Instructions for collecting material


Collecting semen for clinical and microbiological examination.

There is no special room in the E.Gulbis Laboratory for collecting semen.

The semen can be collected:

a) At home.
b) In the Embrions Ltd., in Riga Tālivalža street 2a, arranging an appointment beforehand by phone 67543350 (additional fee 5 EUR).

  1. Before collecting semen for clinical testing the patient has to refrain from sex life for 3 days.
  2. Before collecting semen it is advisable to urinate and wash genitals so that no bacteria from outer organs would be mixed with the sperm.
  3. The semen has to be collected by masturbation. It must not be collected in a condom.

The sample has to be delivered to our reception centre in Riga, Brīvības gatve 366, or
Daugavpils, (arranging an appointment beforehand by phone 65422002), 18.novembra street 19, from 9:00 – 12:00 within one hour after collecting it and it has to be kept in temperatures between 20° to 40° C.

Collecting 24h urine.

  1. Upon awakening, the patient urinates into the toilet. This portion of urine is not collected.
  2. All subsequent portions of urine are collected in a single container. The material is stored at a temperature of +2 to +8°C.
  3. The next morning, the patient urinates and combines the urine with the previous portions.
  4. The daily amount of urine is measured and recorded on a referral sheet.
  5. The pooled urine is mixed in the container.
  6. A small amount of mixed urine (~100 ml) is transferred from the container into a smaller vessel.
  7. The vessel is labeled with the patient’s first name, last name, date and volume of daily urine. The patient takes the container to the laboratory.

!!! To test catecholamines and their metabolites (adrenaline, noradrenaline, dopamine, metanephrine, normetanephrine, vanillylmendalic acid (VMA), homovanillic acid (HVA), and 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA)), the following instructions MUST be followed prior to sample collection:

  • Before collecting urine, 30 ml of 6N hydrochloric acid must be added to a 2-3 liter container as a preservative (the acid can be obtained from the laboratory). If this condition is not observed, catecholamines and their metabolites are destroyed within 1-2 hours, and the results of the analysis become unreliable.
  • The patient should abstain from smoking, alcohol and caffeine (and beverages containing caffeine) prior to urine collection.
  • The following drugs have a strong effect on urinary levels of adrenaline, noradrenaline, dopamine, metanephrine and normetanephrine: tricyclic antidepressants, monoamine oxidase inhibitors, alpha-adrenoreceptor agonists/sympathomimetic drugs (ephedrine, pseudoephedrine, phenylephrine, etc.), phenoxybenzamine (used as an antihypertensive agent in the treatment of pheochromocytoma), levodopa (L-DOPA), carbidopa, nitroglycerin, theophylline, tetracycline antibiotics, reserpine, alpha-methyl-para-tyrosine, narcotic drugs, cocaine and similar drugs, amphetamine and similar drugs.
  • The following drugs may affect urinary homovanillic acid (HVA) levels: acetanilide, caffeine, coumarin, ephedrine, mephenesime, methamphetamine, methocarbamol, nicotine, paracetamol, phenacetin, phenobarbital, phentolamine, aspirin, chlorpromazine, isoniazid, levodopa, methenamine, promethazine, streptozocin.
  • Some foods have a strong effect on the level of 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA) in the urine, so 3-4 days before urine collection the patient should avoid eating eggplant, avocados, bananas, black currants, plums, gooseberries, melons, pineapples, red currants, tomatoes and walnuts.

Oral glucose tolerance tests.

Preparing the patient

    1. At least 3 days before the testing patient has to keep the usual eating habits (at least 150 – 200g of carbohydrates a day).
    2. At least 3 days before the testing the patient has to stop taking medication that can affect the glucose level in blood (if it does not endanger the patient’s health).
    3. The patient should continue usual physical activities, but also avoid intensive physical loads or prolonged confinement to bed.
    4. These tests should not be done for women while they are having their period.

The procedure of testing

  1. The first blood sample has to be taken in the morning while the patient has not yet eaten. The blood has to be collected in the tube that has stabilizer NaF in it (grey cork; mark 1. tube)
  2. Afterwards in the laboratory the patient has to receive and in 5 minutes time drink glucose dissolved in water.
  3. During the testing (2 hours from the moment that the glucose dilution has been drunk until the next blood sample is collected) the patient has to stay in a calm environment inside the medical facility, without physical activities and eating, and the patient cannot smoke.
  4. The next blood sample is collected after 120 minutes (mark 2. tube)

Collecting urine samples for microbiological testing.

Before a treatment with antibiotics has started, average portion of a urine squirt has to be collected in a sterile container and delivered to the laboratory in 2 hours time for microbiological testing.
If it is not possible it should be stored in a fridge or collected in a special BD VACUTAINER tube that has a special conservant or boric acid (the tube with a partly yellow, partly red or green cork) and delivered to the laboratory in 24 hours time.

Collecting urine samples.

For clinical analysis the morning portion of the urine is used.
In case of need any other portion of the day can also be used (following the correct procedure for collecting it)

    1. The hands and genitals must be washed with warm water

    1. Open the lid of the container. Do not touch the inside of the container. At first urinate a little in the toilet.
    2. After that urinate in the container filling about 2/3 of it.

      1. Pour the urine in the tube with the conservant up to the marker.
        Close the tube with the cork. Deliver the tube to the laboratory.

 

The urine tube has to be marked with:

  • The name and surname of the patient;
  • The Date and time when the urine was collected.