developing biocompatible shape memory polymers is among major expanding topics in medical applications. In this study, novel biocompatible polyurethane/graphene nanoplatelet (PU/GNp) nanocomposites were synthesized from poly(ε–caprolactone)diol (PCL diol)/Castor oil and Hexamethylene diisocyanate (HDI) through in situ polymerization. Three different %wt. of GNp were incorporated into the polyol mixtures to monitor the effect of nano fillers on the shape memory behavior of PUs. The chemical structure of nanocomposites was studied by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopies. X‐ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) were used to evaluate the nanocomposites properties. GNp incorporation affected the bulk morphology as well as thermal properties and crystallinity. Dynamic mechanical thermal analysis (DMTA) revealed the higher elastic modulus values for nanocomposites compared to the pure PU. The biocompatibility of PU/GNp nanocomposites was investigated via MTT assay. Finally, based on shape memory studies, the higher crystallinity, and improved elastic modulus of the nanocomposites resulted in their excellent shape fixity (about 91‐96%) and shape recovery (95‐99%) behaviors. According to the results, the prepared PU/GNp nanocomposites can be considered as potential choices for applicable shape memory devices for biomedical applications. POLYM. COMPOS., 39:4020–4033, 2018. © 2017 Society of Plastics Engineers

In this work, phospho-calcified cellulose nanowhiskers (PCCNWs) were prepared from wastepaper powder (WPP) and were dispersed in poly­(ε-caprolactone) (PCL). The biocompatible and biodegradable (PCL)/PCCNW bimodal foam nanocomposites with two species cell sizes were prepared by the solvent casting/particulate leaching method in different weight percentage of PCCNWs. The mechanical, thermal, and in vitro biological properties of PCL/PCCNW nanocomposites were investigated. All PCL/PCCNW scaffolds were hydrophilic, biodegradable, and also noncytotoxic. The human mesenchymal stem cells were cultured on the prepared PCL/PCCNW bimodal foam nanocomposites and differentiated to osteoblasts. On the basis of evaluating tests such as MTT assay, acridine orange/ethidium bromide staining, alkaline phosphatase assay, calcium content assay, and alizarin red staining, PCL/PCCNW scaffolds were introduced as an appropriate option for emulating the behavior of extracellular matrix. Increasing PCCNWs improves the mechanical, hydrophilic, and biodegradability properties of the nanocomposites as well as their osteoconductivity.

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