title: A primary proteomic analysis of serum from patients with nonfunctioning pituitary adenoma.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The early diagnosis of nonfunctioning pituitary adenoma (NFPA) is difficult. The objective of this study was to find specific protein biomarkers to aid in the early detection of NFPA.
  
  
  METHODS
  Serum samples from 34 patients with NFPA and 34 age- and sex-matched healthy control  subjects were analysed using surface-enhanced laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (SELDI-TOF-MS) technology. The spectra were generated, protein peak clustering was performed and classification analyses were carried out using a decision tree classification algorithm.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Nine differentially expressed serum proteins were identified in the patients with NFPA compared with the control subjects. Both the sensitivity and specificity of the decision tree classification algorithm were 82.4% for NFPA.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Nine new serum protein biomarkers for NFPA  were identified. SELDI-TOF-MS coupled with data mining tools might provide a novel approach for the early diagnosis of NFPA and population screening for the disease.
authors.affiliation: Medical Research Institute, Key Laboratory of Cell Proliferation and Regulation Biology Ministry of Education, Beijing Normal University, and Department of Endocrinology, General Hospital of the Second Artillery Force, The People's Liberation Army, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: X
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Shang
authors.forename: Q
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Xia
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Jia
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: X
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Xiao
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: He
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000097:blood; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D003663:Decision Trees; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D013058:Mass Spectrometry; D008875:Middle Aged; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins / Q000097:blood; D010911:Pituitary Neoplasms / Q000097:blood*; D040901:Proteomics / Q000379:methods*; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins