Non-toxic Information and Courses from MediaLab, Inc.
These are the MediaLab courses that cover Non-toxic and links to relevant pages within the course.
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| Collection (continued) Other aspects of specimen collection that must be considered are the temperature of the specimen and the time needed to transport it to the laboratory.Ideally, the specimen should be collected in a room at the testing site.If on-site collection is not possible, the specimen should be kept at body temperature (37°C) from the time of collection until it arrives at the laboratory. This can be facilitated by holding the container close to the body, for example by carrying it in an inside pocket.Semen should arrive at the laboratory as soon as possible after collection, preferably within one hour.Lubricants should not be used for collection unless absolutely necessary as most lubricants are toxic to sperm. If lubricant must be used then non-toxic forms such as KY jelly or cooking oil should be the only options.
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| Collection Accurate semen analysis results require appropriate sample collection. Patients must receive detailed directions for proper specimen collection and transport. Directions should be in writing. Specific instructions should include: The period of abstinence prior to collection should be between 2 and 5 days.The entire specimen must be collected because the different portions have varying concentrations of spermatozoa.An appropriate collection container must be used.Each laboratory should designate an appropriate, wide mouth, collection container.Each lot of collection containers should be tested to ensure that it is non-toxic to sperm.Alternative collection containers should be discouraged because their level of toxicity is unknown.Use of condoms for collection should be discouraged particularly when the purpose of the semen analysis is to test for fertility. Some condoms are toxic to sperm. Collection in condoms often results in inaccurate results for semen volume and other parameters. | View Page |
| Testing collection containers In order to test collection containers for sperm collection, the sperm must be held in the container for several hours to ensure that neither the numbers nor motility are adversely affected. Numbers will decline if the sperm adhere to the container. Motility will decline if the container is toxic.
One method of testing involves removing sperm from semen. The specimen would be centrifuged and the sperm pellet diluted in a small volume of culture medium containing an energy source and at least 0.5% of a protein, such as serum albumin. The processed sperm specimen would be placed in the container to be tested. Total count and motility of the sperm would be tested at the start of incubation and 24 hours later. The container is non-toxic if the motility at the end of 24 hours is no less than 50% of the original value.
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