Renal

These flashcards cover key vocabulary and concepts related to the urinary system, kidney anatomy, and urine formation processes.

Urinary System

The system that consists of two kidneys, two ureters, urinary bladder, and urethra.

Nephron

The basic functional unit of the kidney responsible for urine formation.

Glomerular Filtration

The process of filtering blood in the kidney to form urine.

Tubular Reabsorption

The process of reabsorbing useful solutes from filtrate back into the blood.

Tubular Secretion

The process of removing wastes from the blood and adding them to the filtrate.

Kidney Functions

Includes adjusting blood volume and pressure, regulating plasma concentrations of ions, stabilizing pH, conserving nutrients, and removing toxins.

Renal Cortex

The superficial region of the kidney.

Renal Medulla

The inner region of the kidney.

Glomerular Filtration Rate (GFR)

The rate at which blood is filtered through the glomeruli of the kidneys.

Filtration Membrane

The barrier through which filtration occurs, made up of fenestrated capillaries and podocytes.

Renal pelvis

Funnel-shaped structure that collects urine from the major calyxes.

Transport Maximum

The limit to how much solute the renal tubules can reabsorb, defined by the number of transporters available.

Obligatory Water Reabsorption

The constant rate of water reabsorption that occurs in the proximal convoluted tubule.

Juxtamedullary nephron

A type of nephron that is involved in concentrated urine formation.

Distal Convoluted Tubule (DCT)

Segment of the nephron involved in reabsorbing water and salts under hormonal regulation.

Collecting Duct (CD)

Part of the nephron that further concentrates urine and conserves water.