Å, angstrom (10^–8 cm)
Ab, antibody
AIDS, acquired immunodeficiency syndrome
ANOVA, analysis of variance
apo, apolipoprotein (apoB, apoE, etc.)
ATP, adenosine triphosphate (also ADP, AMP, cAMP, CTP, UDP, UTP, GMP, cGMP, etc.)

°C, degrees Celsius
CFA, complete Freund’s adjuvant
CFC, colony-forming cell
CFU, colony-forming unit
Ci, curie(s)
CNS, central nervous system
cpm, counts per minute
CSA, colony-stimulating activity

D (delta), change in, change of
d, day(s)
d, density
Da, dalton(s) (use if unable to convert to kDa); kDa, kilodalton
DEAE, diethylaminoethyl
DMEM, Dulbecco’s modified Eagle’s medium
DMSO, dimethylsulfoxide
DNA, deoxyribonucleic acid (also cDNA, etc.)
DTT, dithiothreitol

°F, degrees Fahrenheit
FACS, registered trademark of Becton Dickinson and Co. (Franklin Lakes, New Jersey, USA) for a fluorescence-activated cell sorter
FBS, fetal bovine serum
Fc, crystallizable fragment (of immunoglobulin molecule)
FCS, fetal calf serum
FFA, free fatty acid
FGF, fibroblast growth factor (also bFGF, basic fibroblast growth factor)
FITC, fluorescein isothiocyanate
FMLP, formylmethionylleucylphenylalanine
ft, foot (feet)

g, gram(s)
g, unit of gravity
GAPDH, glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase
G-CSF, granulocyte colony-stimulating factor
GFR, glomerular filtration rate
GM-CFU, granulocyte-macrophage colony-forming unit
GM-CSA, granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating activity
GM-CSF, granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor
g mol^–1, molar mass
Gy, gray(s)

h, hour(s)
HBSS, Hanks’ balanced salt solution
HDL, high-density lipoprotein
HEPES, N-2-hydroxyethylpiperazine-N¢-2-ethane sulfonic acid
HGF, hepatocyte growth factor
HIV, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV-1, HIV-2, etc.)
HPLC, high-performance liquid chromatography
HSA, human serum albumin

°K, degrees kelvin
kb, kilobase
kcal, kilocalorie(s)
K_d, dissociation constant
K_I, inhibition constant
K_m, Michaelis constant

l, liter(s)
ml, microliter(s)
ml, milliliter(s)
LD₅₀, 50% lethal dose
LDL, low-density lipoprotein
LPS, lipopolysaccharide

m, meter(s)
mm, micrometer(s) (micron[s]; 10^–6 meters)
M, molar
mAb, monoclonal antibody
M-CSF, macrophage colony-stimulating factor
MEM, minimum essential medium
MHC, major histocompatibility complex
min, minute(s)
mmHg, millimeters of mercury
mo, month
moi, multiplicity of infection
mol, mole(s)
mol wt, molecular weight
Mops, 3-(4-morpholino) propane sulfonic acid
M_r, relative molecular mass

n, number in study, group
N, normal (concentration)
NA, not applicable
NAD, nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (also NADH, NAPDH, etc.)
NF-kB, nuclear factor kB
NIH, National Institutes of Health (Bethesda, Maryland, USA)
no., number

P, probability
PAGE, polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis
PBMC, peripheral blood mononuclear cell
PBS, phosphate-buffered saline
PCR, polymerase chain reaction (also RT-PCR, reverse transcriptase-PCR)
PDGF, platelet-derived growth factor (also PDGF-R, platelet-derived growth factor receptor, etc.)
pH, hydrogen ion concentration
pI, isoelectric point
PIPES, piperazine-N,N¢-bis(2-ethanesulfonic acid)
PMA, phorbol myristate acetate
PMSF, phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride
PPAR, peroxisome proliferator–activated receptor
psi, pounds per square inch
PVDF, polyvinylidene difluoride