Vocabulary Flashcards
Calciferol
Active form of vitamin D secreted by the kidney
Arteriole
Small artery
Calyx or calix (plural calyces calices)
Cup-like collecting region of the renal pelvis.
Catheter
Tube for injecting or removing fluids
Cortex
Outer region of an organ (cortical means pertaining to the cortex)
Creatinine
Nitrogenous waste excreted in urine.
Electrolyte
Chemical element that carries an electrical charge when dissolved in water. Examples are potassium and sodium
Erythropoietin
Hormone secreted by the kidney to stimulate the production of red blood cells by bone marrow
Filtration
Process whereby some substances, not all, pass through a filter.
Glomerular capsule
Enclosing structure surrounding each glomerulus. The () is also known as Bowman’s capsule and it collects the material that is filtered from the blood through the walls of the glomerulus.
Glomerulus (plural glomeruli)
Tiny ball of capillaries (microscopic blood vessels) in the kidneys
Hilum
Depression in an organ where blood vessels and nerves enter and leave.
Kidney
One of two bean-shaped organs on either side of the backbone in the lumbar region; it filters nitrogenous wastes from the bloodstream to form urine.
Meatus
Opening or canal
Medulla
Inner region of an organ
Nephron
Combination of glomerulus and renal tubule where filtration, reabsorption, and secretion take place in the kidney. It is the functional until of the kidney, each capable of forming urine by itself. About 1 million of them
Nitrogenous wastes
Substances containing nitrogen and excreted in urine. Urea, uric acid, creatinine
Potassium (k)
Electrolyte regulated by the kidney so that a proper concentration is maintained within the blood. Essential for allowing muscle contraction and conduction of nervous impulses
Reabsorption
Process by where renal tubes return materials necessary to the body back into the bloodstream
Renal artery
Blood vessel that carries blood to the kidney
Renal pelvis
Central collecting region in the kidney
Renal tubule
Microscopic tube in the kidney where urine is formed after filtration
Renal vein
Blood vessel that carries blood away from the kidney and toward the heart
Renin
Hormone secreted by the kidney; raises blood pressure by influencing vasoconstriction (narrowing of the blood vessels)
Sodium
Electrolyte regulated in the blood and urine by the kidneys; needed for proper transmission of nerve impulses, heart activity, and other metabolic functions
Trigone
Triangular area in the urinary bladder
Urea
Major nitrogenous waste excreted in urine
Ureter
One of the two tubes leading from the kidneys to the urinary bladder
Urethra
Tube leading from the urinary bladder to the outside of the body
Uric acid
Nitrogenous waste excreted in the urine
Urinary bladder
Hollow muscular sac that holds and stores urine.
Urination (voiding)
Process of expelling urine; also called micturition
