urinary system Flashcards
what is the role of the kidney
to produce urine
what is the role of the ureter
to transport urine towards the bladder
what is the role of the bladder
stores urine temporarily
what is the role of the urethra
takes urine out
name 4 kidney functions
removal of waste product
regulated electrolyte balance
regulates water balance
produces some hormones
where are your kidneys located
towards your back, next to the adrenal gland, connect to the renal artery and vein
where does blood supply for the kidneys come from?
from the renal artery
how does blood leave the kidney?
through the renal vein
name the 5 structures in a kidney
the cortex
the medulla
the pelvis
fibrose capsule
pyramids
what is the cortex?
it is the outer layer of the kidney, dark in colour and contains most of the nephrons
what is the medulla?
it is the inner layer after the cortex, it is lighter in colour and contains loops of henle for nephrons
what is the pelvis?
central chamber of the kidney, where urine arrives to before going into the collecting ducts
what is the fibrous capsule?
outer layer, protection for the kidney also known as the renal capsule, helps to support the kidneys mass
what are the renal pyramids?
they are found in the parts of the medulla, and help with blood filtration and water conc regulation, they also contain a lot of nephrons, which help to produce urine.
what are nephrons?
they are microscopic structures that produce urine, there is about 1 million in your body.
what are the 5 key parts to a nephron?
bowmans capsule
collecting duct
proximal convoluted tubule
loop of henle
distal convoluted tubule
where do nephrons start?
in the cortex of the kidney, the dakrnest layer
what is the glomerus
it is the main filtering unit of the kidney, which is form ed when many small capillaries form a knot
where is the glomerus located?
in the bowmans capsule and at the start of every nephron
how does the glomerus work to filter blood?
blood passes through the capillary network that is in the glomerus and as this happens the blood is filtered, the ultrafiltrate is then collected in the bowman’s capsule and drains down to the pct .
what type of molecules are filtered out of the blood ?
water, amino acids,waste urea and other small molecules, other larger ones are reabsorbed into the blood
what is the role of the loop of henle
it is a U shaped structure creates an area of high concentration by using 2 things called the descending limb and the ascending limb.
what happens as urine goes down the descending limb
as urine goes down it gets more concentrated, as water is reabsorbed
what happens in the thin ascending limb
salt diffuses out( sodium chloride) into surrounding tissue and the limb reabsorbes ions, but not water.
what does the thick ascending limb do ( different from the thin ascending limb)
it drains the urine into the distal convoluted tubule
what does the distal convoluted tubule do
it helps to regulate ions, such as potassium and sodium ions which in turn helps with water reabsorption.
what is the role of the collecting duct?
they connect nephrons to the renal pelvis, help to control absorption of water as well and volume of water in urine,
how does the hormone ADH help the collecting ducts
when it is present, the collecting ducts become permeable to water, helping to prevent dehydration
