Urinary System Quiz Anatomy Flashcards
What is the primary function of the renal/urinary system?
regulate water balance and maintain body homeostasis by eliminating and screting wastes
Define normovolemia
state of normal blood volume of water
- contrasts with hypervolemia (too much water) and hypovolemia (too little)
define hypernatremia
state of increased sodium in the blood
- contrasts with hyponatremia (too little sodium in the blood)
define osmolarity
the concentration of a solution
What does drinking water do to the plasma volume and osmolarity of your blood
plasma volume increases in blood while osmolarity decreases
- may cause swelling of the kidney but this is generally corrected by the production of hyperosmotic urine
define hyperosmotic urine and hypoosmotic urine to correct
hypoosmotic urine: dark yellow urine
hypersmotic urine: light yellow urine from excess water
What does eating salty food do to the plasma volume and osmolarity of your blood
salt is absorbed and plasma osmolarity is increased
- kidneys produce hyperosmotic urine to correct
what are the main structures of the urinary system?
kidneys: where urine is processed
ureters: carry urine to the bladder
bladder: stores urine
urethra: carries urine out of the body
what functions do kidneys have?
- remove metabolic waste
- regulate pH of plasma
- control blood volume
- control the concentration of solutes in body fluids
- stimulate red blood cell production
- metabolize vitamin D
- synthesize ammonia from amino acids
- degrade hormones
- maintain homeostasis in the body
describe the location of the kidney in the body
- protected by the rib cage and fatty tissue called perirenal fat
- superior lumbar region
- posterior to the abdominal wall (higher than expected)
Explain the path that urine travels from renal papillae to ureters
renal papillae
minor calyces
major calyces
renal pelvis
ureter
name the functions of the following…
renal medulla and pyramids
renal pelvis
ureter
- renal medulla and pyramids: filtrate formation
- renal pelvis: collecting region for processed filtrate
- ureter: transports filtrate to the bladder
define hypervolemia
harder for the heart to do its job because of increased pressure from excess water in the blood.
- leads to cardiovascular disease when accompanied by a bad diet and lack of exercise
define hypovolemia
extreme dehydration leads to blood levels dropping with blood pressure
define hypernatremia
high sodium in the blood
define hyponatremia
low sodium in the blood
define osmolarity
how much solute is dissolved in a solution
what is a nephron? how many do we have? where are they found?
- nephron: functional unit of the kidneys that filters waste in the blood
- born with the number you will die with unless damaged– they do not heal
- found in the renal pyramidal part of the kidneys
describe the 3 processes that occur in the nephron and where they happen
- filtration: in renal corpuscle
filters solutes and water - reabsorption: in proximal convoluted tubule, loop of henle, and some in distal convoluted tube
water and NaCl are reabsorbed into the blood - secretion: in distal tubule
potassium, hydrogen, ammonium, etc are secreted into the collecting duct to be excreted
what is the difference between the afferent and efferent arteriole of the nephron? how does this affect blood flow and filtration?
- afferent arteriole: bigger due to large materials to be filtrated
- efferent arteriole: smaller due to transferring filtered blood
*size difference leads to pressure increased in capillaries which increases filtration by forcing blood plasma into the bowman’s capsule
describe glomerular filtration into the bowman’s capsule
- the glomerular endothelium is fenestrated (has a filter with holes)
- the filtration membrane is composed of podocytes
- it filters blood by allowing solute-rich filtrate (plasma) to pass into bowman’s capsule
after glomerular filtration, what happens in the proximal tube?
then the tubular reabsorption?
- proximal tube: reabsorption of the solutes and water
- tubular reabsorption: where all organic nutrients are absorbed, may use ATP. where water and ion absorption is hormonally controlled
after tubular reabsorption, what happens at the loop of Henle?
- descends into the medulla of the kidney
- functions to help the body reabsorb water and solutes by “concentrating urine” due to an osmolarity gradient
- The descending segment is permeable to only water while the ascending segment is permeable to only solutes
after the loop of henle is the distal convoluted tubule, what happens here?
- secretion and a bit of reabsorption
- leads into the medulla and drains filtrate into the collecting duct (last place in the nephron before leaving it)
what is the difference between juxtamedullary nephrons and cortical nephrons?
- juxtamedullary nephrons: the loop of Henle extends deeply into the medulla of the kidney, producing more concentrated urine
- cortical nephrons: produce dilute urine due to the loop of Henle being less deep into the medulla of the kidney
if you chug a lot of water, you become _____ and ______.
hypervolemic and hyponatremic
True or false: secretion is an active process that uses energy.
true: ATP is needed to transport solutes from the capillaries into the nephron
what does ADH hormone do? where is it located?
- the anti-diuretic hormone, vasopressin, regulates water reabsorption
- produces more concentrated urine to remove more waste products without losing more water
- secreted in the hypothalamus and is stored in the posterior pituitary
True or false: 99% of filtrate can be reabsorbed by the nephron.
true
true or false: secretion is the movement of blood to filtrate.
true
true or false: reabsorption is the movement of blood to filtrate.
false– reabsorption moves filtrate into the blood.
what are kidney stones and how are they created?
- hard deposits formed in the kidneys, often made of minerals and salts
- develop when urine contains high levels of certain substances, such as calcium, oxalate, and uric acid.
- factors like dehydration, certain diets, family history, and medical conditions can contribute to their formation.
- when these substances become concentrated in the urine, they can crystallize and stick together, forming stones.
describe the microvascular (blood flow) of the urinary system
kidney
renal artery
small artery
afferent artery (bigger)
glomerulus capillary (site of blood filtration)
efferent arteriole (smaller)
peritubular capillary (site of reabsorption and secretion)
*venule
*vein
*renal vein
*=deoxygenated blood
what effects does low ADH hormone have? high ADH?
- low ADH: diuresis (peeing a lot with diluted urine)
- high ADH: anti-dieuresis (small volume of concentrated urine)
how does nicotine affect ADH hormone? what about alcohol (ethanol)?
- nicotine increases ADH leading to smaller volume of more concentrated urine
- alcohol decreases ADH leading to a larger volume of less concentrated urine
what is aldosterone? where is it found? what function does it have?
- aldosterone: a hormone produced in the adrenal gland (above the kidney)
- targets collecting duct cells, where is conserves salt and water– promotes retention of sodium
- indirect stimulus has a decrease in systemic blood volume and blood pressure
