Chapter 26 The urinary System Flashcards
The urinary system contributes to homeostasis by
excreting wastes; altering blood composition, pH, volume, and pressure; maintaining blood osmolarity; and producing hormones. /.
As body cells carry out metabolic activities,
they consume oxygen and nutrients and produce waste products such as carbon dioxide, urea, and uric acid.
Wastes must be eliminated from the body because
they can be toxic to cells if they accumulate.
While the respiratory system rids the body of carbon dioxide, the urinary system
disposes of most other wastes.
The urinary system performs waste disposal by
removing wastes from the blood and excreting them into urine
The urinary system also
helps regulate blood composition, pH, volume, and pressure; maintains blood osmolarity; and produces hormones.
The urinary system consists of
two kidneys, two ureters, one urinary bladder, and one urethra
The kidneys
filter blood of wastes and excrete them into a fluid called urine
Once formed, urine
passes through the ureters and is stored in the urinary bladder until it is excreted from the body through the urethra.
Nephrology (nef-ROL-ō-jē; nephr- = kidney; -ology = study of) is
the scientific study of the anatomy, physiology, and pathology of the kidneys.
urology
The branch of medicine that deals with the male and female urinary systems and the male reproductive system
Urine formed by the kidneys
passes first into the ureters, then to the urinary bladder for storage, and finally through the urethra for elimination from the body
What is the function of the Kidneys
regulate blood volume and composition; help regulate blood pressure, pH, and glucose levels; produce two hormones (calcitriol and erythropoietin); and excrete wastes in urine.
What is the function of the ureters
transport urine from kidneys to urinary bladder.
What is the function of the urinary bladder
stores urine and expels it into urethra.
What is the function of the urethra
discharges urine from body.
What are ALL of the functions of the kidneys
Excretion of wastes
Regulation of blood ionic composition
Regulation of blood pH
Regulation of blood volume
Regulation of blood pressure
maintainance of blood osmolarity
Production of hormones
Regulation of blood glucose level
Some wastes excreted in urine result from metabolic reactions. These include
urea and ammonia from the deamination of amino acids; creatinine from the breakdown of creatine phosphate; uric acid from the catabolism of nucleic acids; and urobilin from the breakdown of hemoglobin.
Urea, ammonia, creatinine, uric acid, and urobilin are collectively known as
nitrogenous wastes because they are waste products that contain nitrogen.
non-nitrogenous wastes excreted in the urine are
foreign substances that have entered the body, such as drugs and environmental toxins
The kidneys help regulate the blood levels of several ions, most importantly
sodium ions (Na+), potassium ions (K+), calcium ions (Ca2+), chloride ions (Cl−), and phosphate ions (HPO42−).
The kidneys regulate blood ionic composition by
adjusting the amounts of these ions that are excreted into the urine.
The kidneys excrete
a variable amount of hydrogen ions (H+) into the urine
The kidneys
conserve bicarbonate ions (HCO3−), which are an important buffer of H+ in the blood
The kidneys excrete a variable amount of hydrogen ions (H+) into the urine and conserve bicarbonate ions (HCO3−), which are an important buffer of H+ in the blood. Both of these activities help
regulate blood pH.
The kidneys adjust blood volume by
conserving or eliminating water in the urine.
An increase in blood volume
increases blood pressure;
a decrease in blood volume
decreases blood pressure.
The kidneys also help regulate blood pressure by
secreting the enzyme renin, which activates the renin–angiotensin–aldosterone pathway
Increased renin causes
an increase in blood pressure.
By separately regulating loss of water and loss of solutes in the urine, the kidneys
maintain a relatively constant blood osmolarity close to 300 milliosmoles per liter
The kidneys produce two hormones. _________________ and ______________
Calcitriol, the active form of vitamin D, helps regulate calcium homeostasis and erythropoietin which stimulates the production of red blood cells
Like the liver, the kidneys can use the amino acid glutamine in
gluconeogenesis, the synthesis of new glucose molecules
After the kidneys create glucose molecules
They can then release glucose into the blood to help maintain a normal blood glucose level.
urine contains more than just waste products. It also contains
water and other substances, such as ions, that have important roles in the body, but are in excess of the body’s needs.
The paired kidneys are
reddish, kidney bean–shaped organs located just above the waist between the peritoneum and the posterior wall of the abdomen.
Since their position is posterior to the peritoneum of the abdominal cavity, the Kidneys
are said to be retroperitoneal
The kidneys are located
between the levels of the last thoracic and third lumbar vertebrae, a position where they are partially protected by ribs 11 and 12.
If ribs 11 or 12 are fractured
they can puncture the kidneys and cause significant, even life-threatening damage.
The right kidney is slightly lower than the left because
the liver occupies considerable space on the right side superior to the kidney