Fifteen crude drugs, Stellaria media Cyrill. (Caryophyllaceae), Calendula officinalis L. (Compositae), Achillea millefolium L. (Compositae), Verbascum thapsus L. (Scrophulariaceae), Plantago major L. (Plantaginaceae), Borago officinalis L. (Boraginaceae), Satureja hortensis L. (Labiatae), Coptis groenlandica Salisb. (Ranunculaceae), Cassia angustifolia Vahl. (Leguminosae), Origanum majorana L. (Labiatae), Centella asiatica L. (Umbelliferae), Caulophyllum thalictroides Mich. (Berberidaceae), Picea rubens Sargent. (Pinaceae), Rhamnus purshiana D.C. (Rhamnaceae) and Hibiscus sabdariffa L. (Malvaceae), which have been used as folk medicine in Canada, were evaluated for their anti-hepatoma activity on five human liver-cancer cell lines, i.e. HepG2/C3A, SK-HEP-1, HA22T/VGH, Hep3B and PLC/PRF/5. The samples were examined by in vitro evaluation for their cytotoxicity. The results showed that the effects of crude drugs on hepatitis B virus genome-containing cell lines were different from those against non hepatitis B virus genome-containing cell lines. C. groenlandica was observed to be the most effective against the growth of all five cell lines and its chemotherapeutic values will be of interest for further studies.

Background The insulated isothermal PCR (iiPCR) technology enables consistent PCR amplification and detection in a simple heating device. A pan-dengue virus (DENV) RT-iiPCR, targeting the 5’ untranslated region, was validated previously on the semi-automated POCKIT combo system (involving separate devices for nucleic acid extraction and PCR amplification/detection) to offer performance comparable to a laboratory real-time PCR. Working on the same technologies, a compact automated sample-in-answer-out system (POCKIT Central Nucleic Acid Analyser) has been available commercially for iiPCR, minimizing human error risks and allowing easy molecular bio-detection near points of need. Here, we evaluated the analytical and clinical performance of the pan-DENV RT-iiPCR on the fully automated system by comparison to those on the semi-automated system. Methodology/Principal findings Testing sera containing serial diluted DENV-1, -2, -3, or -4 cell culture stock, the pan-DENV RT-iiPCR system had similar 100% detection endpoints on the two systems; i.e. at 1, 10, 1 and 10 PFU/ml, respectively, on the fully automated system, and at 10, 1, 10 and 10 PFU/ml, respectively, on the semi-automated system. Furthermore, both fully automated and semi-automated PCR system can detect all four DENV serotypes in mosquitos. Clinical performance of the reagent on the two systems was evaluated by testing 60 human serum samples. Both systems detected the same 40 samples (ten DENV-1, -2, -3, and -4 positive each) and did not detect the other 20; 100% agreement (κ = 1) was found between the two systems. Conclusions/Significance With performance comparable to a previously validated system, the fully-automated PCR system allows applications of the pan-DENV reagent as a useful tool near points of need to facilitate easy, fast and effective detection of dengue virus and help mitigate versatile public health challenges in the control and management of dengue disease.