Orthopedics/Physical Therapy/Exercise Physiology:

Term/Phrase Incorrect Usage Correct Usage

*-m walk test • improvements in the *-m walk test • improvements in the *-m
• relationship between x and *-m walk test walk test
scores/values/results
• relationship between x and
*-m walk test
scores/values/results
Visual analog VAS was measured/analysed/compared VAS scores were
scale (VAS) measured/analysed/compared
Flexion In/at flexion of * degrees at * degrees of flexion
Range of • Satisfactory/full/maximum range of • Satisfactory/full/maximum
motion motion was obtained range of motion was
• Range of motion in the * joint achieved
• Range of motion of the *
joint
Fracture/injur • ..developed/had/underwent/experienced • ..sustained a fracture/injury
y a fracture/injury
• immobilize (but: A fractured limb is • [ADJECTIVE] open, closed,
immobilized), diagnose simple, compound,
comminuted, greenstick,
stress, wedge
Orthosis • Orthosis knee/ankle/wrist migration • Knee/ankle/wrist orthosis
• … knee/ankle/wrist joint undergoing migration
orthosis • … knee/ankle/wrist joint
Splint [VERB] applied, worn

Reproductive Medicine/Obgyn:

Term/Phrase Incorrect Usage Correct Usage

Cesarean section Cesarean women/pregnancy
Neonates Small/large newborns
Gestational age * weeks of gestational age/ age
of gestation of * weeks
Women who gave
birth/delivered via Cesarean
section
Neonates born small/large for
gestational age
Gestational age of * weeks/at *
weeks of gestation

Cardiology and Vascular Medicine:

Term/Phrase Incorrect Usage Correct Usage

Anastomosis Anastomosis was made/joined Anastomosis was
created/performed/ …was

Pneumothorax …seen in the pneumothorax
Stent Drug-eluting stent is the
optimal treatment/stent
treatment was
performed/Drug-eluting
stenting was performed”
Auscultation
Ventricular assist device Ventricular assist device has
(VAD) become an established
treatment procedure for end-
stage heart failure
Transplant [VERB]
perform. A surgeon performs a
transplant, a patient undergoes
one
anastomosed to…
Pneumothorax occurred
Drug-eluting stent implantation is the
established treatment
approach/stenting was
performed/drug-eluting stent was
implanted
[VERB] perform, reveal (e.g., chest
auscultation revealed rhonchi)
Ventricular assist device implantation
has become an established treatment
procedure/Ventricular assist device
use is established for the treatment of
end-stage heart failure
[VERB] receive, undergo
[NOUN] organ

[NOUN] patient
Transplantation [VERB] undergo
Graft Graft was performed Grafting was performed/graft
implantation was performed/ grafts
were implanted/skin was grafted/She
received a skin graft/The surgeon can
graft skin onto the knee

Artery [ADJECTIVE] blocked, stenosed,

dissected

[VERB] originate/arise (from a source),

supply (an organ)

Vessel [ADJECTIVE] patent

[NOUN] patency
Cardioplegia Infuse (A [VERB] induce
cardioplegic solution is infused).
Cardiopulmonary bypass performed [VERB] establish
Catheter
[VERB]advance/introduce/insert/place
(with a location reference)
Fontan circulation [VERB] establish
Anatomy:

Term/Phrase Incorrect Usage Correct Usage

Medial (similar usage for
ventral, dorsal, superficial)
Deep (position not location)
Sagittal/frontal/transverse
(position; similar use for
“coronal”)
Adhesion
Supine (patient positioning)
in the medial side
deep in
sagittal/transverse/frontal
to/sagittally/transversely/frontally scans of the gall bladder at
Adhesion was noted between scar Scar and skin tissue
tissue and skin tissue
Patients placed in the supine
position/patients were placed
supine
ligaments on the medial
side of the knee/The pes
anserine bursa is situated on
the medial aspect of the
knee/The accessory
brachialis runs medial to the
elbow
the external oblique muscle
of the abdomen is deep to
the skin
Sagittal and transverse
its largest dimensions were
obtained/The ventricular
septum is a straight
structure orientated in the
sagittal plane/perpendicular
to the antebrachial frontal
plane
adhesion occurred
Patients in supine

Nephrology:

Term/Phrase Incorrect Usage Correct Usage

Dialysis/hemodialysis [PREPOSITION] on [VERB]
receive/undergo/Perform

Gastroenterology:

Term/Phrase Incorrect Usage Correct Usage

Ascites Ascites were seen Ascites was seen
Proteinuria (similar use for Proteinuria >3 Proteinuria (ACR >3 mg/mmol)
uremia) mg/mmol/Proteinuria of >3
mg/mmol
Dialysis administer dialysis/dialysis was dialysis was used
performed/administered
Plastic Surgery:

Term/Phrase Incorrect Usage Correct Usage

Flap lower extremity free flap was lower extremity free flap
performed transplantation was
performed/lower extremity
free flap was
grafted/implanted

Implant (noun) Implant was performed implant was used/Implant was

placed

Surgery:

Term/Phrase Incorrect Usage Correct Usage

Access (surgical)
Surgery/operation
[VERB] allow, improve, facilitate perform
receive, a surgery
[ADJECTIVE] elective, invasive,
open, non-invasive, minimally
invasive

[VERB] perform, undergo

General Medicine/Epidemiology/Public Health:

Term/Phrase Incorrect Usage Correct Usage

Prevalence, Incidence • The prevalence rate of x was • The prevalence of x was

50%. 50%.
(typically expressed as
• The incidence rate of x was • The incidence of x was 50%.
percentages)
50%.
Risk Factors The risk factors of accidental The risk factors for accidental
ingestion ingestion

Case experience
[VERB] encounter
Complicated patients [NOUN] cases
Bleeding (is) ceased [VERB] (is) controlled/reduced
Breathing [VERB] through
(nose/mouth/artificial equipment)

[ADJECTIVE] spontaneous
Survey • A nationwide survey of
Japanese nursery schools
• A nationwide survey
regarding the nutritional
habits
Viral infection HIV virus infection
Diagnosis Find
• A nationwide survey
conducted among Japanese
nursery schools
• A nationwide survey of the
nutritional habits
HIV infection
[VERB] make, establish, confirm

[ADJECTIVE] differential, probable

Diagnostic marker in (a condition) [PREPOSITION] for (a condition)

Discharge (noun, of a obtain [VERB] collect

fluid)
Disease is present, inhibit
[ADJECTIVE] common,
communicable, rare, congenital,
chronic, acute, degenerative,
debilitating, fatal, terminal, life-
threatening, progressive, epidemic,
endemic, pandemic, iatrogenic,
lifestyle, systemic

[VERB] cause, prevent, diagnose,

treat, manage, eradicate, transmit,
have, develop, die of, recover from

[NOUN] onset, progression, natural

history, course, duration, history,
morbidity, mortality, prevalence,
exacerbation
Drain (verb) [NOUN] fluid, abscess, cyst,
cavity/region
Drug On drugs [VERB] receive, administer
Edema Drain, remove
[VERB] reduce

[ADJECTIVE] pitting, non-pitting,

 angioneurotic
Fever
[ADJECTIVE] febrile (e.g., the patient
was febrile, with a temperature of),
afebrile, continuous, intermittent,
remittent, low-grade

[VERB] spike, subside

Follow (verb) A patient
[NOUN/PREPOSITION] a case for (X
years), up a patient for (X years)
Follow-up (noun) [ADJECTIVE] long-term, X-year
General condition degrade
[ADJECTIVE] poor, good

[VERB, intransitive] deteriorate,

worsen, improve
History
[ADJECTIVE] medical, surgical,
family, remarkable for,
unremarkable

[VERB] take
Image
[VERB, transitive] acquire

[VERB, intransitive] show (that)

Immunity
[PREPOSITION] to (a disease or
infection), of (an organism)

[ADJECTIVE] high, low,

compromised, innate, adaptive
Incision perform [VERB] make
Indicated/contraindicated patient [NOUN] surgery (or any
procedure/therapy) (a procedure is
contraindicated in a patient)
Infection
[PREPOSITION] due to (a particular
pathogen, except for parasitic
 infestations), with (a pathogen), by
(a pathogen or a certain route), of (a
certain organ or system)

[ADJECTIVE] nosocomial,
opportunistic, zoonotic
Injection give [VERB] receive, administer
Involvement (in reference [PREPOSITION] "in" (e.g., "cardiac
to organs affected in involvement in myasthenia gravis is
illness) rare.")
Lifestyle [ADJECTIVE] sedentary, active
Lymph nodes [ADJECTIVE] positive, enlarged,
swollen, metastatic

[VERB, transitive] dissected

Marker was positive [NOUN] [Patient] tested positive for
Nutrient/Factor [NOUN] level, deficiency, excess
Organ [VERB, transitive] transplant,
donate, remove

[VERB, intransitive] fail, prolapse

[ADJECTIVE] visceral, peritoneal,

end, target
Outcome
[NOUN] outcome of a [procedure] -
patient outcome and disease
outcome are both used.
Palpate/percuss [NOUN] a region (e.g., abdomen,
neck)
Palpation/percussion [PREPOSITION] on (e.g.,
pain/tenderness on palpation), of (a
region)
Pathogenesis (of) [NOUN] disease, condition,
syndrome
Prescribe a dose of, to [NOUN] a drug

[PREPOSITION] for
Present (verb, when used [PREPOSITION] to, at (a hospital),
with "patient") with (a symptom, not clinical values
or levels)
Prognosis Perform/obtain
[ADJECTIVE] good, poor

[NOUN] disease

[VERB] predict
Pulse rate [PREPOSITION] of Avoid: "the patient had a
tachycardia/bradycardia of X
beats/min"

Better: "the patient had tachycardia

(X beats/min)."
Refractory
[PREPOSITION] to (treatment)
Response obtain
[VERB, transitive] show

[VERB, intransitive] achieve

[NOUN] rate

[ADJECTIVE] complete, partial,

pathological, clinical, complete,
short-term, long-term, *-year
Stage patient [NOUN] disease, cancer, tumor
Stricture [VERB] develop
Survival rate months/days/years
[UNIT] percentage
Survival/Survival time percentage
[UNIT] months, days, years
Switch patient
[NOUN] treatment, therapy
Symptoms Weak, strong
[ADJECTIVE] mild, severe
 [VERB, intransitive] resolve,
aggravate, reduce, alleviate (or
reduce the severity of)
Treatment/therapy give
[PREPOSITION] with (the patient was
treated with aspirin), by using (a
drug or a procedure), by performing
(a procedure)

[VERB] receive, provide

Wound
[VERB] debride, irrigate, clean

[NOUN] approximation, suture,

contamination, dehiscence

Hematology:

Term/Phrase Incorrect Usage Correct Usage

Level of laboratory Serum haemoglobin was high… Serum haemoglobin level was high…
parameters
Results of Laboratory Blood test revealed that the WBC Blood test results revealed that the
parameters count was… WBC count was…

Cancer:

Term/Phrase Incorrect Usage Correct Usage

Positive for disease Patients were positive • Patients tested positive
OR
Results were positive
Cancer Stage The overall survival curve in stage 4 • The overall survival curve in
patients stage 4 cancers
Lesion diagnose [VERB] detect

[ADJECTIVE] benign, malignant,

induced
Tumor
[ADJECTIVE] benign, malignant,
unresectable
 [VERB, transitive] resect, remove,
excise, detect

[VERB, intransitive] recur

[NOUN] resection, recurrence

Complementary and Alternative Medicine:

Term/Phrase Incorrect Usage Correct Usage

Acupuncture • Acupuncture was needled • Acupuncture needle was
• Acupuncture was made used
• Acupuncture was performed
Acupoint Acupoint was punctured Acupoint was
used/selected/stimulated
Sham acupuncture False acupuncture Sham acupuncture was performed
Moxibustion Received moxibustion Moxibustion was performed

Dentistry:

Term/Phrase Incorrect Usage Correct Usage

Caries
Tooth preparation
Orthopantomogram
Tooth caries/tooth
cleaning/tooth
alignment/tooth pain
Dental treatment
Caries were
deep in
Orthopantomogram was
performed
Teeth caries/teeth cleaning/teeth
alignment/teeth pain
Dental treatment of teeth
Caries was
the external oblique muscle of
the abdomen is deep to the
skin
Orthopantomogram was
obtained/orthopantomography
was performed
As an adjective, “tooth” will be
used in the singular form
Dental treatment/ treatment
of teeth

Radiology:

Term/Phrase Incorrect Usage Correct Usage

Image was taken Image was taken Image was obtained
MRI was taken MRI/CT was taken MRI/CT was performed OR MR
image/CT scan was obtained
Contrast agent Contrast agent was Contrast agent was
administrated administered
Computed tomography CT scan showed CT showed
Magnetic resonance imaging MRI image showed MRI revealed
Radiography [VERB] perform

Veterinary Sciences:

Term/Phrase Incorrect Usage Correct Usage

Presented The animal presented The animal was presented

Ophthalmology:

Term/Phrase Incorrect Usage Correct Usage

Counting fingers/count The patient’s visual acuity • The patient’s visual acuity
figures was count fingers at 3 ft. was counting fingers at 3 ft.
(The visual acuity of • The patient was able to
patients with very low count fingers at 3 ft.
vision is classified using
the semiquantitative
scale “counting fingers”
(CF), “hand motion”
(HM), “light perception”
(LP), and “no light
perception.”)
BCVA (best-corrected We performed a comprehensive We performed a comprehensive
visual acuity) ophthalmologic examination, which ophthalmologic examination, which
included BCVA, … included BCVA
assessment/measurement,…
Funduscope/Funduscopy Funduscope was performed. A funduscope was used.
Funduscopy was performed.
IOP (intraocular The ophthalmologic examination The ophthalmologic
pressure) included IOP,… examination included IOP
measurement,…

Anesthesiology

Term/Phrase Incorrect Usage Correct Usage

Administer, perform, initiate,
Anesthesia [VERB] induce
induce via [agent]
Anesthetic Induce [VERB] administer, deliver

Laryngoscope/Laryngoscopy
Hemodynamic/Hemodynamics
Stenosis (a narrowing or
constriction of the diameter of a
bodily passage or orifice)
Intraoperative probes/monitors
ENT:
Term/Phrase
Implant vs Implantation
Auditory Brainstem Response
(ABR)
A laryngoscope was performed.
Intraoperative hemodynamic
was stable.
Pain improved
…was passed through the
stenosis
monitoring for heart rate (HR),
saturation of peripheral oxygen
(SpO2), non-invasive blood
pressure, and end tidal carbon-
dioxide was attached in the
operating room
Incorrect Usage
A cochlear implant was
performed.
Auditory brainstem response
(ABR) was performed.
(should be accompanied with
route)
Laryngoscopy was performed.
A laryngoscope was inserted.
Intraoperative hemodynamics
were stable.
Intraoperative hemodynamic
parameters/variables were
stable.
Pain reduced/alleviated
…was passed through the
stenotic site
Heart rate (HR), saturation of
peripheral oxygen (SpO2), non-
invasive blood pressure, and end
tidal carbon-dioxide
monitors/probes were attached
in the operating room
Heart rate (HR), saturation of
peripheral oxygen (SpO2), non-
invasive blood pressure, and end
tidal carbon-dioxide were
monitored in the operating room
Correct Usage
A cochlear implant was
placed.
Cochlear implantation was
performed.
Auditory brainstem
response (ABR)
measurement was
performed.
The auditory brainstem
response (ABR) test was

Difficult airway
Intubate
Ventilate
Ventilation (mechanical)
Neuroscience and Neurology:
Term/Phrase
Brain region lit up
Bregma
Status epilepticus
Relapsing-remitting
Electroencephalography (EEG)
Mini Mental State
Examination (MMSE)
Neuropathology:
Term/Phrase
Biopsy
Bilateral
Seizure
Incorrect Usage
Cortical area lit up
Lateral to the bregma
Patient had epileptic status
Relapsing, remitting multiple
sclerosis
Electroencephalography was
recorded.
MMSE was normal.
MMSE indicated mild/severe
cognitive impairment.
Incorrect Usage
Biopsy was taken
Paralysis of bilateral legs
The patient experienced fits
performed.
[NOUN] presence (of),
management (of)
[NOUN] trachea, patient
(the patient was intubated)
[NOUN] lungs/patient (e.g.,
The patients were
ventilated with either air or
N2O2. Glucose metabolism
was studied in isolated rat
lungs ventilated with 95%
O2)
[VERB] receive (e.g., Two
patients received
mechanical ventilation.)
Correct Usage
Cortical area was activated
Lateral to bregma (no article)
Patient experienced status
epilepticus
Relapsing-remitting multiple
sclerosis
Electroencephalography was
performed/Electroencephalogram
was obtained.
MMSE scores were within the
normal range.
MMSE scores indicated normal
cognition.
MMSE scores indicated
mild/severe cognitive
impairment.
Correct Usage
Biopsy was performed
Paralysis of both legs/ bilateral
leg paralysis
The patient experienced
 seizures
Epilepsy/epileptic Epileptic patient Patient with epilepsy

Clinical Psychiatry:

Term/Phrase Incorrect Usage Correct Usage

Affect Affect was negative Negative/positive affect
Intellectual disability The patient was mentally retarded The patient was
intellectually disabled
Participants (human) The subjects were all in their 60s. The participants were all in
their 60s.
Diagnose The patient was diagnosed as The patient was diagnosed
schizophrenia with schizophrenia

Sleep Science:

Term/Phrase Incorrect Usage Correct Usage

Sleep latency Sleep latency was slow/fast Sleep latency was low/high
Polysomnography Polysomnogram was Polysomnography was
performed. performed.
Continuous positive Continuous, positive-airway Continuous positive
airway pressure therapy pressure therapy airway pressure therapy
(CPAP)
Apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) Apnea/hypopnea index Apnea-hypopnea index

Computational Neuroscience:

Term/Phrase Incorrect Usage Correct Usage

Voxel size Voxel size was 3 x 3 x 3 mm Voxel size was 3 mm x 3 mm x 3 mm
Convolutional Convolutional neural networks
neuronal networks
Easily confused groups of words:
Participant vs patient
Received vs underwent
Adduction vs abduction
Dilation vs dilatation
Stenosis vs stenose
Movement vs moment vs torque
Orthopedist vs podiatrist vs
physiatrist
Participant: An individual without
any known condition/disease
taking part in a study
Patient: An individual with a
condition/disease included in a
study
Received: (a) drug(s)
Underwent: (a) procedure(s)
Both: treatment for a
condition/disease
Adduction: movement of limbs
and other body parts toward the
center line of the body
Abduction: movement of limbs
and other body parts away from
the center line of the body
Dilation: the act of dilating or
stretching
Dilatation: the condition of being
dilated or stretched
Stenosis: an abnormal narrowing
in a blood vessel or other tubular
structure
Stenose: to cause a stenosis or
narrowing
Movement: Any motion
Moment: The turning effect of a
force
Torque: A twisting force
Orthopedist: A physician who
treats conditions/injuries
associated with bones
Podiatrist: A physician who treats
conditions involving the feet
Physiatrist: A doctor of
osteopathic medicine who
specializes in Physical Medicine
and Rehabilitation
Efficiency vs efficacy Efficiency: The ability of
something to act with a
minimum or waste, expense, or
unnecessary effort.

Not to be confused with efficacy,

which has a separate medical
definition.

Efficacy: (clinical definition) The

maximum response achievable
from a pharmaceutical drug.

Dose vs dosage Dose: The amount of substance

administered at one time. A dose
can be administered

Dosage: The amount and

frequency of administration of a
substance. A dosage cannot be
administered

Excision vs resection Excision: portion of the body part

is removed

Resection: both the partial and

complete surgical removal of a
body part

Cysts vs tumors/neoplasms vs. Cysts: (a sac that may be filled

cancer with air, fluid or other material)
are mostly noncancerous
(benign)

Tumors/neoplasms: (any
abnormal mass of tissue or
swelling) may be benign or
malignant

Cancers: are always malignant

Excisional biopsy vs incisional Excisional biopsy: the skin is

biopsy opened up to remove an entire
lump, tumor, or suspicious area

Caries vs carious
Acupoint vs acupuncture
Bur vs burr
Ultrasound vs ultrasonic
Molar/premolar/incisor/canine
tooth vs
molar/premolar/incisor/canine
Tracheostomy vs Tracheotomy
for purposes of diagnosis.
Incisional biopsy: the skin is
opened up to remove a sample
of suspicious tissue for purposes
of diagnosis.
Dental caries: decay occurring in
a tooth
Carious tooth: adjectival form
describing the tooth with caries
Acupoint: point on the body that
is stimulated in acupuncture
Acupuncture: therapeutic
procedure involving insertion of
needles at acupoints
Dental bur: rotary tool attached
to a handpiece
Burr: A burr is a raised edge or
small piece of material remaining
attached to a workpiece after a
modification process.
Ultrasound: imaging examination
Ultrasonic: relating to ultrasonic
waves or vibrations; removal of
tartar with an ultrasonic scaler
Both are acceptable; “molar” etc
itself is a tooth; this is similar to
saying “gluteus maximus muscle”
Tracheostomy: A surgically
created opening into the trachea
(windpipe) to help someone
breathe who has an obstruction
or swelling in the larynx (voice
box) or upper throat or who have
their larynx surgically removed.
Tracheotomy: Creation of an
opening through the neck into
the breathing tube (trachea) in
order to bypass the mouth and
throat. Commonly used when
significant obstruction exists
above the level of the voice box
or when the voice box is
removed due to cancer.
Aberration vs Ablation
Otolaryngologist vs Otologist vs
Audiologist
Subconscious vs unconscious
Dura mater vs gray matter
Afferent vs efferent
Aberration
Distortions, related to
astigmatism , that cause the
inability of light rays entering the
eye to converge (come together)
to a single focus point on the
retina . Aberration are divided
into two main categories: higher-
order and lower-order.
Ablation
Surgical removal of tissue,
typically using a cool beam laser
Otolaryngologist: A
physician/surgeon who
specializes in diseases of the
ears, nose, throat, and head and
neck.
Otologist: A physician/surgeon
who specializes in diseases of the
ear.
Audiologist: A health care
professional who is trained to
evaluate hearing loss and related
disorders, including balance
(vestibular) and tinnitus, and to
rehabilitate individuals with
hearing loss and related
disorders. An audiologist uses a
variety of tests and procedures to
assess hearing and balance
function and to fit and dispense
hearing aids and other assistive
devices for hearing.
Unconscious: lacking
awareness/consciousness
Subconscious: thoughts or
actions of which a person is not
directly aware.
Dura mater: CNS membrane
Gray matter: Major component
of the central nervous system,
consisting of multiple cell types
Afferent: These sensory neurons
carry nerve impulses from

Depolarize vs repolarize
Ipsilateral vs contralateral
Spine vs spinal cord
ROI vs VOI
Dysphagia vs dysphasia
Hemiparesis vs hemiplegia
sensory stimuli towards the
central nervous system and brain
Efferent: These motor neurons
carry neural impulses from the
central nervous system to
muscles and cause movement
Depolarization: During action
potential, the cell's internal
charge becomes less negative
Repolarization: During action
potential, the internal charge
returns to a more negative value
Ipsilateral: on or relating to the
same side of the body
Contralateral: on or relating to
the opposite side of the body
Spine: A series of vertebrae
running from the skull to the
lower back
Spinal cord: The cylindrical
bundle of nerves and tissue
enclosed in the spine
Region of Interest (ROI): A subset
of pixels in an image
Volume of Interest (VOI): A
subset of voxels in a three-
dimensional data set
Dysphagia: Difficult or
impossible to swallow
Dysphasia: Difficulty
understanding written or spoken
words due to brain injury
Hemiparesis: Weakness on one
side of the body
Hemiplegia: A total or partial
paralysis of one side of the body
Commonly used terms that seem incorrect but are fine/standard in the field of medicine and shouldn’t
be changed:

• All-cause mortality
• Foetal distress
• Planning target volume
• Activities of daily living (shouldn’t be changed to activities of daily life, daily activities, daily life
activities or anything of the sort)
• Quality of life (shouldn’t be changed to life quality)
• Low back pain (shouldn’t be changed to lower back pain/pain in the lower back)
• Lumbar roll
• Occult blood/carcinoma etc (occult shouldn’t be changed)
• Cesarean scar pregnancy
• Threatened preterm labour
• Brain/vascular insult
• Surgery-first orthognathic/orthodontic treatment
• Gravida-n, para-n
• Prevalence/indices of overweight; relationship between * and overweight
• A questionnaire/survey was administered
• Treatment-naïve patients
• Caries excavation
• Korean Medicine doctors (KMD)
• Access cavity preparation
• Tooth crowding
• Root canal retreatment
• Dental fear
• Ghost artifacts
• Negative/positive affect
• Patients with stroke
• Control for confounders
• Theory of mind (ToM)
• 10-20 system
• Long Short Term Memory Network (LSTM)
• Essential tremor
• The neural network was trained from scratch.
• Newborn neurons
Commonly used phrasing that is actually incorrect:

Incorrect Correct
Mortality of a condition Mortality associated with a condition
..patient was diagnosed as ..patient was diagnosed with
Pain improved Pain reduced/alleviated
Detected in the biopsy/biopsy was Detected in the biopsy sample/biopsy specimen
obtained/analyzed was obtained/analyzed
Informed consent was waived The requirement for informed consent was waived
Incidence/risk of * therapy Frequency/use of/requirement for * therapy
Drug X was tapered The dose of drug X was tapered
Golden standard/gold standard of diagnosis Gold standard method of diagnosis
Findings were suspicious for X condition Findings were suggestive of X condition
A prognosis was made A prognosis was predicted
Dental pain in teeth Pain in teeth or toothache
Image was low quality Image was of low quality
Findings on the image Findings in the image
The mean follow-up was * months The mean follow-up period was * months….
Percentage of cells Proportion of cells
Microglia consists of Microglia consist of
Our results support that Our results support the
theory/hypothesis/notion/idea that
Activity in the right brain Activity in the right hemisphere of the brain
Observable symptoms Observable signs
Cerebral blood flow in the brain Cerebral blood flow
Cerebral blood flow of a mouse model with Cerebral blood flow in a mouse model of
schizophrenia schizophrenia
…received * injection aimed at narcosis …received * injection for inducing narcosis
…model of chronic pain was prepared …model of chronic pain was established/generated
PCR was run PCR was performed
Mice were executed Mice were killed/sacrificed
Brains were kept for one night Brains were incubated overnight
Cell cultivation Cell culture
Proteins underwent/were subjected to SDS-PAGE Proteins were analyzed using SDS-PAGE
Neuronal cells received transfection with siRNA Neuronal cells were transfected with siRNA
Autonomous nervous system Autonomic nervous system
Blood brain barrier Blood–brain barrier
Brain stem Brainstem
Brain cerebral cortex Cerebral cortex
Disease course was completed Drug course was completed