The following will be done for all subjects:
1. Thorough history taking with stress on age, age at onset, duration of the disease, smoking history, therapeutic history with stress on their drugs, course of the disease, history of any previous attacks of acute severe asthma or exacerbation of COPD.
2. Complete physical examination.
3. Chest x-ray P.A view.
4. Complete blood picture.
5. Ventilatory function tests including FVC, FEVI and FEVI/FVC, PEFR and FEF25-75% using computerized spirometry apparatus.
Quantitative assessment of miRNA levels: will be used to assay miR-7, miR-20a, miR-21, miR-22, miR-145 and miR-155 in serum samples from all subjects. These miRNAs were selected based on prediction algorithms that suggested that these miRNAs were involved in the regulation of cytokines.
