The Kidneys and Urinary System

These flashcards cover key vocabulary and concepts related to the kidneys and the urinary system as described in the lecture notes.

Kidney

The main organ in the excretory system responsible for filtering blood and producing urine.

Renal artery

The blood vessel that supplies oxygenated blood to the kidneys.

Nephron

The functional unit of the kidney that filters blood to produce urine.

Ultrafiltration

The process by which small molecules, such as water, glucose, amino acids, salts, and urea, are extracted from the blood in the kidney.

Bowman's capsule

The hollow cup of cells at the start of the nephron, where blood filtration occurs.

Glomerulus

A network of capillaries inside Bowman's capsule involved in the filtration of blood.

Selective reabsorption

The process by which kidneys reabsorb necessary substances that were filtered out during ultrafiltration.

Osmoregulation

The process by which the kidneys regulate the water content of the blood and the concentration of urine.

Renal pelvis

A funnel-shaped cavity in the kidney that receives urine from the renal pyramids.

Cortex

The outer region of the kidney that contains nephrons.

Medulla

The inner region of the kidney where renal pyramids are located and where nephrons extend into.

Kidney failure

A condition in which the kidneys stop functioning effectively, leading to a toxic build-up of waste products in the blood.

Dialysis

An artificial process that removes waste products and excess fluid from the blood when the kidneys are not functioning properly.

Kidney transplant

The surgical procedure in which a healthy kidney from a donor is transferred to a recipient with kidney failure.