The Urinary System Overview

Flashcards covering vocabulary and key concepts related to the urinary system and renal function.

Ureter

A tube that carries urine from the kidney to the bladder.

Detrusor Muscle

The smooth muscle layer of the bladder wall responsible for expelling urine.

Transitional Epithelium

A type of tissue that can stretch and is found in the bladder, allowing it to expand.

Nephron

The functional unit of the kidney responsible for blood filtration and urine formation.

Glomerular Filtration Rate (GFR)

The rate at which filtrate is produced in the renal corpuscles, important for assessing kidney function.

Homeostasis

The process by which the body maintains a stable internal environment, including water balance.

Renin-Angiotensin-Aldosterone System

A hormone system that regulates blood pressure and fluid balance.

Antidiuretic Hormone (ADH)

Hormone that promotes water retention in the kidneys by increasing water permeability in the collecting ducts.

Atrial Natriuretic Peptide (ANP)

Hormone released by the heart that reduces blood volume and pressure by inhibiting sodium and water reabsorption.

Tubular Reabsorption

The process by which the nephron removes water and solutes from the filtrate and returns them to the blood.

Tubular Secretion

The process by which the nephron transfers additional substances from the blood into the tubular fluid.

Filtration Membrane

A barrier in the glomerulus that regulates what substances are filtered into the nephron.