BEVITAL AS

Transportation

Before shipment of samples several factors have to be considered to achieve optimal sample conditions, and to avoid sample thawing or loss during transportation.

Aliqoting and sample mixing

When sample for transportation and analysis is taken from a source vial, great care must be taken to ensure proper mixing of the content before pipetting. During freezing and thawing, gradients of serum/plasma components, in particular of albumin, are formed. Simple vortexing, in particular if the vial is full, may not be sufficient to generate a homogeneous solution. Therefore, repeated tilting of the vial with a small air bubble is recommended. Avoid foaming. Pipetting from vials that have solute gradients will affect analyte concentration to a variable extent. Albumin-bound biomarkers, like total homocysteine and total cysteine, are most seriously affected (up to 20 % difference).

Packing and organization

The samples must be placed in sufficient dry ice to keep them frozen for 4 – 5 days. Thus, a box with 6 – 800 samples should contain about 10 kg of dry ice. The samples should be placed in 1-2 mL vials with a screw cap, and clearly labelled with serial numbers, printed (not hand-written) on a label, which tolerates freezing. They must be placed and immobilized in boxes accommodating 100 vials, and sorted in a sequence which matches an accompanying excel data sheet with serial number and additional unequivocal identification. This excel file must be send to us by e-mail the day the parcel is dispatched.

Sequence

The samples are analyzed in the order provided on the excel sheet and according to the organization of the vials in the boxes used for transportation. If you have special requirements for the sequence of the analyses (paired cases and controls, randomization, longitudinal sampling, etc…), you have to organize your samples accordingly. Please contact us if you have questions concerning sample sequence organization.

Information

On a separate page, please also provide information on:
– the title of the project,
– matrix (plasma or serum)
– storage (duration and temperature)
– freezing and thawing cycles (number)
– sample volume (µL)
– number of samples
– vitamins and metabolites to be measured (platforms A-I)

Value

The parcel must be marked with VALUE = 10 (USD or EURO), to avoid custom delay and extra cost.

Courier

Samples should be transported by a competent courier on dry ice.
For US and other overseas shipments we recommend WORLD COURIER, which allows dry ice and guarantees refilling of dry ice if required. The company has local representatives in Norway, takes care of all paperwork and thereby avoids that the parcel is stuck in the customs office. WORLD COURIER is expensive, e.g. transportation of 1 item of 10 kg to/from USA costs about 1500€; 3 items about 2000 €.
We have also used QUICK International for overseas shipment.
For shipment within Europe we have used DHL, which after agreement allows dry ice, but does not refill ice; it is quick and not expensive. The company has local representative in Bergen.
FedEx should be avoided. The company does not transport with dry ice within Norway, and the shipment stops in Oslo.

Precautions

The parcel should preferably be dispatched on a Monday, to avoid over weekend delay. At the day of transportation please notify Randi Mjelde Heimdal (randi.heimdal@bevital.no) or post@bevital.no about the day of shipment and AIR WAY BILL NUMBER. It is also recommended that you track your shipment during transportation, and notify us if samples are delayed.

Parcel must be sent to:
Randi Mjelde Heimdal
Bevital AS
Frydenbøgården 5. etg.
Minde Allé 35
5068 Bergen, Norway

April 2, 2024
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Cardiometabolic
Inflammation
Microbiome
Nutrition
Categories

Amino acids, amino acid catabolites, acylcarnitines, TCA metabolites, ketone bodies, AGEs



Kynurenines, ratio-derived metabolites, proteins





SCFAs, indoles, choline metabolites, amino acid derived





B-vitamins, functional markers, and methyl donors, fat-soluble vitamins, essential amino acids, meat & fish intake, tobacco use & coffee intake
Biomarkers (n)
65
19
20
41
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Amino acids: Alanine, Arginine, Asparagine, Aspartic acid, Glutamic acid, Glutamine, Glycine, Histidine, Isoleucine, Kynurenine, Leucine, Lysine, Methionine, Ornithine, Phenylalanine, Proline, Sarcosine, Serine, Threonine, Total cysteine, Tryptophan, Tyrosine, Valine

Amino acid catabolites: 2-Aminoadipic acid, 2-Hydroxybutyrate, 3-Hydroxysiobutyrate, α-Hydroxyglutaric acid, β-Alanine, β-Aminoisobutyrate, β-Hydroxy B-methylbutyric acid, Phenylacetylglutamine

Acylcarnities: BB, C0, C2, C3, C3-DC, C4, C4-OH, C4-DC, iC5, C5-DC, C5:1, C6, C8, C10, C12, C14, C14-OH, C16, C16-OH, C18, C18-OH, C18:1, C18:2

TCA metabolites: α-Ketoglutarate, Citrate, Fumarate, Isocitrate, Lactate, Malate, Pyruvate

Ketone bodies: Acetoacetate, 3-Hydroxybutyrate

AGEs: Carboxyethyllysine, Carboxymethyllysine

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Kynurenines: 3-hydroxykynurenine, 3-hydroxyanthranilic acid, Anthranilic acid, Kynurenine, Kynurenic acid, Nicotinic acid, Nicotinamide, N1-methylnicotinamide, Picolinic acid, Quinaldic acid, Quinolinic acid, Xanthurenic acid

Neopterin

Proteins: C-Reactive protein, Calprotectin, Serum Amyloid A

Ratio-derived: Kynurenine/tryptophan ratio, PAr index (PLP, PL, PA)

View

SCFAs: Acetate, Butyrate, Formate, Isobutyrate, Isovalerate, Propionate, Valerate, α-Methylbutyrate

Indoles: 3-Indoxyl sulfate, Imidazole propionate, Indole-3-acetamide, Indole-3-acetate, Indole-3-aldehyde, Indole-3-lactate, Indole-3-propionate

Choline metabolites: Choline, Betaine, DMG, TMAO

Amino acid derived: Phenylacetylglutamine

View

B-vitamins, functional markers, and methyl donors: 4-Pyridoxic acid, Betaine, Choline, Cobalamin, Flavin mononucleotide, Folate, Methylmalonic acid, N1-methylnicotinamide, Nicotinamide, Nicotinic acid, Pyridoxal, Pyridoxal 5-phosphate, Pyridoxine, Riboflavin, Thiamine, Thiamine monophosphate, Total homocysteine

Fat-soluble vitamins: 25-hydroxy vitamin D2, 25-hydroxy vitamin D3, α-Tocopherol (Vit. E), All-trans retinol (Vit. A), Phylloquinone (Vit. K1), y-Tocopherol (Vit. E)

Essential amino acids: Histidine, Isoleucine, Leucine, Lysine, Methionine, Phenylalanine, Threonine, Tryptophan, Valine

Meat and fish intake: 1-Methylhistidine, 3-Methylhistidine, B-Alanine, Creatine, Creatinine, TMAO

Tobacco use and coffee intake: Cotinine, Trans-3-hydroxycotinine, Trigonelline

Volume (μl)
200
150
250
300
Analytical techniques
GC- and LC-MS/MS
LC- and MALDI-MS
GC- and LC-MS/MS
GC- and LC-MS/MS

Turnaround time

2-6 weeks, depending on number of samples and laboratory capacity.
Please contact us for a projected time estimate specific to your project.

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