Histology of the Urinary System Flashcards
The presence of more than on ureter is typically the result of what embryological anomaly?
More than two uterine buds
Kidneys filter blood to keep it pure of what four things?
Toxins, metabolic wastes, excess water, and excess ions
What are the three nitrogenous wastes that the kidneys remove from the blood?
Urea, uric acid, and creatinine
The kidneys regulate the balance of what?
Water, electrolytes, acids and bases
How many histologic portions does the renal capsule have?
Two
What does the outer layer of the renal capsule have in abundance that dyes the layer blue?
Collagen
What cell types composes the inner layer of the renal capsule?
Myofibroblasts
What in the kidney is immediately deep to the capsule?
The cortex
What renal structures are in the cortex?
Renal corpuscles and associated tubules
What renal structures are in the medulla?
Straight tubules, collecting ducts, and vasa recta
What does a renal lobe consist of?
A renal pyramid, its overlying renal cortex, one half of each adjacent renal columns
What are the two capillary beds in the renal vasculature?
Glomerulus and peritubular capillaries and vasa recta
What are the names of the arterioles that go into and leave the glomerulus capillaries?
Afferent go into the glomerulus capillaries and efferent leave the glomerulus capillaries
Describe the structures that blood passes through as it moves through the kidneys, starting with the aorta and ending with IVC.
Aorta, renal artery, segmental artery, interlobar artery, arcuate artery, interlobar artery, afferent arteriole, glomerulus capillary, efferent arteriole, peritubular capillary and vasa recta, interlobar vein, arcuate vein, interlobar vein, renal vein, IVC
What are the three main functions of the kidney?
Filtration, reabsorption, and secretion
What are the two parts of the nephron?
Renal corpuscle (filtration happens here) and Renal tubule
What happens in the renal tubule?
This is where tubular reabsorption and secretion happens
Each nephron drains into what?
A collecting tubule
There are roughly how many nephrons per kidney?
1 million
What are the two kinds of nephrons?
Juxtamedullary and cortical
What are medullary rays?
These are straight portions of the loop of henley found on light microscope slides
What happens in the renal corpuscle?
Where glomerular filtration happens
What are the two components of the renal corpuscle?
The glomerulus and Bowman’s capsule (aka glomerular capsule)
What is the glomerulus?
A tuft of capillaries composed of 10 - 20 capillary loops. The glomerular capillaries are supplied by an afferent arteriole and drained by an efferent arteriole
What are the two layer of Bowman’s capsule?
Visceral layer (inner layer) and parietal (external layer)
What are the extension of podocytes called
Pedicles
What is the space between two pedicles of a podocyte called?
Filtration slit
What is the slit diaphragm of a podocyte?
A semipermeable membrane covering the slit
What does the renal tubule consist of?
PCT, loop of Henley (nephron tube), DCT
What is PCT lined with?
Simple cuboidal epithelium
PCT have what appearance in slides/pictures?
Fuzzy and also the borders of the cuboidal cells are not visible
The thick descending limb of the loop of Henley is lined with what?
Simple cuboidal epithelial cells
The thin descending limb of the loop of Henley is lined with what?
Simple squamous epithelium
The thin ascending limb of the loop of Henley is lined with what?
Simple squamous epithelium
The thick ascending limb of the loop of Henley is lined with what?
Simple cuboidal epithelium
Describe the lumen the the DCT versus the PCT.
Lumen is smoother and larger, and we can start to see some of the cell borders in DCT
What is the color of PCT cytoplasm indicating what stain affinity?
Reddish, acidophilic
What is the juxtaglomerular apparatus?
Structure where afferent arteriole makes contact with ascending limb of loop of Henley
The juxtaglomerular apparatus is composed of what two things?
Macula densa and juxtaglomerular cells
What tissue lines the collecting ducts?
Simple cuboidal epithelium
What are the four layers of the calyces, renal pelvis, ureters, and urinary bladder?
Mucosa, submucosa, muscularis, and adventitia
What is the mucosa of the calyces, renal pelvis, ureters, and urinary bladder?
Transitional epithelium (urothelium) and lamina propria
What are the three layers of the muscularis layer in the calyces, renal pelvis, ureters, and urinary bladder?
Inner longitudinal layer, outer circular layer, and outermost longitudinal layer (distal end of ureter and present in bladder)
Are the ureters and urinary bladder, intra or retroperitoneal?
Retroperitoneal
If something in retroperitoneal what is it lined with?
Adventitia
How long are ureters?
10-12 inches
What is the shape of the ureter lumen?
Star shaped
The female urethra is lined with what?
Initially urothelium and then stratified squamous epithelium (occasionally pseudostratified columnar epithelium)
What is the prostatic part of the male urethra lined with?
Urothelium
What is the membranous part of the male urethra lined with?
Stratified columnar epithelium and pseudostratified columnar epithelium
What is the spongy part of the male urethra lined with?
Stratified columnar epithelium and pseudostratified columnar epithelium (distally; stratified squamous epithelium)
