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Combining Mn and Sr co-doping β-TCP powder with sucrose addition in the setting liquid enhances injectability, mechanical and biological performance of brushite-forming cements, renders them promising for minimally invasive surgery applications.

Ceramics sugar jars pieces are, from morphological point of view, conical containers of fired clay with a hole in the vertex, which were used to sugar cane pulp maturation into sugar cake. These ceramic materials were produced in Aveiro given the existence of local raw material. Also, this occurrence of geological deposits exploited for red clays allowed the local development of strong pottery production center, transforming the city of Aveiro into one of the major Portuguese cultural heritage sites very rich in traditional ceramic tiles (azulejos) and other ceramic products. After local manufacture, the ceramic sugar jars pieces were exported as sugar production devices for Madeira island, Cape Verde archipelago and later, for Brazil. Also, these materials were found in buildings construction. So, this work focuses on the characterization of ceramic sugar jars produced in Aveiro and its construction use comparing with properties of other ceramics, justifying their preference for export to several countries of the world.

Portuguese gypsum deposits utilized by the cement industry were characterized mineralogically, chemically and technologically for possible application in dermocosmetics. The deposits studied (Loulé, Óbidos and Soure) correspond to small outcrops in diapiric anticline areas. In principle, they represent gypsites which are white, and generally of higher quality for traditional applications (e.g. white cement), or greyish, and generally not adequate for cements and mortars. The analytical methods used to characterize the materials were wet sieving and X-ray sedimentation, X-ray diffraction, X-ray fluorescence spectrometry and assessment of abrasiveness, plasticity, texturometrics (adhesivity and firmness), oil absorption and cooling rate. The Óbidos gypsum displayed greater mineralogical and chemical quality (almost pure calcium sulfate) and had a finer grain size (<63 μm), whereas Loulé and Soure gypsums contain mineralogical impurities (mainly quartz). The Óbidos gypsum shows good characteristics in general for application in dermocosmetics because of its absorption, plasticity, adhesivity, firmness and low abrasiveness.

There is growing interest in the use of natural materials as alternatives to medicinal products composed of chemicals. For this reason, it is important to study materials which fill this need (e.g. the formulation of peloids). Historically, the Azores archipelago has long been visited for its mud baths, mainly on São Miguel Island, where volcanic muds demonstrate beneficial properties. The volcanic muds are scarce, however. Thus, residual clay materials of Santa Maria Island were studied to assess their suitability for the formulation of peloids. The results of tests from 20 samples, collected from all over the island, presented evidence that they are very favourable for peloid formulations, due to their mineralogical, chemical and technological properties. The materials showed good potential for blending with the São Miguel volcanic muds. The deposits studied show extensive outcrops.

Clays are natural ingredients used to prepare therapeutic cataplasms suitable for topical application. The knowledge about these formulations and their preparations to be applied on humans and animals has been orally transmitted since ancient times. Several empirical methods using clays have demonstrated fast and effective results in the reduction of the inflammatory response and the formation of edemas in horse limbs. The use of traditional and alternative medicine, such as pelotherapy, is now becoming more popular in veterinarian medical practice, alone or combined with other therapies in horse muscle and tendon rehabilitation. This study characterizes the use of commercial equine clays and an old therapeutic clay cataplasm formulation, using acetic acid, to treat tendon injuries in horses. This work might contribute to a major database characterization of clays used empirically on equine health, the potential of dermal absorption, the risks of exposure to some toxic elements, and safety assessment for these formulations. The present study was carried out to characterize the suitability of four commercial equine clays (Group II) and a protocoled healing mixture: “clay acetic acid cataplasm”, (Group III), to treat tendon injuries in horses. In this mixture, three conventional “green” clays (Group I) without any mineralogical specificity were used and blended with acetic acid. The mineralogical composition was determined through X-ray powder diffraction and X-ray fluorescence data. To determine the performance of the samples, cooling kinetics, oil absorption, expandability, and specific surface area were measured. According to the mineralogical composition, Group I was mainly composed of carbonates and silicates, while Group II was much richer in silicates with the main clay minerals kaolinite and illite. Group II exhibited the highest values for As, Pb, Cr, Ni, and Zn, considered potentially toxic. Both groups showed low cation exchange capacities and exchanged mainly Ca2+, with the exception of VET.1 and VET.7, which also highlight Na+, and VET.5 and VET.6, which have K+ as an exchangeable main cation. The addition of acetic acid (Group III) does not reveal any significant chemical changes. The results confirm that both clay groups are adequate for the therapeutic propose. They have good plastic properties (skin adherence), good oil absorptive capabilities (cleaning), and exchange an essential physiological element, calcium. Group II has prior industrial preparation, which is probably why it showed better results. Group I presented lower heat retention capacity and higher abrasiveness, which could be improved using cosmetic additives. The clinical benefit of the “clay acetic acid cataplasm” (Group III) could be the systemic anti-inflammatory effect established by the acetic acid.

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