SUGER Flashcards
which parts of the nephron aer in the cortex and which parts are in the medulla
- Cortex
- bowman’s capsule
- proximal tubule
- distal tubule
- Medulla
- loop of henle
- collecting duct
How much blood goes to the kidneys?
- ~0.5L per minute per kidney
- that’s 10% of cardiac output to each kidney
- this is not just to meet the metabolic requirements but to filter waste too
urine production
1ml/min
renal blood supply
what is the peritubular capillary
- it comes from the efferent arteriole (leaving the glomerulus)
- it travels adjascent to the tubule so that it can secrete and reabsorb things
name each number and letter
factors that determine whether something can cross the filtration barrier
- pressure
- size of the molecule
- charge of the molecule (-ve charge in glomerular basement membrane repels negatively charged anions)
- rate of blood flow
- binding to plasma proteins
Podicytes
- line the glomerular capillaries
- foot projections intertwine and wrap to cover the glomerular capillaries
- the slits between the podocytes is called a slit diaphragm
- the proteins between the podicytes that form the slit diaphragm are called nephrin and podicin
- it is through these slits that the blood is filtered
effects of constricting and dilating afferent and efferent arterioles on glomerular filtration rate
what is the juxtoglomerular apperatus?
- the distal tubule comes very close to the glomerulus of the same nephron
- this area is called the juxtoglomerular apparatus
- it includes
- macula densa (of distal tubule wall closest to glomerulus)
- mesangium (an extraglomerular cell)
- granular cells
what to processes maintain GFR in health?
- tubuloglomerular feedback
- autoregulation
autoregulation
- the kidney can maintain its GFR to an almost constant level independantly of the systemic mean arterial pressure
- as long as pressure is within the range 90-200
- even denervated kidneys and isolated perfused kidneys can do this
- this is because of the intrinsic properties of vascular smooth muscle
- see CVS
- Pressure within afferent arteriole rises and stretches vessel wall
- This triggers contraction of smooth muscle of AA
- AA constricts
- the reverse happens when systemic pressure falls
Tubuloglomerular feedback
- GFR of individual nephrons are regulated by the rate at which fluid reches the distal tubule
- cells of the macula densa detect NaCl arrival
- macula densa cells release prostaglandins in response to reduced NaCl delivery
- blood pressure too low
- this acts on granular cells, triggering renin release
- this activates the renin-angiotensin system
- this will increase blood pressure
factors that affect GFR
- hydrostatic pressure
- oncotic pressure
- surface area
- permeability
How do we measure GFR
- use a marker that is freely filtered
- i.e. that has the same conc in blood and tubular fluid
- it should not be secreted or absorbed in tubules
- it should not be metabolised
- measure the amount exreted per minute (not concentration)
- amount of marker in fluid =
- conc in fluid x volume on fluid
- the equation in the picture holds because the marker is the same conc in blood as in urine
Significance of GFR
- good measurement of kidney function - how much fluid can the kidney handle
- diseases cause you to lose nephrons so GFR will fall
- but it only describes one aspect of kidney function
- even with a normal GFR there could be other renal problems
what’s a normal GFR
125ml/min
180 litres in 24 hrs
total plasma volume is 3 litres so entire volime is filtred 60x per day
clinically how do we estimate GFR
- we use creatinine
- this is a muscle metabolite which is in constant production
- serine creatinine level varies with muscle mass
- it is freely filtered by the clomerulus
- there is additional secretion by the tubules
Filtation fraction
- FF = GFR/renal plasma flow
- GFR is 125ml/min
- Renal blood flow is 1000ml/min
- Renal plasma flow is 600ml/min
- 40% of RBF is cells - the rest is plasma
- Urine flow is 1ml/min
- So most of the filtrate is reabsorbed
- the filtration fraction is:
- 125/600 = ~0.2 or 20%
what are the reasons that something might not be freely filtered
- it may be bound to a protein
- it may be too large
what is renal clearance
- the amount of plasma from which a substance is completely removed by the kidney per minute
- clearance = (urine conc x urine volume) / plasma volume
pH =
pH = negative log of [H+]
acidaemia
low blood pH
acidosis is a word used to describe disorders that cause this
alkalemia
high blood pH
alkalosis is a term used to describe disorders that cause this
what is standard bicarbonate
- absolute bicarbonate is affected by respiratory and metabolic components
- standard bicarbonate is the bicarbonate concentration standardised to PaCO2 5.3kPa and temperature 37
- so standard bicarbonate represents the metabolic contribution to metabolic change
- it’s calculated not actually measured
Base excess
- the quantity of acid required to return pH to 7.4 under standard conditions
- standard base excess is corrected to Hb 50g/L
- base excess is negative in acidosis
ABG
- arterial blood gas - it’s what we can actually measure
- it includes:
- pH
- pO2
- pCO2
- std HCO3-
- std base excess
what are the two major approaches to interpreting acid-base status
- henderson hasselbach
- stewart’s theory (strong ion difference)
Henderson hasselback for Blood
pH = 6.1 + log([HCO3-]/0.03xpCO2)
blook has a pKa of 6.1
Stewart’s strong ion difference
- The strong ion difference is the difference between the positively and negatively charged ions in plasma
- So the principle is that pH and [HCO3-] are dependent on 3 factors:
- pCO2
- concentration of weak acids
- SID = [strong cations] – [strong anions]
- = [Na+ + K+ + Ca2+ + Mg2+] – [Cl- + lactate-]
- It’s designed to help characterise the mechanism of the disorder rather than to simply catagorize it at metabolic or respiratory
- basically it’s too complicated to actually really use in practice
- but theorhetically it’s much more accurate than the HH abroach
causes of metabolic acidosis
- Dilutional
- rapid ECF volume expansion causes HCO3- to be diluted
- but H+ is not diluted for some reason
- Failure of H+ excretion
- renal failure
- type 1 renal tubular acidosis
- Excess H+ load
- lactic acidosis
- ketoacidosis
- HCO3- loss
- diarrhoea
- type 2 renal tubular acidosis
compensatory mechanisms for metabolic acidosis
- Hyperventilation to increase CO2 excretion
Causes of Metabolic Aclkalosis
- alkali ingestion
- GI acid loss (vomiting)
- renal acid loss
Compensatory mechanism of Metabolic Acidosis
- hypoventilation but this is limited by hypoxic drivs
- renal bicarbonate excretion
Respiratory Acidosis
- CO2 retention leading to increased carbonic acid dissociation
- The compensatory mechanism is renal H+ excretion and bicarbonate retention
- but only if the acidosis is chronic
- so if there’s low pH and high CO2 with a partially raised HCO3- it means that there’s some degree of renal compensation: chronic
Respiratory Alkalosis
- CO2 depletion due to hyperventilation
- Causes: Type 1 respiratory failure, anxiety and panic
Compensation: increased renal bicarbonate loss (if chronic)
What are the vasa recta
- capillaries derived from the efferent arteriole that follow the nephron
*
Renal blood flow, renal plasma flow, GFR and urine flow rate
Bicarbonate reabsorbtion: can you draw the diagram
- this happens in the proximal tubule
- the things that we want to re-absorb are the bicarbonate ions and the Na+ ions
- the Na+ ions are antiported with H+
- That H+ is recycled
- carbonic anhydrase in the luminal space allows us to re-absorb H2O and CO2 (from the H+ and luminal HCO3-)
- In the tubular cells H2O and CO2 then form H2CO3 which dissociates to form H+ and HCO3-
- HCO3- can be re-absorbed into the blood and the H+ is recycled for the same process
- NB CA does H2CO3 –> H2O and CO2 as well as the reverse reaction
an altitude sickness treatment
- key component of altitude sickness is alkalosis due to the need to hyperventilate
- they blow off all their CO2
- this can be treated with a CA inhibitor which promotes the excretion of HCO3-
- one of these is called acetazolamide
- i don’t think you need to know that
- one of these is called acetazolamide
Control of blood pressure flow diagram: can you draw it
- ANP is atrial natriuretic peptide
- think of natriuretic as like a uretic triggered by high sodium
- The JGA detects a fall in Na+ delivery to the distal tubule
Affect of aldosterone
- it’s a steroid hormone
- It affects cells in the collecting duct
- Principal cells
- these are the main Na+ reabsorbing cells
- aldosterone increases PC expression of
- ENaC (Na+ transporter into cell out of lumen)
- Na/K ATPase (3Na+ into blood in exchange for 2K+)
- net effect is reabsorbing Na+ and getting rid of K+
- K+ diffuses into the tubular lumen down an electrochemical gradient (because so much Na+ has been reabsorbed)
- if the body needs to reabsorb Na+ due to low blood pressure, it sacrifices K+
- this could cause hypokalaemia
- Intercalated cells
- these reabsorb K+ in exchange for H+
- but doing too much of this would develop an alkalosis
- Principal cells
Hypokalaemic Alkalosis
- As aldosterone levels rise in response to volume contraction (low bp) the secretion of K+ (in exchange for Na+) will increase
- this can cause hypokalaemia
- the body may try to compensate by reabsorbing K+ in exchange for H+
- this can cause alkalosis
- combined effect is hypokalaemic alkalosis
- this is what happens in Barrter’s when there is lots of salt wasting
excessive aldosterone production
- Hyperaldosteronism
- Primary
- disorder of the adrenal gland increases production
- Secondary
- the systems that control aldosterone production are aberrant
- classic excample is renal artery stenosis
- JGA recieves decreased Na+ and so thinks there’s very low blood pressure when there isnt’
- promotes increased aldosterone production unnecessarily
- both cause hypokalaemic alkalosis as well as high blood pressure
Cortisol and the kidney?
- cortisol could activate the same nuclear receptor as aldosterone
- it doesn’t because it’s broken down at the surface of the cell by an enzyme called
- 11-beta hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase
- don’t think you need to know that
- 11-beta hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase
- in some people this enzyme is deficient
- this can cause secondary hyperaldosteronism and the associated hypokalaemic alkalosis and hypertension
Type 4 Renal Tubular acidosis
- this is not uncommon in elderly diabetic patients
- the problem here is a lack of aldosterone
- there’s a reduced generation of the electrochemical gradient that results in K+ of H+ secretion
- so you develop a metabolic acidosis
- the treatment is with diuretics
Nephrogenic diabetes insipidus
- not related to diabetes mellitus
- diabetes just means weeing a lot
- there’s a defect in Vasopressin, its receptor or in aquaporin 2 itself
- leads to the inability to concentrate urine
which hormones are important in pregnancy?
- prostaglandins
- oxytocin
- relaxin
- progesterone
- human chorionic gonadotrophin
- oestrogen
- prolactin
hCG
- stimulates the ovary to produce oestrogen/progesterone
- it’s the pregnancy test hormone
- it diminishes once the pregnancy is mature enough to take over oestrogen and progesterone production
oestrogen in pregnancy
- produced throughout the pregnancy
- regulates the levels of progesterone
- prepares the uterus for the baby
- prepares the breasts for lactation
- drops dramatically at birth
progesterone in pregnancy
- prevents miscarriage
- builds up the endometrium for support of the placenta
- prevents uterine contractions
- drops dramatically at birth
prolactin in pregnancy
- produced by the pituitary gland
- increases cells that produce milk
- after birth, levels of progesterone and oestrogen drop dramatically
- this allows prolactin to stimulate production of milk
- this is also controlled by suckling
- it also prevents ovulation but unreliably
relaxin in pregnancy
- this is high early in pregnancy
- it limits uterine activity and softens the cervix in preparation for delivery
oxytocin in pregnancy
- trigggers ‘caring’ reproductive behaviour
- it’s responsible for uterine contractions during pregnancy and labour
- it is the cause of the contractions felt during breast feeding
- used as a drug to induce labour
Prostaglandins in pregnancy
- have a role in inducing labour
- synthetic ones are used to induce labour
Cardiovascular changes in pregnancy
- CO increases
- there is reduced total peripheral resistance
- this reduces systemic blood pressure
- there is much increased uterine blood flow
- increased stroke volume
- increased heart rate
changes to blood chemistry during pregnancy
- increased number of blood cells
- increased clotting factors
- increased fibrinolytic activtity
changes to the respiratory system during pregnancy
- diaphragm displaced superiorly
- decreased functional reserve capacity
- increased risk of apnea and dyspnea
- hyperventilation
changes to the GI system during pregnancy
- Nausea and vomiting
- heart burn and acidity
visible weight changes during pregnancy
- varicose veins
- linea negra
- weight gain
- foetal
- amniotic
- maternal
- placental
- breast size
Changes to breasts during pregnancy
- increase in size
- nipples increase in size
- areolas become larger and darker
- montgomery’s tubercles become more active and secrete substances to lubricate the nipples
fundal height
- measured from the top of the uterys to the symphosis pubis with a tape measure
- in cm it roughly corresponds to the age of the baby in weeks
early embrylology diagram - can you describe what happens on days:
- 7
- 12
common maternal probelms that can affect the outcome of pregnancy
- Malnutrition
- extremes of maternal age
- an underlying medical condition
- drug misuse
- hemorrhage
common fetal problems
- Miscarriage
- abnormal development
- disordered foetal growth:
- too big
- too small
- Premature birth and consequences of that
Growth of the uterus
there’s both hypertrophy and hyperplasia
what is the myometrium
smooth muscle cell bundles in the uterus that contract during parturition to expel the foetus
what does the endometrium become
- it becomes the decidua which is the maternal part of the placenta
- together with the chorion it forms the placenta
cervical ripening
- this is the remodelling of the cervix in the final three months of pregnancy to prepare for labour
- it is promoted by the release of prostaglandin, relaxin and placental oestrogen
- collagen concentration drops