Vocabulary (Chapter 7)

Question 1

arteriole

Answer 1

small artery

Question 2

calciferol

Answer 2

Active form of vitamin D, secreted by the kidney

Question 3

calyx or calix (plural: calyces or calices)

Answer 3

Cup-like collecting region of the renal pelvis. The term comes from Greek, kalux meaning a cup or case surrounding a flower bud.

Question 4

catheter

Answer 4

Tube for injecting or removing fluids

Question 5

creatinine

Answer 5

Nitrogenous waste excreted in urine. Creatinine clearance is a measure of the efficiency of the kidneys in removing (clearing) creatinine from the blood. Creatinine is a product of muscle metabolism.

Question 6

electrolyte

Answer 6

Chemical element that carries an electrical charge when dissolved in water.

Question 7

erythropoietin (EPO)

Answer 7

Hormone secreted by the kidney to stimulate the production of red blood cells by bone marrow.

Question 8

filtration

Answer 8

Process whereby some substances, but not all, pass through a filter.

Question 9

glomerular capsule

Answer 9

Enclosing structure surrounding each glomerulus.

Question 10

glomerulus (plural: glomeruli)

Answer 10

Tiny ball of capillaries (microscopic blood vessels) in the kidney.

Question 11

hilum

Answer 11

Depression in an organ where blood vessels and nerves enter nad leave.

Question 12

kidney

Answer 12

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.

Question 13

meatus

Answer 13

opening or canal.

Question 14

medulla

Answer 14

Inner region of an organ.

Question 15

nephron

Answer 15

Combination of glomerulus and renal tubule where filtration, reabsorption, and secretion take place in the kidney.

Question 16

nitrogenous waste

Answer 16

Substance containing nitrogen and excreted in urine.

Question 17

potassium

Answer 17

Electrolyte regulated by the kidney so that a proper concentration is maintained within the blood.

Question 18

reabsorption

Answer 18

Process whereby renal tubules return materials necessary to the bloodstream.

Question 19

renal artery

Answer 19

Blood vessel that carries blood to the kidney

Question 20

renal pelvis

Answer 20

Central collecting region in the kidney

Question 21

renal tubule

Answer 21

Microscopic tube in the kidney where urine is formed after filtration.

Question 22

renal vein

Answer 22

Blood vessel that carries blood away from the kidney and toward the heart.

Question 23

renin

Answer 23

Hormone secreted by the kidney; it raises blood pressure by influencing vasoconstriction

Question 24

sodium

Answer 24

Electrolyte regulated in the blood and urine by the kidneys; needed for proper transmission of nerve impulses, heart activity, and other metabolic functions.

Question 25

trigone

Answer 25

Triangular area in the urinary bladder

Question 26

urea

Answer 26

Major nitrogenous waste excreted in urine

Question 27

ureter

Answer 27

One of two tubes leading from the kidneys to the urinary bladder

Question 28

urethra

Answer 28

Tube leading from the urinary bladder to the outside of the body

Question 29

uric acid

Answer 29

Nitrogenous waste excreted the urine

Question 30

urinary bladder

Answer 30

Hollow, muscular sac that holds and stores urine

Question 31

urination (voiding)

Answer 31

Process of expelling urine; also called micturition.