Urinary System Flashcards
What is a nephron?
The basic structural and functional unit of the kidney
What are the three main functions of the kidneys?
Filtration
Reabsorption
Secretion
What is the glomerulus?
High pressure capillary bed between afferent and errerent arterioles
What surrounds the glomerulus?
Bowmans capsule
What is not a major function of the kidneys?
Regulation of blood cell size
What waste product normally gets excreted by the kidneys?
Urea
What is the structure of the nephron called that filters blood?
Glomerular capsule
What is the term used to describe the return of substances into the blood stream from the filtrate?
Reabsorption
What structure of the nephron reabsorbs the most substances?
Proximal convoluted tubule
What transports urine from the kidney to the bladder?
Ureter
An analysis of the physical, chemical and microscopic properties of urine is called?
Urinalysis
What is the ureters specific function?
Transport urine from the kidneys to the urinary bladder
What is the urinary bladder specific function?
Store urine
What is the urethra specific function?
Discharges urine from the body
What do kidneys control?
The levels of many substances in the blood
What do the kidneys remove?
Waste products from the blood and produce urine
What are macula densa cells?
They sense change in sodium chloride level and will trigger auto regulatory response.
What are the juxtaglomerular cells?
Cells within the kidney that synthesise, store and secrete the enzyme renin.
Where are juxtaglomerular cells? & What do they do?
They are specialised smooth muscle cells mainly in walls of the afferent arterioles. They deliver blood to the glomerulus
What is NOT a way angiotensin II affects the kidneys?
It increases GFR
