Normal Renal Str and Func 1-Wall Flashcards
What is the main job/function of the kidney?
To maintain homeostasis for a large number of solutes and water despite variations in endogenous production and dietary intake.
What is homeostasis?
Maintaining body contents at a stable and normal level, even in the face of changes in dietary intake or endogenous production rate.
How does the kidney keep the total body content at a stable normal level?
By changing its rate of excretion.
What is the key solute of renal physiology and what fluid compartment is it restricted to?
Na+; restricted to the extracellular space
What determines the size of the ECFV, and what ECFV determine?
total body sodium content determines ECFV, which determines Blood volume/BP
No Sodium→No ECFV→No BP→No LIfe
The kidney links virtually every homeostatic function to what?
the renal handling of sodium
What is the main extracellular osmole? What is the main intracellular osmole? What is the relationship between intracellular and extracellular osmolalities?
EC→Na+; IC→K+; they are always the same
What determines the size of TBW? How does it do this?
TBNa+;
Increased TBNa+→increase osmolality→stimulates thirst→increase water intake and stimulate vasopressin secretion→tells kidney to conserve water
What is major anion of the extracellular space? What is the other major anion?
Cl-; Bicarbonate (HCO3-)
What maintains our TBW at a normal level? What percentage of BW is TBW? Is it higher in males or females? Why?
The kidneys maintain constant, normal TBW, regardless of how much is consumed; TBW=60% of BW in males and 50% of BW in females; higher in males bc females have lower skeletal muscle mass
What is the major ECFV buffer? What process does it play a key role in?
Bicarbonate; acid-base balance
What regulates Bicarbonate and to what level?
The kidney is involved in regulating bicarbonate at a normal level which assists in keeping the body pH at a normal level (7.4)
What are some major minerals that kidneys maintain homeostasis of?
Calcium, Phosphate, Magnesium
What are some wastes that the kidney eliminates and where do they come from?
Urea (byproduct of protein metab), Creatinine (byproduct of muscle metab), Uric acid (byproduct of nucleic acid breakdown)
What are some endocrine functions of the kidney? (4)
EPO production, 1-alpha hydroxylase to produce 1,25-dihydroxyD3 (activation of Vit D), Renin production, various paracrine/autocrine functions
How does reduction of functional kidney mass affect red cell production and what is the result?
The kidney is virtually the only source of EPO., which stimulates the BM to produce RBCs (reticulocytes);
Less functioning kidney mass→less EPO production→low reticulocyte count with normochromic normocytic anemia
How does reduced nephron function effect Vitamin D activation?
The kidney is virtually the only source of 1-alpha hydroxylase, the final enzymatic step in production of active form of Vitamin D (calcitrol);
Less Nephron function→less enzyme→Less of the active metabolite of VIt D
What is the only source of renin? Where is renin produced? What does renin start off?
only source is the kidney; renin is produced at the juxtoglomerular apparatus by specialized cells in the afferent arteriole it is the catalytic enzyme that kicks off the angiotensis-aldosterone cascade
What are the paracrine/autocrine functions of the kidney that are important in the kidney itself? (3)
bradykinin, prostaglandins, endothelial factors
What kind of substance is bradykinin?
It’s a vasodilatory, natriuretic substance
What is the significance of paracrine PG’s in the kidney?
PG production is critical in the autoregulation of GFR; especially the vasodilatory PG’s, PGI2 and PGE2
What are the important paracrine endothelial factors (produced by endothelial cells) in the kidney and what are their characteristics?
- Nitric Oxide→vasodilator
2. Endothelin→potent vasoconstrictor produced when there is endothelial injury
How does the kidney maintain normal BP?
A. By maintaining homeostasis of Na and water, which maintain normal ECFV, which determines BP
B. By controlling the RAA axis
C. Production of circulating vasodilatory substances, predominantly from the renal medulla
What do Ang-II and Aldosterone do?
Ang-II is a potent vasoconstrictor, aldosterone promotes Na+ reabsorption
Hypertension is largely a _________ disease?
Kidney disease; most examples of hypertension come back to dysfunction at the kidney level in one way or another.
What are some additional functions of the kidney? (3)
- Catabolism of small peptide hormones, such as insulin
- Production of glucose via gluconeogenesis during fasting
- Bc it is an excretory organ, it’s responsible for elimination of many medications.
How are the insulin requirements of diabetics affected by progressive kidney disease?
Decreased nephron mass→ slower degradation of insulin; So, insulin requirements decline in diabetics with progressive kidney disease, as the exogenous and endogenous insulin will last longer
How much gluconeogenesis can the kidney provide during fasting? What does increased incidence of fasting hypoglycemia sometimes lead to?
can provide up to 1/4 to a 1/3 of gluconeogenesis during fasting; sometimes leads to very low GFR.
People on medications with chronic kidney disease are at increased risk of what?
They are more susceptible to risk of high drug levels and potential toxicity with normal dosages.
What is the concept of balance?
How the kidney performs homeostasis
What is a neutral balance?
State in which dietary intake and endogenous production exactly match the excretion rate of the kidney; total body contents of the substance remain stable
Positive Balance?
Intake+Endogenous Production > Renal Excretion rate (kidney output); leads to increased total body content
Negative Balance?
Intake+Endogenous Production < Renal excretion rate; leads to decreased total body content
In any clinical content, to know if the kidney is working properly, what you should you do?
Examine the urine contents
a) If total body excess, the kidney should be doing what?
b) If total body deficit, the kidney should be doing what?
a) excreting
b) conserving
How much ultrafiltrate is is formed at the glomerulus each day in a normal male? What drives the filtration of such massive quantities of glomerular ultrafiltrate?
180L/days; simple starling forces at the glomerular capillaries (primarily high glomerular capillary pressure)
How does the osmolarity of the ultrafiltrate compare to the plasma? What is different about it’s composition compared to the plasma?
it is iso-osmolar to plasma; it is cell-free and protein-free
What is required for the formation of such a huge ultrafiltrate?
An enormous amount of blood flow to the kidneys; Each kidney gets about 10% of the total cardiac output to do this
How much of the glomerular filtrate must be reabsorbed? Why?
98-99% must be reabsorbed in the tubules; if not you would go into shock
How do the kidneys keep total body contents constant?
Selective reabsorption and selective secretion in tubules alter urinary excretion rates to keep total body contents constant
What is the major site of oxygen/energy consumption in the kidneys? Why?
renal tubules; it’s an enormous workload to reabsorb ~178L/day
If the body only makes 1-2L of urine a day, how does the kidney maintain homeostasis?
it ensures that the urine has precise amount of solutes and water to maintain homeostasis
What two parts of the kidney must work in concert to achieve normal kidney function?
glomerulus and tubules (filter and then reabs/secrete)
What is the best overall index of kidney function? Why?
glomerular filtration rate (GFR); most other kidney functions (endocrine and BP control) correlate with GFR
Low GFR→Reduced # of functioning nephrons→ impairment of homeostatic/endocrine functions
What four processes are involved in renal function?
- Glomerular filtration 2. Reabsorption 3.Secretion 4. Excretion
In reabsorption, what moves from where to where?
In reabsorption, certain solutes and water move from tubular fluid into peritubular capillaries and back into the circulation
What happens in secretion?
Addition of certain solutes (NOT WATER) to the fluid in the tubules from the peritubular capillaries
Removal of daily intake of what ion primarily occurs mainly thru a tubular secretory process?
potassium
Where are the kidneys located in the body? At what vertebral level?
retroperitoneum; about the level of T12 to L3
What is the kidney surrounded by?
it is surrounded by a tight fibrous capsule, which itself is surrounded by peri-renal fat
Where does the renal cortex reside? How much blood does it receive? What is located in the renal cortex?
Renal cortex is located just beneath the fibrous capsule and it receives 90% of the total blood flow to the kidney (90% of 10% of the CO); All of the glomeruli reside in the renal cortex
What structures are located in the renal medulla? What does it end in?
It has tubular structures, loops of henle, CD’s, and vasa recta; renal medulla ends in renal papillae
What pass thru the Hilum of the kidney contain?
renal artery, renal vein, renal pelvis, ureter, renal nerves, lymphatics, and they are all enmeshed in sinus fat
Once urine is formed, describe the path that it takes to reach the ureter:
exits at renal papillae→thru minor calyces→ come together into major calyces→ coalesce into renal pelvis→RP joins ureter
Describe the path of the ureter.
What is the general function of the bladder?
renal pelvis joins ureter→ descends in the retroperitoneum→crosses over the pelvic brim across vasculature structures→down into urinary trigone of bladder, which functions as a storage until voluntary voiding