Neuromatch Academy: a 3-week, online summer school in computational neuroscience

Neuromatch Academy (https://academy.neuromatch.io; (van Viegen et al., 2021)) was designed as an online summer school to cover the basics of computational neuroscience in three weeks. The materials cover dominant and emerging computational neuroscience tools, how they complement one another, and specifically focus on how they can help us to better understand how the brain functions. An original component of the materials is its focus on modeling choices, i.e. how do we choose the right approach, how do we build models, and how can we evaluate models to determine if they provide real (meaningful) insight. This meta-modeling component of the instructional materials asks what questions can be answered by different techniques, and how to apply them meaningfully to get insight about brain function

The effects of flaxseed supplementation on metabolic syndrome parameters, insulin resistance and inflammation in ulcerative colitis patients: An open-labeled randomized controlled trial

The present study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of flaxseed supplementation in the management of metabolic syndrome (MetS)-related parameters among the patients with mild-to-moderate ulcerative colitis (UC). A randomized controlled clinical trial was conducted on 70 patients with UC. Participants were randomized in the intervention group, which received 30 g/day ground flaxseed powder or control group. Anthropometric and biochemical variables were assessed at the beginning and end of 12 weeks of intervention. Of the 70 patients enrolled in this study, 64 subjects were included in the final analysis. From baseline to 12 weeks' intervention, flaxseed supplementation resulted in a significant reduction in the serum concentration of insulin (p .05). Overall, 12 weeks of flaxseed supplementation resulted in greater improvement in the some MetS-related parameters. © 2021 John Wiley & Sons Ltd

The effects of flaxseed supplementation on gene expression and inflammation in ulcerative colitis patients: An open-labelled randomised controlled trial

Aims: Inflammatory bowel disease, a chronic inflammatory disorder of the intestinal mucosa, is a clinical presentation of Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis (UC). This study investigated the effect of grounded flaxseed (GF) and flaxseed oil (FO) on clinical biomarkers, quality of life and diseases activity in patients with UC. This research was conducted among 90 patients with UC for 12 weeks using an open-labelled randomised controlled trial design. Methods: The participants were randomly assigned into two intervention groups supplemented with GF (30 gr/day) and FO (10 gr/day) as well as a control group. The participants' data were collected prior to and 12 weeks after the intervention. The one-way analysis of variance was run to compare variables. Results: A total of 75 patients completed the study. After the intervention, hs-CRP (P <.001) and Mayo score (P <.001) were reduced significantly, but quality of life was increased significantly (P <.001) in the GF and FO groups compared with the control. A significant increase was observed in IL-10 concentration in the FO group, but no significant change was found in serum levels of IL-10 in the control group. Moreover, the decrease in Mayo score was greater in patients at more severe stages of the disease (P <.05). No difference was observed between the intervention groups and control group in mRNA expression level of TLR4 at the 12th week. Conclusion: In conclusion, grounded flaxseed and FO attenuated systemic inflammation and improved disease severity in UC patients. © 2021 John Wiley & Sons Lt