Nutritive value of unconventional fibrous ingredients fed to Guinea pigs in the Democratic Republic of Congo

peer reviewedThe energy and protein value for Guinea pigs (GP) of 9 forages (7 dicots and 2 grasses) and 5 hay-based diets was determined. The apparent faecal digestibility of dry matter, organic matter, crude protein and energy was measured on GP housed in metabolic cages. The forages and the diets were digested in vitro using pepsin and pancreatin hydrolysis and gas fermentation test to simulate stomach, small intestine and large intestine, respectively. Most of the dicots had high digestible crude protein content (152–201 g/kg DM) and the 2 grasses showed lower values (80–85 g/kg DM). Digestible energy content of the forages ranged between 5.79 to 13.08 MJ/kg DM. None of the forage species or hay-based diets provided sufficient energy to supply the 11.7 MJ/kg metabolic energy requirements. The influence of intestinal fermentation on energy and protein values was highlighted by correlations (P<0.05) between in vivo and in vitro data, including gas fermentation. It is the first time that such relationships are reported in single-stomach animals

Telocytes and putative stem cells in the lungs: electron microscopy, electron tomography and laser scanning microscopy

This study describes a novel type of interstitial (stromal) cell — telocytes (TCs) — in the human and mouse respiratory tree (terminal and respiratory bronchioles, as well as alveolar ducts). TCs have recently been described in pleura, epicardium, myocardium, endocardium, intestine, uterus, pancreas, mammary gland, etc. (see www.telocytes.com). TCs are cells with specific prolongations called telopodes (Tp), frequently two to three per cell. Tp are very long prolongations (tens up to hundreds of μm) built of alternating thin segments known as podomers (≤ 200 nm, below the resolving power of light microscope) and dilated segments called podoms, which accommodate mitochondria, rough endoplasmic reticulum and caveolae. Tp ramify dichotomously, making a 3-dimensional network with complex homo- and heterocellular junctions. Confocal microscopy reveals that TCs are c-kit- and CD34-positive. Tp release shed vesicles or exosomes, sending macromolecular signals to neighboring cells and eventually modifying their transcriptional activity. At bronchoalveolar junctions, TCs have been observed in close association with putative stem cells (SCs) in the subepithelial stroma. SCs are recognized by their ultrastructure and Sca-1 positivity. Tp surround SCs, forming complex TC-SC niches (TC-SCNs). Electron tomography allows the identification of bridging nanostructures, which connect Tp with SCs. In conclusion, this study shows the presence of TCs in lungs and identifies a TC-SC tandem in subepithelial niches of the bronchiolar tree. In TC-SCNs, the synergy of TCs and SCs may be based on nanocontacts and shed vesicles