• “The proportions of monocytes positive for CD163, CD7 and CD11a were 45%, 63% and 70%, respectively” (the “respectively” makes clear that the three percentages refer to each of the three markers in the same order).
对比句式(Comparisons)
Comparisons are frequently made in the results sections of papers, and it is especially important to compare “like with like”. One common error made by non-native authors is overlooking this simple rule and leaving the reader to make an assumption about what is being compared. At best, the language will appear unnatural but the meaning clear; at worst, the wrong meaning can be imparted. As an example, the sentence “Expression levels of p53 in smokers were compared with non-smokers” should actually be “Expression levels of p53 in smokers were compared with those in non-smokers”. Another frequent error with comparisons is the use of relative terms (for example, higher, greater, more) without a reference. In the sentence “transgenic mice showed higher levels of cortisol” it is unclear what these levels were higher than; thus, a “than clause”, such as “than control mice”, is required. The reader might make this assumption automatically, but in some cases alternative inferences will be possible; the goal of accurate scientific writing has to be the removal of all assumption. Because comparisons of results are critical to their interpretation and, ultimately, their significance, it is critical that you convey to the reader exactly what is being compared. Finally, the word “between” should be used for comparisons of two findings, but “among” should be used for comparisons of three or more.
举例： • “The levels of ubiquitinated proteins were higher in patients than in control subjects” (the “than clause” provides a reference for the term “higher”). • “The levels of ubiquitinated proteins in patients were higher than those in control subjects” (unlike the first example, where patients and controls are both on the same side of the comparing term, that is, they are both mentioned after “higher”, here, patients and controls appear either side of the comparing term; therefore, it is necessary to add “than those” to compare like with like). • “There was no significant difference in the levels of ubiquitinated proteins between patients and controls” (“between is appropriate here for a comparison of two groups). • “There were no significant differences in the levels of ubiquitinated proteins among AD patients, PD patients and controls” (among is appropriate for comparisons of more than two groups; note the change to the plural differences because more than one type of difference is possible with more than two groups).
蛋白质和基因的命名(Protein and gene nomenclature)
One very common cause of confusion is use of the incorrect nomenclature to describe changes in the levels of genes, their mRNAs or the proteins that they encode. Constant changing from describing gene expression levels to protein levels and back again can also add to the confusion, especially because the names are often the same. Therefore, it needs to be completely clear to the reader exactly what level you are talking about. Nomenclature differs among species, but generally gene names should be described in italics and protein names in normal font. Case (upper vs lower) is often used to distinguish between species: generally, for mouse, rat and chicken, gene names are spelt with an upper case first letter and the rest in lower case; for humans, primates and some domestic species, gene names are spelt with all capital letters. Descriptions of mRNAs generally use the gene name (for example, “levels of p53 mRNA”) or you can refer to the mRNA “for” a given protein (for example “levels of the mRNA for p53”). The word “expression” is usually used to describe gene expression and can induce confusion when used to describe protein and mRNA levels; in most cases referring to proteins the word “expression” can simply be replaced with the word “level” (or “levels”). Be aware of the correct nomenclature for your species of subject and ensure that everywhere you refer to a protein, gene or mRNA by name in the text it is completely clear which of those you are referring to.
例如： • “Expression of the Igf1 gene was increased in our transgenic mice” (use if italics and the word “gene” ensure that no confusion is possible here). • “The levels of IGF1 mRNA were elevated in our patient group” (correct nomenclature for human genes). • “The serum IGF1 levels were elevated in the transgenic mice” (here, it is clear that the protein is being referred to; capitals are appropriate in this case, even though the species is mouse, because it is the correct nomenclature for the mouse protein).
