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Glasses from different types of tungsten mine tailings were obtained and studied to determine their ability to be used as raw materials of commercial glass. Tailings of granitic composition from Barruecopardo, of calc-silicate wastes from Morille, and of schists and quartz from Panasqueira, were used as raw materials. The addition of CaCO3 and NaCO3 was necessary for the manufacture of the glass. Samples were characterised by XRF, XRD, HSM and DTA-TG. Furthermore, the expansion coefficient, Vickers microhardness and leaching properties were measured. The results show that all the tungsten mine tailings used were suitable for the manufacture of commercial glass, with the addition of calcium and soda. The calc-silicate tailing needs less additive content to produce a glass. Also, they present lower workability temperatures and higher durability. Glasses obtained from all the tested tailings retain the potentially toxic elements in their structure and prevents the environmental pollution.

This paper describes how an extreme Saharan dust event that took place in March 2022 affected the Iberian Peninsula and was noticed not only by the outdoor air quality monitoring stations measuring PM2.5 and PM10 but also by indoor air monitoring systems in Fatima, central Portugal. The observed particulate matter concentrations clearly show the influence that such an event has on the indoor air quality inside buildings and that the magnitude of that influence is also dependent on the specific characteristics of the buildings, mainly the ventilation conditions, as should be expected. Therefore, this study alerts us to the necessity of integrating indoor and outdoor air quality monitoring systems to achieve automated air conditioning systems capable of efficiently controlling both temperature and air cleanliness.

IntroductionOne third to two thirds of patients with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) do not respond adequately to selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). Augmentation strategies have been tried and are recommended. Antipsychotic augmentation is the most studied, but more recently other strategies were attempted, including the use of medications acting on the glutamatergic system, such as memantine.Objectives/ AimsThe author’s aim is to understand whether there are sufficient evidences for the use of memantine as an adjunctive therapy in OCD.MethodsA literature research was performed, using the following key words: obsessive compulsive disorders, memantine.Retrieved papers were selected according to their relevance for the subject.ResultsSeveral evidences have pointed to a glutamatergic dysfunction in OCD. Drugs that act on ionotropic receptors or modulate glutamate neurotransmission, such as riluzole, lamotrigine and memantine demonstrated improvements in symptoms when used as adjunctive therapy in refractory OCD.The use of memantine in OCD has been demonstrated in open-label trials and in two recent randomized controlled trials (RCTs). The RCTs analyzed a total of 82 patients and found a significant improvement in short-term outcomes and higher rates of remission achieved with memantine than placebo, without significantly augmented side effects.ConclusionsAt the present time, there is little evidence to recommend the early use of augmentation strategies. Concerning the memantine’s use, more studies are needed before recommending its use as a routine augmenting agent.