MicroRNA (miRNA)-21 and miRNA-155 are important regulators of gene expression of different immunological molecules. This study aimed to investigate the role of miRNA-21 and miRNA-155 as biomarkers in asthma by comparing their serum expression levels in asthmatic patients to those in healthy controls and correlating their levels with serum IL-4. The expression levels of miRNA-21 and miRNA-155 were evaluated by quantitative RT-PCR. Serum levels of IL-4 were determined using ELISA. Asthmatic patients showed significantly higher serum miRNA-21 and miRNA-155 expression levels compared to controls. A statistically significant positive correlation between the expression levels of miRNA-21 and IL-4 serum levels in asthmatic patients was detected. Nonetheless, no correlation was detected between miRNA-155 expression and each of IL-4 and miRNA-21. A receiver operating characteristic curve analysis showed that at a cut-off value of 1.37, the sensitivity of miRNA-21 as an asthma biomarker was 100% and the specificity was 95%. At a cut-off value of 1.96, the sensitivity of miRNA-155 as an asthma biomarker was 100% and the specificity was 100%. It can be concluded that miRNA-21 and miRNA-155 are potential non-invasive biomarkers in the diagnosis of eosinophilic asthma and its response to therapy.

Background: Since the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic, most of the efforts were directed towards developing new vaccines that are safe and effective to terminate the pandemic. Methods :This is a cross-sectional study, to analyze the short-term side effect profile of the AstraZeneca/Oxford vaccine and Sinopharm Chinese vaccine. A quantitative survey using Google Forms was used for healthcare workers at Cairo University Hospitals from February to May 2021. From total of 4962 healthcare workers who received COVID-19 vaccines through this period, 1190 responded to the questionnaire. The collected data included side effects, duration, and symptoms' severity.Results: Around 50% and 20% of the participants did not report any symptoms after Sinopharm and AstraZeneca vaccines, respectively. Participants receiving AstraZeneca vaccine were 3.6 times more likely to have fever compared to those receiving Sinopharm [OR (95%CI) 3.62 (2.18-6.04)]. Also, they were more likely to have mild, moderate, and severe local reaction in comparison with those receiving Sinopharm [OR (95%CI) 2. 01 (1.46-2.78), 6.13 (3.29-11.40), and 6.06 (1.07-34.33), respectively]. The duration of symptoms of both vaccines did not differ. Conclusion: While both vaccines were safe, the healthcare workers who received Sinopharm vaccine showed significantly fewer side effects compared to AstraZeneca recipients.