We examined the association of serum uric acid (SUA) with development of hypertension (blood pressure > or = 140/90 mmHg and/or medication for hypertension) and impaired fasting glucose (IFG) (a fasting plasma glucose level 6.1-6.9 mmol/l) or Type II (non-insulin-dependent) diabetes (a fasting plasma glucose level > or = 7.0 mmol/l and/or medication for diabetes) over a 6-year follow-up among 2310 Japanese male office workers aged 35-59 years who did not have hypertension, IFG, Type II diabetes, or past history of cardiovascular disease at study entry. After controlling for potential predictors of hypertension and diabetes, the relative risk for hypertension compared with quintile 1 of SUA level was 1.27 [95% confidence interval (CI): 1.00-1.62] for quintile 2, 1.34 (95% CI: 1.08-1.74) for quintile 3, 1.48 (95% CI: 1.18-1.89) for quintile 4, and 1.58 (95% CI: 1.26-1.99) for quintile 5 (p for trend <0.001). The respective multivariate-adjusted relative risks for IFG or Type II diabetes compared with quintile 1 of SUA level were 1.55 (95% CI: 0.95-2.63), 1.62 (95% CI: 0.98-2.67), 1.61 (95% CI: 1.01-2.58), and 1.78 (95% CI: 1.11-2.85) (p for trend = 0.030). The association between SUA level and risk for hypertension and IFG or Type II diabetes was stronger among men with a body mass index (BMI) <24.2 kg/m2 than among men with a BMI > or = 24.2 kg/m2, although the absolute risk was greater in more obese men. These results indicate that SUA level is closely associated with an increased risk for hypertension and IFG or Type II diabetes.

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Considerable research has been done on factors that influence the development of Type II (non-insulindependent) diabetes mellitus. Age, family history of diabetes, obesity, alcohol consumption, cigarette smoking, reduced physical activity, hypertension and dyslipidaemia have been confirmed as important predictors of Type II diabetes mellitus [1±11]. More recently, markers of low-grade inflammation have been shown to predict the occurrence of Type II diabetes mellitus [12,13]. Concentrations of inflammatory markers and mediators of inflammation ± cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-a and interleukin (IL)-6 ± are higher in patients with Type II diabetes mellitus, particularly in those with features of insulin resistance [14±16]. White blood cells (WBCs), another major component of the inflammatory process, are increased by cytokines, especially Diabetologia (2002) Abstract Aims/hypothesis. To investigate the association between white blood-cell (WBC) count and the development of diabetes, independent of cigarette smoking. Methods. We examined 2953 Japanese men who were office workers and between 35 and 59 years of age and who did not have impaired fasting glucose (IFG) (a fasting glucose concentration of 6.1±6.9 mmol/l), Type II (non-insulin-dependent) diabetes mellitus (a fasting glucose concentration of ³ 7.0 mmol/l or more or receipt of hypoglycaemic medication), medication for hypertension, and a history of cardiovascular disease. Fasting glucose concentrations were measured at annual health examinations from May 1994 through May 2000. Results. After controlling for potential predictors of diabetes, the relative risk for IFG or Type II diabetes mellitus compared with a WBC count of less than 5.3´10 9 cells/l was 1.2 (95 %-CI, 0.6±2.3), 1.6 (CI, 0.8±3

Novel ionic liquids comprised of a quaternary ammonium salt type cation have been applied to an electrolyte for high performance electric double-layer capacitors (EDLCs). The novel ionic liquids (IL-B; N, N-diethyl-N-methyl(2-methoxyethyl) ammonium tetrafluoroborate (DEME-BF 4 ) and IL-T; N, N-diethyl-N-methyl(2-methoxyethyl) ammonium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide (DEME-TFSI)) are promising candidates for EDLC electrolytes in terms of a high decomposition voltage (wide voltage window) non-flammability, easy handling, non-volatility and low production costs. Notably, the wide voltage windowindicates that IL-B and IL-T are more advantageous in energy density than a typical propylene carbonate-based electrolytes (i.e., TEA-BF 4 /PC) and a conventional imidazolium type ionic liquid (i.e., 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate, EMI-BF 4 ). The effectiveness of IL-B and IL-T on the application to EDLC electrolytes has been confirmed by using KOH-activated mesophase pitch-based carbon fibers (MPCFs) as an electrode material. The combination of IL-T (IL-B) and KOH-activated MPCFs has provided 56 F/g (51 F/g) of high specific capacitance at a maximum (1 mA/cm 2 discharge current density, 3.5V charging voltage), which is equivalent to 224 F/g (204 F/g) in a conventional three-compartment measuring system.In addition, the specific capacitance of both ionic liquids has increased proportional to the increase in the applied voltage from 2.5 to 3.5 V, in contrast to the decline observed for TEA-BF 4 /PC at 3.5 V. Furthermore, the mixture of the IL-B exhibiting high viscosity with propylene carbonate (1 M of IL-B in PC) has been found to provide an excellent capacitance behavior comparable to that observed for the pure IL-B. This indicates that the mixture has a great potential for application to EDLC electrolytes, similar to pure IL-B and IL-T.2

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Proton-conductive inorganic−organic hybrid films, which can be used as an electrolyte for polymer electrolyte-type fuel cells at temperatures higher than 100 °C with low humidification, have been prepared from 3-glycidoxypropyltrimethoxysilane, tetramethoxysilane, and orthophosphoric acid by the sol−gel method. Self-supporting, flexible, and brownish transparent films with a thickness of about 200 to 300 μm were obtained. Differential thermal analysis and thermogravimetric measurements revealed that the films were stable up to about 200 °C. The ionic conductivity of the films increased with an increase in the content of phosphoric acid in the films. The films with a molar ratio of P/Si = 1.5 kept a high conductivity of about 7 × 10-4 S cm-1 even after holding for 6 h under 0.7% relative humidity at 130 °C.