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OBJECTIVES: The gut microbiota has been suggested to associate with the pathophysiology of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and thus prebiotic effect of fiber could play an important role on pathophysiology of ALS. The present study aimed to investigate the effect of dietary fiber intake on the disease progression rate (∆FS) and survival time among Korean ALS patients. METHODS: A total of 272 Korean sporadic ALS patients diagnosed according to the revised EI Escorial criteria were recruited during 2011–2019, and were followed until the occurrence of events or the end of September 2020. The events were defined as percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy, tracheostomy, or death. Intake of dietary fibers was calculated based on 24-hour dietary recall, and divided into five major fiber-rich foods: vegetables, fruits, grains, legumes, and nuts/seeds. RESULTS: There were higher proportion of participants with lower than the mean value of ∆FS (0.75) in the highest tertile of total fiber and vegetable fiber intake than those in the lowest tertile. Kaplan–Meier analysis showed that participants in the highest tertile for vegetable fiber intake had longer survival. Cox regression analysis showed that intake of vegetable fiber was negatively associated with risk for events after adjustment. Notably, vegetable fiber intake was negatively correlated with pro-inflammatory cytokine such as interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 in the cerebrospinal fluid. CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, this study showed that vegetable fiber intake was negatively associated to the ∆FS and shorter survival time, suggesting that vegetable fiber intake could influence the prognosis of ALS. Further clinical trials are needed to confirm whether supplementation of dietary fiber improves the prognosis in ALS. FUNDING SOURCES: This work was supported by a National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) grant funded by the Korean government (MSIT).

An advanced tangential X-ray pinhole camera (TXPC) has been developed for KSTAR by utilizing a 2-D duplex multi-wire proportional counter (MWPC) detector. The KSTAR MWPC employs a 2-D parallel type readout system for high temporal resolution and adopts a duplex type for the capability of electron temperature measurement via the multi-color method. This paper presents the performance test result of the developed MWPC system utilizing a Fe-55 X-ray source. As a preliminary experimental result from the 2012 KSTAR campaign, the clear presentation of sawtooth activities and its frequency change, and 2-D plasma images during the vertical disruption event are given.