The role of goblet cell secretion, containing mucopolysaccharides, in the formation of a protective barrier of intestinal mucosa and transportation of the intestinal content has been described quite extensively. However, information on the quality composition of mucopolysaccharides and its changes in the intestinal tract of ostrich chicks, especially in the large intestinal segments, is unavailable. In the current study, ostrich embryos/chicks (n = 6/36) of both sexes were used shortly before hatching and during the first months of the post-hatch period. Tissues for histology were taken from the large intestine: the medium segments of the caecum, proximal and distal parts of colon. By using histochemical reactions, the differentiation of goblet cells as well as chemical composition of mucopolysaccharides was carried out. The cells contained acid (AB+), neutral (PAS+) and mixed (AB/PAS+) mucopolysaccharides. The number of goblet cells in the large intestine per unit area of mucosa increased towards the cloaca, and it was the highest in the distal part of the colon. The qualitative goblet cell composition in different large intestinal parts was different in all ages. In the caecum, goblet cells containing acid and mixed mucopolysaccharides dominate post-hatch, whereas in the colon, goblet cells containing acid mucopolysaccharides predominated. The most rapid changes in the qualitative goblet cell composition occur during the first week post-hatch when in all the intestinal segments the proportion of cells containing acid mucopolysaccharides continuously increased.

Peptides of the gastrointestinal tract play a significant role in the digestive processes and the development of the body; therefore, it is important to have an understanding of location and distribution of gastrin, somatostatin and glucagon immunoreactive (IR) cells in the stomach mucosa of growing birds. For this purpose, 6 embryos and 37 chicks from an ostrich farm in Latvia were used. Tissue samples were collected from the proventriculus - superficial and deep glandular region and from the ventriculus - side wall and pyloric region. The number of cells was determined in 10 mucosal fields of each tissue sample. For statistical analysis, the one-way anova method was used. Gastrin IR cells regarding the stomach mucosa were found only in the pyloric region. Somatostatin IR cells were most densely located in the pyloric region too, but some cells were also discovered in the mucosa of proventriculus and ventriculus. Glucagon IR cells were found in the epithelium of the deep glands of the proventriculus and only some cells of the superficial glands of the proventriculus, and the ventriculus side wall mucosa. Gastrin and somatostatin IR cells were present in a comparatively large quantity in the ostrich chicks' ventriculus - pyloric region yet not long before hatching. They were located deep in the mucosa of pyloric glands, and their number tended to increase with birds advancing in age.

Aim: To study the effects of orally administered mixture of Hippophae rhamnoides leaf and marc extracts (HLM) on health parameters of newborn calves. Study Design: Starting from birth day 0 (D0) till day 15 (D15) the extract of HLM was given orally to newborn calves before feeding them milk at an increased dosage from 5 to 8 ml/calf/ two times a day for prophylaxis of nutritional diarrhoea. The calves were clinically examined and weighed. Biochemical and morphological analyses of blood were determined.

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Macedonian Veterinary ReviewThe knowledge about transport of sugars in animals and birds gastrointestinal tract is very important for science as carbohydrates are the main energy source of food. Since until now there is few information about the localization of glucose transporters -integral membrane proteins that mediate the transport of glucose and related substances across the cellular membranes -in birds gastrointestinal tract, the aim of the present study was to localize glucose transporters-2 and -5 (GLUT-2 and -5) in three parts of the ostriches gastrointestinal tract -proventriculus, duodenum and ileum -comparatively in ostrich chicken in their early ontogenesis period. Material from the superficial gland zone of the proventriculus, duodenum and terminal zone of the ileum were collected from eight female ostriches (Struthio camelus var. Domesticus): two chickens after hatching, three 7 and three 30-days old ostriches. The material was fixed with 10% formalin, embedded into paraffin, slices 7 μm thick were cut followed by immunohistochemical staining with polyclonal primary antibodies Rabbit anti-GLUT-2 and Rabbit anti-GLUT-5, carried out according to the manufacturers guidelines (IHC kit, Abcam, UK). The results showed that the staining for both antibodies was weaker in all parts of the gastrointestinal tract of ostriches after hatching compared to 7 and 30 days old ostriches showing that the gastrointestinal tract of ostriches immediately after hatching is not entirely capable of transportation of carbohydrates. The results of our study may indicate the possibility of a close relationship between feeding and the ability to transport sugars in the gastrointestinal tract.