Unit 6 - Urinary System Flashcards
What are the parts of the urinary system?
two kidneys
two ureters
the urinary bladder
urethra
What is the overall function of the urinary system?
- maintain homeostasis
- regulate the volume and composition of body fluids
- excrete unwanted material
- filtration, reabsorption, secretion
What are the four things excreted from the kidney?
nitrogen compounds
toxins
water
electrolytes
what is the main organ of the urinary system
kidney
What does the urinary system control in the blood?
volume and pressure
What ions in the blood does the urinary system control for blood levels?
Na+1, K+1, Ca+2, Cl-1
What ions in the blood does the urinary system control for the blood pH?
H+1, HCO3-1
What are some characteristics of the kidneys?
- paired reddish-brown organs
- filter plasma and plasma constituents from blood
- selectively reabsorb water and useful constituents
- excretes excess and waste products
Where are the kidneys located?
located in the dorsal part of the abdominal cavity, placed on each side of the aorta and caudal vena cava, ventral to the first few lumbar vertebrae
What is the basic anatomy of the kidney?
appear as a bean shape in most animals, covered by a fibrous connective tissue capsule
What is the function of the hilus?
area where blood and lymph vessels, nerves, and ureters enter and leave the kidney
What is the location of the hilus?
The indented area on the medial side of the kidney
Where is the renal pelvis located?
right at the base of the kidney tube
Where are the renal calyces located?
the inside tubes of the kidney tube
What are the functions of the renal pelvis and renal calyces?
structures responsible for directing the urine down the urethra, directs filtered urine to the renal pelvis
What is the renal medulla?
little muscle-looking bulbs at the end of the renal calyces
What is the function of the renal medulla?
regulate concentration of urine to renal calyces
What is the renal cortex?
Outer layer of the kidney, has a dark brown colour and presents a soft consistency
What is the difference between the lobes in kidneys through different species?
- The renal cortex of the equine, ovine, and caprine kidney lacks visible divisions into individual lobes
- The renal cortex of bovine kidney is externally divided into lobes (visible from outside of the kidney)
- The swine kidney lacks external divisions into lobes, but each lobe can be distinguished internally.
What does the renal cortex receive?
most of blood flow to the kidney
What is the renal cortex the location for?
most of the nephron (basic functional unit for the kidney)
Where are the renal pyramids located?
On the renal medulla
What is the renal lobe?
Renal medulla, together with the adjacent cortex will form the renal lobe
What is the calyx?
junction between renal medulla and renal calyces, cuplike extension of renal pelvis
What are renal columns?
sit between the renal pyramids
What are the 5 parts of the nephron?
loop of henle
renal corupscle
proximal convoluted tubule
distal consulted tubule
collecting duct
What is the renal corpuscle made up of?
glomerulus and bowmans capsule
What is the glomerulus?
a tuft of glomerular capillaries
What is the bowmans capsule?
double-walled capsule that surrounds the glomerulus
What is the inner layer of the bowmans capsule?
adheres closely to the surfaces of all glomerular capillaries
What is the bowmans capsule made out of?
podocytes - specialized endothelial cells that cover the outer surface of the glomerular capillaries
What are the afferent vs efferent arteriole functions?
afferent - bring blood towards the bowmans capsule
efferent - bring blood out of bowmans capsule
What is the unique characteristics of the podocytes in the bowmans capsule?
The podocytes covering the capillaries have spaces between them
Creates a permeable layer through which fluid and dissolved substances can pass during
filtration.
What is the function of the renal corpuscle?
filter blood in the first stage of urine production
What is the capsular space
space of the renal corpuscle that is continuous with the proximal convoluted tubule
What is the glomerular filtrate?
the fluid that is filtered out of blood