**2.2.4 Small intestinal morphology**

Fixed intestinal segments were rinsed with water, the samples were dehydrated in a graded series of absolute ethanol (30%, 50%, 70%, 90%), cleared with benzene, saturated with and embedded in paraffin. Sections of 7 μm thickness (10 slices of each sample) were stained with haematoxylin/eosin and observed under a light microscope. The length of 10 villi and depth of 10 crypts was determined by a computer operated Image C picture analysis system (Intronic GmbH, Berlin, Germany) and the IMES analysis software, using a colour video camera (Sony 3 CCD) and a light microscope (Axiolab, Carl Zeiss Jena, Germany).
