title: Screening of serum biomarkers and establishment of a decision tree in silica-exposed populations by surface-enhanced laser desorption ionization time-of-fly mass spectrometry.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To screen for serum biomarkers of silicosis and to study their roles using surface-enhanced laser desorption ionization time-of-fly mass spectrometry (SELDI-TOF-MS) techniques.
  
  
  METHODS
  The serum protein/peptide profile on the CM10 proteinchip was acquired using SELDI-TOF-MS from workers classified by the Chinese national diagnostic standard for pneumoconiosis. Discriminant analysis was performed to establish a decision tree using protein/peptide peaks.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Protein/peptide peaks changed much more in silica-exposed populations than they did in the control. Discriminant analysis using Wilks' lambda method could give high sensitivity and specificity in distinguishing the silica-exposed population from the control; the decision tree could give 100% sensitivity and 95% specificity in distinguishing the silicosis phase among the control group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Special proteins/peptides may change in silica-exposed workers and these changes may be used to distinguish silica-exposed populations from the control with the proper discriminant analytical method.
authors.affiliation: Proteomics Laboratory, Medical College of Chinese People's Armed Police Force, Tianjin, China. wshx-001@163.com
authors.forename: Shi-Xin
authors.initials: SX
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Xue-Feng
authors.initials: XF
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: Mao-Ti
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Wei
authors.forename: You
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Jia-Wei
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Zeng
authors.forename: Xian-Cai
authors.initials: XC
authors.lastname: Liang
authors.forename: Jian-Hua
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Yi
authors.forename: Bing
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: He
authors.forename: Zi-Guang
authors.initials: ZG
authors.lastname: Tu
mesh_terms: D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood*; D002681:China; D003663:Decision Trees; D016002:Discriminant Analysis; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening; D010455:Peptides / Q000032:analysis / Q000097:blood; D012829:Silicosis / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology; D019032:Spectrometry, Mass, Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption-Ionization
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D010455:Peptides