Problem of the Unit of Reference in Expressing Biomedical Data

Abstract

Abstract This paper reviews various bases used by investigators in the biomedical field for expressing analytical data obtained from biological tissues. The advantages of certain units of reference in certain research situations and the pitfalls of other modes of expression are discussed. I suggest that authors express their data using several bases when no particular one is fully adequate. Use of wet weight, DNA, and total protein (as polypeptide) as bases would add new dimensions to the data and may suggest new possibilities for further experimental investigation.