SUGER Flashcards
What structures contribute to the basement membrane of the renal glomerulus?
podocytes and endothelial cells
A 46-year-old man has type 1 diabetes mellitus which has resulted in renal damage. What has likely happened to his glomerular basement membranes?
they will have become thickened
Which of the limbs of the loop of Henle is impermeable to water?
ascending limbs of the loop of Henle are impermeable to water (unless acted on by ADH)
What are the thick limbs of the loop of Henle lined by?
columnar epithelium
Are the descending limbs of the loop of Henle permeable to water or not?
they are highly water permeable
What causes diabetes insipidus and how does it?
absence of ADH
prevents distal tubule and collecting ducts from reabsorbing water and concentrating the urine - patients produce large amounts of dilute urine
Which part of the kidney is particularly responsive to aldosterone?
cells of distal tubule and collecting ducts are the most sesitive to aldosterone - it promotes the reabsorption of Na+ and water, concentrating urine
Which structures are lined by urothelium?
bladder, prostatic urethra, renal pelvis, ureter (there may be more)
What lines the urethral meatus?
stratified squamous epithelium
What are the divisions of the male urethra?
prostatic, membranous, bulbous and pendulous parts
What is the urethra mainly lined by?
pseudo-stratified columnar epithelium
except at its distal/penile end
What is urothelium?
pseudo-stratified columnar epithelium
Where do Cowper’s glands drain into?
the penile urethra
Where do the seminal vesicles and prostate drain into?
the prostatic urethra
What do Bartholin’s glands secrete?
mucus to lubricate the vagina
What is the epididymis lined by?
Pseudo-stratified columnar epithelium
What is the function of sertoli cells?
they line the seminiferous tubules, they nurture the developing spermatogonia and also have a phagocytotic function.
Form blood:testis barrier
Where are leydig cells found and what do they secrete?
leydig cells lie in the interstitium between the seminiferous tubules and secrete testosterone
What type of muscle does the prostate contain?
smooth muscle
What do prostate secretions contain?
acid phosphatase
What are the 3 erectile compartments composed of and surrounded by?
composed of large blood vessels supported by a meshwork of connective tissue fibres
each compartment is surrounded by a layer of collagen known as tunica albuginea
Why do the helicine branches of the pudendal artey transmit very little blood when in the flaccid state?
due to the presence of arterio-vennous shunts
what is most of the penis covered by?
hairy skin (except the foreskin and the glands penis - non-keratinised epithelium)
What does the external genitalia of the female consist of?
mons pubis, labia major and minor and clitoris
What is the vagina lined by?
stratified squamous epithelium
thinly keratinised at vulval end
How can you examine epithelial squames of the vagina?
vaginal smear
What is the outer surface of the cervix lined by?
stratified squamous non-keratinizing epithelium (identical to vagina)
What happens to the stroma of the cervix during childbirth?
softens and the canal widens to become part of the birth canal
What happens to the cervical mucus during the menstrual cycle?
mucus is thin and watery during the first half of the menstrual cycle but becomes viscous after ovulation and during pregnancy
What happens to the cells of the myometrium during pregnancy?
increase in number (hyperplasia) and become enlarged (hypertrophy)
What does the corpus luteum secrete?
progesterone
What are thecal lutein cells?
a small proportion of cells, in the centre of the corpus, that continue to secrete oestrogen
What is the commonest site of fertilisation?
fallopian tube
What is the commonest site of ectopic pregnancy?
fallopian tube
What happens to the myometrium during pregnancy?
it is hormone sensitive, enlarges during pregnancy due to hyperplasia and hypertrophy
