Antigenic properties of the SARS-CoV-2 nucleoprotein are altered by the RNA admixture

Determining the presence of antibodies to the SARS-CoV-2 antigens is the best way to identify infected people, regardless of the development of symptoms of COVID-19. The nucleoprotein (NP) of the SARS-CoV-2 is an immunodominant antigen of the virus; anti-NP antibodies are detected in persons previously infected with the virus with the highest titers. Many test systems for detecting antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 contain NP or its fragments as antigen. The sensitivity and specificity of such test systems differ significantly, which can be explained by variations in the antigenic properties of NP caused by differences in the methods of its cultivation, isolation and purification. We investigated this effect for the Escherichia coli-derived SARS-CoV-2 NP, obtained from the cytoplasm in the soluble form. We hypothesized that co-purified nucleic acids that form a strong complex with NP might negatively affect NP’s antigenic properties. Therefore, we have established the NP purification method, which completely eliminates the RNA in the NP preparation. Two stages of RNA removal were used: treatment of the crude lysate of E. coli with RNase A and subsequent selective RNA elution with 2 M NaCl solution. The resulting NP without RNA has a significantly better signal-to-noise ratio when used as an ELISA antigen and tested with a control panel of serum samples with antibodies to SARS-CoV-2; therefore, it is preferable for in vitro diagnostic use. The same increase of the signal-to-noise ratio was detected for the free N-terminal domain of the NP. Complete removal of RNA complexed with NP during purification will significantly improve its antigenic properties, and the absence of RNA in NP preparations should be controlled during the production of this antigen.

An Innovative Air Purification Method and Neural Network Algorithm Applied to Urban Streets

In the present work, multiphysics modeling was used to investigate the feasibility of a photocatalysis-based outdoor air purifying solution that could be used in high polluted streets, especially street canyons. The article focuses on the use of a semi-active photocatalysis in the surfaces of the street as a solution to remove anthropogenic pollutants from the air. The solution is based on lamellae arranged horizontally on the wall of the street, coated with a photocatalyst (TiO2), lightened with UV light, with a dimension of 8 cm × 48 cm × 1 m. Fans were used in the system to create airflow. A high purification percentage was obtained. An artificial neural network (ANN) was used to predict the optimal purification method based on previous simulations, to design purification strategies considering the energy cost. The ANN was used to forecast the amount of purified with a feed-forward neural network and a backpropagation algorithm to train the model.

Heterogeneous Photocatalysis of Metronidazole in Aquatic Samples

Metronidazole (MET) is a commonly detected contaminant in the environment. The compound is classified as poorly biodegradable and highly soluble in water. Heterogeneous photocatalysis is the most promoted water purification method due to the possibility of using sunlight and small amounts of a catalyst needed for the process. The aim of this study was to select conditions for photocatalytic removal of metronidazole from aquatic samples. The effect of catalyst type, mass, and irradiance intensity on the efficiency of metronidazole removal was determined. For this purpose, TiO2, ZnO, ZrO2, WO3, PbS, and their mixtures in a mass ratio of 1:1 were used. In this study, the transformation products formed were identified, and the mineralization degree of compound was determined. The efficiency of metronidazole removal depending on the type of catalyst was in the range of 50–95%. The highest MET conversion (95%) combined with a high degree of mineralization (70.3%) was obtained by using a mixture of 12.5 g TiO2–P25 + PbS (1:1; v/v) and running the process for 60 min at an irradiance of 1000 W m−2. Four MET degradation products were identified by untargeted analysis, formed by the rearrangement of the metronidazole and the C-C bond breaking.

Study results of the choice of barium salts reagents for wastewater treatment from sulfates

The research on the removal of sulfates from mine wastewater is presented in the article. A new purification method has been proposed that allows removing a significant part of sulfates by precipitation in the form of barium sulfate. The present studies were devoted to the removal of sulfates from mine wastewater with a sulfate content of 1050 mg/l by introducing various doses of barium-containing reagents, namely barium chloride, hydroxide and barium carbonate. Among the listed reagents, the best results were obtained, using barium chloride and hydroxide. The use of barium chloride with a dose of 2700 mg/l and barium hydroxide with a dose of 3200 mg/l made it possible to reduce the concentration of sulfates below the maximum permissible (100 mg/l) when discharged into a reservoir for fishery purposes. A reliable in operation technological scheme for removing sulfates from highly concentrated mine wastewater has been developed, which makes it possible to reduce sulfates in the treated waste liquid discharged into the reservoir to 100 mg/l and below. In this case, the purification is carried out with separation of streams - in a smaller part (about 26% of the incoming); barium chloride is introduced, in the second - barium hydroxide. After that, the streams are mixed again, settled, sent to the calciner and to the post-treatment facilities and discharged into the reservoir. The resulting sludge is stored in special landfills or is processed to extract valuable components.