Ch.5 Excretory System Flashcards
What are metabolic activities?
Chemical reactions that occur inside a living organism
why is excretion so important?
excretory products can be dangerous and even toxic hence they must be removed from the body to stay healthy
what are excretory products?
products that are produced during chemical reactions within the cells are known as excretory products
What is excretion?
excretion is the process of removal of harmful, unwanted and often toxic wastes from the body so that they do not accumulate in the body
( the specialised organs that remove such metabolic wastes are known are excretory organs)
what are the 6 main excretory products?
- nitrogenous waste products (urea, uric acid, ammonia)
- water (excess water)
- extra salts (usually through sweat)
- extra vitamins (like VB and VC)
- bile pigments ( through faeces/urine)
- carbon dioxide (through lungs)
What does the word renal mean?
the word renal is derived from the latin word ‘renes’ meaning kidneys
What does the human excretory system consit of?
- pair of kidneys
- two ureters
- urinary bladder
- urethra
what is urine?
urea and other unwanted waste substances dissolve in water to form a yellowish liquid known as urine
Give 5 points about the kidneys
- reddish brown, bean shaped organs
- located at the back of the abdomen on either side of backbone
- located at level of last 2 ribs
- in humans, they are present in the abdominal cavity
- main function is to filter out waste materials
why is the right kidney placed slightly lower than the left kidney
the right kidney is placed slightly lower than the eft kidney to accommodate the largest organ of the body, the liver
what is the largest organ of the human body?
liver
what is osmoregulation
Maintenance of the balance between the salt and water content in a body is known as osmoregulation
give 2 points for the ureters
- two narrow tubes which come out of the kidneys
- responsible for carrying urine from the kidneys to the urinary bladder
what is the pelvis?
part of the ureter joined to the kidney is expanded and called the pelvis
give 4 points about the urinary bladder
- it is a muscular pouch like structure located in the lower abdomen
- responsible for storing urine before it passes out of body
- one of the most elastic organs of the body
- can accommodate about 600-800 mL of urine
what is the sphincter?
the sphincter is a ring of circular muscles
what does the sphincter do?
it guards the opening of the bladder into the urethra
What is the urethra? What does it do?
- the urethra is a tube which acts as a passage from the urinary bladder opening to the outside through which the urine passes at regular intervals
What is urination?
the process of removal of urine from the body is known as urination
What is urination also called?
micturition
What is the cortex and medulla?
cortex - dark outer region of the internal structure of a kidney
medulla - light inner region of kidney
what is the renal pelvis?
what is its importance?
- a funnel - shaped structure is present on the concave side of the kidney, this cavity is known as the renal pelvis
- the ureters originate from this cavity in the kidney
give 3 points about nephrons
- each kidney consists of billions of microscopic tubes called nephrons
- their main function is to filter the metabolic wastes from the body
- termed functional and structural units of a kidney
what is on a nephrons upper and lower ends?
upper end - cup shaped structure called bowman’s capsule
lower end - long tubule called renal tubule
what is a glomerulus
bowman’s capsule consists of a bundle of blood capillaries which is known as the glomerulus
what branch of the aorta enters the kidney?
renal artery
give 3 points on the role of kidneys in urine formation
- nephrons remove the waste substances, such as excess water, minerals, salts, and urea from the blood and convert them into urine
- they reabsorb certain useful substances like glucose, sodium and potassium ions
- urine gets collected in the renal pelvis from where it is removed via ureters
what are the two common disorders of the excretory system?
- UTI (urinary tract infections)
- Kidney stones
(kidney failure is also there)
what is the main cause of UTI
Bacteria E.Coli ( enters urinary tract and can cause an infection which can become a very serious condition)
state 3 symptoms of UTI
- urge to frequently urinate
- nausea or vomiting sensation
- cloudy or strong-smelling urine
most common method of treating UTI
antibiotics
state 3 preventions of UTI
- keep genital area clean
- avoid caffeinated drinks
- drinks lots of water and urinate frequently
list 4 points about kidney stones
- usually a result of the accumulation of dissolved minerals
- mostly made of calcium oxalate and uric acid
- crystalline and have an irregular shape which leads to immense pain
- can block the passage of urine and cause major problems
what is the main cause of kidney stones
lack of water in body ( making urine highly acidic and not having enough water to dilute the urid acid)
state 3 symptoms of people suffering with kidney stones
- pus and blood in urine
- reduced amount of urine
- nausea and vomiting
- intense and severe pain in the lower abdomen
what is the main treatment of kidney stones?
Lithotripsy (shockwave therapy)
(can also be surgically removed)
what is kidney failure?
a decline in kidney function is known as kidney failure
what is dialysis?
dialysis is a procedure in which blood is cycled through a machine to remove nitrogenous waste products
the machine used, a dialyser, is more or less like an artificial kidney
