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A possible association between multiple drug resistance 1 gene (MDR1) polymorphisms and the risk of developing hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is currently under debate, and evidence from various epidemiological studies has yielded controversial results. To derive a more precise estimation of the association between MDR1 polymorphisms and HCC risk, the present meta-analysis was performed. A total of 8 studies containing 11 cohorts with 4407 cases and 4436 controls were included by systematic literature search of EMBASE, PubMed, Web of Science, and CNKI. All polymorphisms were classified as mutant/wild-type alleles. In particular, the variation type, functional impact, and protein domain location of the polymorphisms were assessed and used as stratified indicators. The pooled odds ratio (OR) with 95 % confidence interval (CI) was calculated to evaluate the association. Overall, our results suggested that the mutant alleles of the MDR1 gene were associated with a significantly increased risk for HCC under all genetic models (allelic model: OR = 1.28, 95 % CI = 1.20–1.36, P

The plant growth promoting rhizobacterium (PGPR) strain Bacillus amyloliquefaciens GB03, an important soil-borne bacterium, was shown to promote growth and abiotic stress tolerance in Arabidopsis thaliana as well as in some crop plants. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of GB03 on salt tolerance in Codonopsis pilosula, a traditional Chinese medicinal herb that is sensitive to salinity. Twenty-day-old seedlings of C. pilosula were either inoculated with GB03 or without it (as a control). At the same time, plants were treated with NaCl (0, 50, 100, or 150 mM) for 40 days. Growth parameters, photosynthetic indexes, malondialdehyde concentration, and leaf osmotic potential were measured after treatments. The result indicated that GB03 improved plant biomass of C. pilosula under salt conditions and improved the photosynthetic capacity by increasing net photosynthetic rate and stomatal conductance and decreasing intercellular CO2 concentration under both 0 and 50 mM NaCl. The bacterium strain also decreased leaf osmotic potential and peroxidation of membrane lipids that could help the plant adapt to saline environments. This study provides insights into the application of selected bacteria in the culture of important Chinese herbal plants under mild salinity.