Histology of Urinary System- Herron Flashcards
Urinary system consists of what?
paired kidneys and ureters, a bladder, and a urethra
Big picture path of urine?
kidney produces urine, goes to ureters, and then to bladder for storage until discharged into urethra
A) Kidney is covered by________?
B) Hilum contains?
C) Parenchyma of kidney is divided into what?
A) a connective tissue capsule
B) renal vessels, nerves, and the renal pelvis (leads to ureter)
C) outer cortex and inner medulla
Location of Pyramids?
Apex of a pyramid?
Tissue between adjacent pyramids?
The medulla
Renal papilla
The renal column
What is a lobe (8-18 per kidney)?
A medullary pyramid and the overlying cortex plus 1/2 of the renal columns on each side of the pyramid.
A) Calyces?
B) Minor vs Major Calyces
A) Extensions of the renal pelvis
B) A minor calyx surrounds a renal papilla: A major calyx is a combination of two or more minor calyces
Pyramids–Papilla–Minor–Major–Pelvis–Ureter
Functions of the Kidney (4)?
Remove waste from the blood and excrete it as urine; Regulate electrolyte balance (Na, H, K, Ca); Regulate plasma volume and blood pressure; Produce/Activate hormones
Hormones produced by kidney and their functions?
- EPO (RBC production in BM)
- Renin (control of blood pressure and volume)
- Activation of inactive form of Vitamin D
Structural/Functional unit of kidney and what is it composed of? How many per normal human kidney?
Nephron: consists of a renal corpuscle and its tubule. 800K to 1 Mill per kidney
Renal corpuscle? Tubule?
RC is the beginning of the nephron and the site for filtering blood. The tubule originates from the RC and ends at collecting duct (CD is not part of the nephron)
The Renal Artery is one of the_________ arteries in the body, and it circulates about _______% of the cardiac output thru the kidney. So, lots of nephrons are needed to filter that much blood.
largest; 25%
Four major segments of each nephron tubule?
- Proximal Thick segment (PCT and PST)
- Thin segment (with descending and ascending limbs)
- Distal Thick segment/Thick Asc Limb (Medullary TAL, Cortical TAL with the Macula Densa)
- Distal Nephron (DCT and Connecting Segment (CS))
Which segments make up the Loop of Henle?
PST, tL, MTAL
Importance of segments of each nephron tubule?
They are important bc the exchange of ions in the cortex and medulla. The electrochemical interxns are different in different in different segments of the tubule and are critically important for the isotonic concentration of urine.
What separates the proximal and distal tubules?
Macula Densa: PT is proximal to MD and DT is distal to it from MD til ends at CD
Proximal Nephron (proximal to MD from RC to MD) consists of?
Prox Thick Segment (PCT, PST)
Thin segment/limb
Thick Asc Limb (MTAL, CTAL, MD)
Distal Nephron (distal to MD) consists of?
Distal Convoluted Tubule and Connecting Segment
Collecting Ducts: a) Do what? b) Consist of what?
a) CDs conduct urine from nephron tubules to renal papillae; b) they consist of CCD (cortical) and MCD (medullary)
CD’s are NOT part of the nephron
Medulla divisions
Inner and outer Medulla; outer medulla consists of an inner and an outer stripe
Ducts of Bellini, where are they and what do they do?
These are large orifices thru which urine, that has drained into the CD and then papillae, can drain empty/drain into the minor calyces.
Convoluted parts of nephron tubule are always found where?
in the cortex
Distinguishing Proximal Tubules vs Distal Tubules?
a) PT has star-shaped lumen and brush border (microvillae), while lumen of DT is more rounded and the luminal surface of cells is sharper.
b) PT has bigger diameter and 2x as long
c) DT have larger number of nuclei and cells around the lumen in cross-section
Distinguishing characteristics of Collecting Ducts?
- Comparable diameter to PT
- Cells forming the wall of CDs are cuboidal and smaller than those of PTs, and they are nicely organized with a larger number of nuclei relative to PT’s.
Thin Limbs/Segments?
Have thinner walls than tubules and walls are made of simple squamous (flattened) epithelium (or low cuboidal), and they have a very small lumen
T/F? There are no transitional epithelial cells within the kidney.
True
Most of the tubules near the Renal corpuscle are what type?
Most are proximal tubules, with occasional DT’s.
What is the beginning of the nephron in which blood is filtered and the ultrafiltrate is produced?
Renal Corpuscle
The 2 poles of the RC?
- Vascular pole: where blood enters and leaves the RC via the afferent and efferent arterioles respectively. 2. The Urinary pole: where the PCT leaves the RC.
How can you distinguish between the afferent and efferent arterioles? Why?
Afferent and Efferent are distinguished by size. The afferent arteriole is ALWAYS larger. It has more muscular cells and is involved in the regulation of BP entering the capillary loops (glomeruli).
Blood enters the RC via_________ and exits via _________?
afferent; efferent
Renal Corpuscle consists of what?
- Glomerulus: tuft of capillary loops
2. Bowman’s Capsule: surrounds glomerulus
Components of BC and their functions?
BC has two layers, a visceral layer with podocytes that adheres tightly to the capillary tufts and a parietal layer that forms the outer wall.
What is between the visceral and parietal layers of BC?
the Urinary Space, where the ultrafiltrate is first drained to.