Topic 9: Urinary System Flashcards by Emma Prosser

What is the function of the Glomerulus Capsule and what takes place here?

filters blood, making sure cells and large proteins stay in the blood stream and don’t enter the filtrate.

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What is the function of the Proximal Convoluted Tubule and what takes place here?

reabsorbs around 65% of the filtrate material, including amino acids, glucose, solutes, and water.

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What is the function of the Loop of Henle and what takes place here?

Reabsorb water and sodium chloride from the filtrate, resulting in highly concentrated urine.

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What is the function of the Distal Convoluted Tubule and what takes place here?

Regulation of potassium, sodium, calcium and pH levels through reabsorption

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What is the function of the Collecting Duct and what takes place here?

Collect urine from the nephrons and moves it into the renal pelvis and ureters, later being stored in the urinary bladder.

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What is the function of the cortex?

Granular appearance due to all the renal corpuscles being located here. They do all the filtration of the blood. Also contains the start and end points of the renal tubules.

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What is the function of the Medulla?

It is made up of lobes, which contains a pyramid and columns (extensions from the cortex). Pyramids are made up of the renal tubules and capillaries.

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What is the function of the pelvis?

A funnel shaped tube, collects the urine from the renal tubules, leading into the ureter.

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What is the function of the Column?

Extensions of the cortex into the medulla, also contain renal corpuscles and proximal and distal convoluted tubules.

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What is the function of the Pyramid (and papilla)?

Made up of the renal tubules and capillaries that are arranged in parallel bundles. Here reabsorption and secretion occurs. The inward pointing tip is called papilla.

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What is the function of the Calyx (major and minor)?

These are extensions of the renal pelvis, collecting urine from the collecting ducts first into the minor, then into the major calyces.

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What is the function of the Hilum?

Exit point of the ureter and the renal vein, entry point of the renal artery.

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What is the function of the Ureter?

Transporting the collected urine to the bladder.

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What is the function of the Renal Vein and Artery?

Bringing blood to the kidneys for filtration, reabsorption and secretion (renal artery), also supplies oxygenated blood to the kidney itself to enable it to d its work (needs lots of energy to perform all its tasks, uses up to 25% of O2 used by the body at rest!) Processed blood enters renal vein and then the vena cava.

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What is the purpose of the adipose tissue?

It surrounds the kidneys and cushions it against blows. The kidneys are only partly protected by the 11th and 12th ribs.

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What layers are superficial to the renal capsule?

Fat capsule and the renal fascia. The renal fascia is the outermost layer of dense connective tissue that anchors the kidneys in their location.

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What is the function of the renal capsule?

Fibrous capsule, is continuous with the ureter. Acts as a barrier to prevent infection.

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How does the nephron regulate flow rate?

Through autoregulation, constriction and dilation. Having both long and short, and large and small diameters in the nephron, the body can regulate how filtrate is being filtered, absorbed and secreted.

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What structures are involved in flow rate in the nephron?

Afferent arteriole, nephron loop, peritubular capillaries and vasa recta.

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What laboratory tests are significant in the diagnosis of renal function?

Urinalysis: Check for proteins and blood (none if the kidneys are healthy) and uric acid (means decreased in renal failure)
Blood tests:
Creatinine and glomerular filtration rate (GFR) - important for kidney function as it shows how much blood get filtered in the glomerulus.
Blood Urea Nitrogen (BUN) - increases in kidney failure and renal failure checked through waste products in the blood and electrolyte levels (K+ and Na+)

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What hormones act on the kidneys, both the glomerulus and the tubular structures.

Antidiuretic Hormone (ADH)
Aldosterone
Atrial Natriuretic Peptide (ANP)
Parathyroid Hormone (PTH)

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What is Antidiuretic Hormone (ADH)

decreases urine output by acting on the principal cells of the collecting ducts. This causes the cells to reabsorb more water. This happens when we get dehydrated or there is fluid loss in the circulation.

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What is Aldosterone?

Is involved in fine tuning reabsorption of Na+, also acts on the principal cells of the collecting ducts.

What is Atrial Natriuretic Peptide (ANP)?

Is the antagonist to aldosterone and inhibits Na+ reabsorption, which means water will also not get reabsorbed. This can lower the blood pressure.

What is Parathyroid Hormone (PTH)?

Acts on the distal convoluted tubules and increases the reabsorption of Ca2+.

What are the parts of the filtration membrane?

The filtration membrane is the wall of the glomerular capillary. Fenestrated endothelium, basement membrane, foot processes of podocytes.

Define glomerular filtration?

A passive process driven by various pressures that force fluids and small solutes from the blood into the capsule via the filtration membrane. The resulting filtrate is cell and protein free, but contains all the other solutes of blood. It forms the basis of what will become urine. The glomeruli filter almost 200L of blood every day.

How does urinary bladder anatomy support its storage function.

The bladder is very distensible. An empty bladder is collapsed and has folds. As urine accumulates, the transitional epithelial cells lining the interior of the bladder slides across one another and the detrusor muscles stretches. The bladder can hold up to 500ml.

Define Micturition and Micturition reflex?

Micturition is the emptying of the bladder. Stretch receptors in the bladder wall get activated when the bladder reaches a certain volume. This triggers the autonomic nervous system which causes contraction of the detrusor muscle and inhibits the motor neurons that usually keep the internal and external urethral sphincters allows the urine to flow.

The tube that carries urine from the kidney to the urinary bladder is the _____?

ureter

Which of the following blood vessels is associated with the nephron? Arcuate artery Interlobar vein Cortical radiate vein Efferent arteriole

Efferent arteriole

Nephrons are found mostly in the _____?

Renal cortex

The renal corpuscle consists of _____? A renal tubule A glomerulus A glomerular capsule Both b and c

Both b and c

Which type of nephron plays an important role in producing concentrated urine?

Juxtamedullary nephrons

Which of the following conditions would increase the glomerular filtration rate? a. A decrease in glomerular hydrostatic pressure b. An increase in glomerular hydrostatic pressure c. An increase in capsular hydrostatic pressure d. Both b and c

b. An increase in glomerular hydrostatic pressure

Which of the following substances in NOT found in normal filtrate? Plasma proteins Glucose Potassium Urea

Plasma proteins

Which of the following results when systemic blood pressure increases? a. Afferent arterioles constrict b. Efferent arterioles constrict c. Afferent arterioles dilate. d. Peritubular capillaries dilate.

Afferent arterioles constrict

Most of the nutrients in the filtrate are reabsorbed in the _____?

Proximal convoluted tubule

In the distal convoluted tubule, a _____ is secreted for every sodium in that is reabsorbed.

potassium ion

If your urine contains fewer potassium ions than your filtrate, then the potassium has been _____?

filtered and reabsorbed

Hormonal control of sodium reabsorption is controlled by _____ and occurs in the _____? a. aldosterone; PCT b. ADH; nephron loop c. aldosterone; DCT d. ADH; collecting duct

aldosterone; DCT

Which of the following would be an abnormal constituent of urine? Sodium Potassium Protein Urea

Protein

The collecting ducts are _____ to water when the hormone _____ is present.

Permeable; ADH

Which of the following would be an abnormal pH for urine? 5.0 6.0 8.0 11.0

11.0

Which part of the nephron employs a counter current mechanism?

Nephron loop

T/F: Does the urinary system eliminate solid, undigested wastes and excretes carbon dioxide, water, salts, and heat

false

The renal corpuscle is made up of _____?

The glomerulus and glomerular capsule

The functional and structural unit of the kidneys is the _____?

nephron

The macula densa cells respond to _____?

changes in Na+ content of the filtrate

T/F: Cortical nephrons are responsible for producing concentrated urine?

False

The chief force pushing water and solutes out out the blood across the filtration membrane is _____?

glomerular hydrostatic pressure (glomerular blood pressure)

The glomerular capsular space contains _____?

filtrate

What would happen if the capsular hydrostatic pressure were increases above normal?

Net filtration would decrease

What is the primary function of the juxtaglomerular complex?

releases chemical signals that regulate the rate of filtration formation

Urinary incontinence may occur if a person has _____?

an overactive detrusor muscle