ch. 15 vocab

Retroperitoneal: Located behind the peritoneum, which is the membrane lining the abdominal cavity. Organs like the kidneys are retroperitoneal.

Nephron: The functional unit of the kidney, responsible for filtering blood and forming urine. Each kidney contains millions of nephrons.

Perirenal Fat Capsule: A layer of adipose tissue (fat) that surrounds the kidney, providing protection and insulation.

Glomerulus: A tiny ball of capillaries (small blood vessels) located within the Bowman's capsule of the nephron, where blood filtration begins.

Podocyte: Specialized epithelial cells that have foot-like processes and form the visceral layer of the Bowman's capsule, playing a crucial role in filtering blood in the glomerulus.

Cortical Nephrons: Nephrons that have their glomeruli located in the renal cortex and short loops of Henle that extend only a short distance into the renal medulla. They make up about 85% of all nephrons.

Juxtamedullary Nephrons: Nephrons that have their glomeruli located deep in the renal cortex near the medulla, and very long loops of Henle that extend deep into the renal medulla. They are important for concentrating urine.

Urine: The liquid waste product produced by the kidneys, containing excess water, salts, and metabolic waste products, which is excreted from the body.

Glomerular Filtration: The first step in urine formation, where blood plasma is filtered from the glomerulus into the Bowman's capsule, forming glomerular filtrate.

Tubular Reabsorption: The process by which essential substances (like water, glucose, amino acids, and some salts) are reabsorbed from the renal tubules back into the blood.

Tubular Secretion: The process by which certain substances (like waste products, excess ions, and some drugs) are actively transported from the blood into the renal tubules to be excreted in urine.

Glomerular Filtrate: The fluid that passes from the glomerulus into the Bowman's capsule during glomerular filtration. It is essentially blood plasma without large proteins and blood cells.

Urea: A major nitrogenous waste product produced from protein metabolism, filtered by the kidneys and excreted in urine.

Uric Acid: A nitrogenous waste product resulting from the breakdown of nucleic acids, excreted by the kidneys.

Creatinine: A waste product produced from muscle metabolism, filtered by the kidneys, and commonly used as an indicator of kidney function.

Urochrome: The pigment that gives urine its characteristic yellow color.

Specific Gravity: A measure of the concentration of solutes in urine, indicating how dilute or concentrated the urine is compared to water.

Renal Failure: A condition in which the kidneys lose their ability to adequately filter waste products from the blood.

Glycosuria: The presence of glucose (sugar) in the urine, often an indicator of uncontrolled diabetes mellitus.

Pyuria: The presence of white blood cells (pus) in the urine, usually indicating a urinary tract infection.

Hematuria: The presence of red blood cells in the urine, which can indicate various conditions including kidney stones, infections, or kidney disease.

Bilirubinuria: The presence of bilirubin (a yellow pigment from red blood cell breakdown) in the urine, often indicating liver disease or bile duct obstruction.

Proteinuria: The presence of an abnormal amount of protein in the urine, which can be a sign of kidney damage.

Hemoglobinuria: The presence of hemoglobin (the oxygen-carrying protein in red blood cells) in the urine, usually due to the breakdown of red blood cells within the bloodstream.

Micturition: The process of urinating or voiding urine from the bladder.