Most exhaled water is produced as gaseous water vapor, which can be collected in cooled condensers. The presence of nonvolatile solutes in these condensates suggests that droplets of respiratory fluid (RF) have also been collected. However, calculation of RF solute concentrations from condensates requires estimation of the dilution of RF droplets by water vapor. We used condensate electrolyte concentrations to calculate the dilution of RF droplets in condensates from 20 normal subjects. The total ionic concentration (conductivity) was 497 plus minus 68 (mean plus minus SEM) muM. Of this, 229 plus minus 43 muM was NH(4)(+), but little NH(4)(+) was collected from subjects with tracheostomies, indicating oral formation. The Na+ concentration in condensate ([Na+](cond)) averaged 242 plus minus 43 muM. Large variations in [Na(+)](cond) correlated well with variations of K+ in condensate ([K+](cond)) and Cl-) in condensate ([Cl-](cond)), and were attributed to differences in respiratory droplet dilution. Dividing condensate values of ([Na+] + [K+] ) by those of plasma indicated that RF represented between 0.01% and 2.00% of condensate volumes. Calculated values for Na+, K+, Cl-, lactate, and protein in RF were [Na+](RF) = 91 +/- 8 mM, [K+](RF) = 60 +/- 11 mM, [Cl-](RF) = 102 +/- 17 mM, [lactate](RF) = 44 +/- 17 mM, and [protein](RF) = 7.63 +/- 1.82 g/dl, respectively.

The stop-flow approach was used to investigate where filtration occurs in the pulmonary vasculature after elevation of left atrial pressure and aspiration of HCl. Rat lungs were perfused for 11 min at zero left atrial pressures, and then flow was stopped for 10 min and left atrial pressures were increased to 20 cmH2O. Thereafter, 3HOH was instilled into the air spaces, and the pulmonary vasculature was flushed by perfusing it from the pulmonary artery to left atrium (anterograde flush) or in the opposite direction (retrograde flush). Increases in fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC)-dextran (molecular weight 2,000,000) indicated filtration, and these preceded increases in 3HOH after anterograde but not retrograde flushes. This suggests that some filtration occurred through vessels that were relatively venous compared with those through which 3HOH exchange had occurred. Filtration increased fivefold after instillation of 0.1 N HCl in isotonic saline into the air spaces before perfusion. Increases in Evans blue-labeled albumin concentrations were < 40% those of FITC-dextran, indicating loss from the vasculature, but increases in unlabeled albumin and FITC-albumin were comparable.

Rapamycin (RPM)is produced by Streptomyces hygroscopicus FC904 isolated from soil in Fuzhou, China. It is a triene macrolide antibiotic with potential application as an immunosuppressant and drug for human gene therapy. In an attempt to improve rapamycin production, mutation and screening of the parent culture have been carried out. Thousands of survivors were obtained after mutagenesis by NTG (3mg/ml) and UV (30W, 15cm, 30 seconds) of spore suspensions. None showed improved production of RPM. Wedetermined the susceptibility to antibiotics of S. hygroscopicus FC904 by two fold dilutions of antibiotics in oatmeal agar plates. It was found that the strain was resistant to penicillin, erythromycin, RPM, tetracycline and chloramphenicol, but susceptible to mitomycin C (MIC, lO^g/ml) and aminoglycosides such as gentamicin (MIC, O.l^g/ml), kanamycin (MIC, 0.1^g/ml) and streptomycin (MIC, 0.3 /ig/ml). Protoplasts of strain FC904 were prepared after finding the best conditions for their formation. They were treated with gentamicin, erythromycin, mitomycin C and NTG. Surprisingly, gentamicin was especially effective for obtaining higher RPMproducing mutants. Mutant C14 was selected by exposing the protoplasts of the parent strain FC904 to 1 /ig/ml ofgentamicin at 28°C for 2 hours. A higher RPM-producing mutant (C14-1) was obtained from the protoplasts of mutant C14 treated with gentamicin, and its titer was 60% higher than that of the parent strain FC904 by HPLCanalysis. Another improved mutant (C14-2) was obtained from the spores of mutant C14 treated with 1 /ig/ml ofgentamicin plus 2 mg/ml ofNTG at 28°C for 2 hours. Mutant C14-2 had a titer 124% higher than FC904. The possible mechanismfor the effect of gentamicin by using protoplasts or spore suspensions will be discussed, i.e. the possibility of gentamicin being a mutagen or a selective agent.

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