Kaplan Prep - Kidney overview Flashcards
Is the kidney a gland?
yes
What does the kidney do to the blood plasma?
the kidney is the gland that filters the blood plasma.
How does the filtering that the kidney does work?
It is going to keep anything useful and return it to the blood stream and it is going to eliminate anything wasteful or toxic to the body in the form of urine.
What is the nephron known as?
the functional unit of the kidney
How many nephrons are there in the kidney?
There are 1.2 million nephrons inside of one kidney.
What do nephrons do in relation to water?
They conserve water
Where are nephrons located?
nephrons are located in the renal pyramids of the kidney
What are the renal pyramids a division of?
the medulla is divided into the renal pyramids
Where does blood enter the kidney?
Blood enters into the renal corpuscle.
What two structures is the renal corpuscle comprised of?
The Glomerulous and the Bowman’s capsule
What is the definition of the word tuft?
A bunch of something
Describe the Glomerulus
A tuft of capillaries inside the renal corpuscle.
What is the Glomerulus (the tuft of capillaries) surrounded by?
the Bowman’s capsule
Where is the Glomerulus?
Inside the renal corpuscle
So is the Glomerulus INSIDE of the Bownman’s capsule?
yes
Where does the filtration take place?
In the Bowman’s capsule
What color and shape are each of the Bowman’s capsules?
they are round structures that are a purple color
What is the proximal convoluted tubule?
the portion of the duct system of the nephron of the kidney which leads from Bowman’s capsule to the loop of Henle.
What is the path for anything that is going to be eliminated from the body?
Anything that is going to be eliminated from the body is going to pass through the tubular system through the proximal convoluted tubule into the loop of Henle into the distal convoluted tubule, finally into the collecting duct where the conservation of water and the concentration of urine occurs.
What is the loop of Henle and what does it do?
the part of a kidney tubule that forms a long loop in the medulla of the kidney, from which water and salts are resorbed into the blood.
Where is the renal medulla?
The renal medulla is the innermost part of the kidney. The renal medulla is split up into a number of sections, known as the renal pyramids.
Loop of Henle
The part of a kidney tubule that forms a long loop in the medulla of the kidney, from which water and salts are resorbed into the blood. It is the portion of the tubular system that is located between the proximal convoluted tubule and the distal convoluted tubule.
Distal Convoluted Tubule: (DCT)
Is a portion of kidney nephron between the loop of Henle and the collecting tubule. The tubular system looks more pink in color on the slide. But you can’t tell which part of the tubular system you are looking at.
Collecting Duct
This is where the conservation of water and the concentration of urine occurs. The last part of a long, twisting tube that collects urine from the nephrons (cellular structures in the kidney that filter blood and form urine) and moves it into the renal pelvis and ureters. Also called renal collecting tubule.
