ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY

URINARY SYSTEM
Functions of the Urinary System 1. Excretion kidneys are the major excretory organs of the body. 2. Regulation of blood volume and pressure 3. Regulation of the concentration of solutes in the blood 4. Regulation of extracellular fluid pH 5. Regulation of Red Blood Cell synthesis 6. Vitamin D synthesis

KIDNEYS
Structure: Pair of bean-shaped, brownish-red structures about the size of tightly clenched fist; normal adult kidney weighs approximately 113 to 170 g and is 1012 cm long, 6 cm wide, and 2.5 cm thick. Right kidney is slightly lower than the left due to the location of the liver. Adrenal glands are located on top of each kidney. Multilobular structure which compose of up to 18 lobes. Location: retroperitoneally on the posterior wall of the abdomen from the 12th thoracic vertebra to the third lumbar vertebra Nephrons functional units of the kidney.

Renal capsule connective tissue surrounding each kidney. Around the renal capsule is a thick layer of fat, which protects the kidney from mechanical shock. Hilum where the renal artery and nerves enter and where the renal vein and ureter exit the kidney. Renal sinus a cavity which contains blood vessels 3 Major Areas of the Kidney 1. Cortex lies under the fibrous capsule and portions of it extends down to the medullary layer to form renal columns. 2. Medulla approximately 5 cm wide, inner portion of the kidney. It contains the Loop of Henle, the vasa recta, and the collecting ducts of the juxtamedullary nephrons. It is divided into eight to 18 conme-shaped masses of cololecting ducts called renal pyramids. A funnel shaped calyx surrounds the tip of the renal pyramids. 3. Renal pelvis a larger funnel made from all calyces of the renal pyramids. Renal pelvis narrows to form a small tube, the ureter. Nephrons Functional unit of the kidney Approximately 1.3 million each kidney Consist of renal corpuscle, proximal tubule, loop of Henle, distal tubule. Renal corpuscle - consists of Bowmans capsule and the glomerulus. It is made up of simple squamous epithelium for easy filtration. Proximal tubule convoluted portion about 15 cm long with microvilli lining its lumen to increase its membrane surface area. Loop of Henle - part of renal tubule which become extremely narrow that extending down away from Bowmans capsule and then back up again form a U shape. The liquid entering the

loop is the solution of salt, urea, and other substances passed along from glomerulus by proximal convoluted tubule. In this tubule, most of the dissolved components needed by the body; particularly glucose, amino acids, and sodium bicarbonate, is reabsorbed into the blood. The first segment of the loop, the descending limb, is permeable to water, and the liquid reaching the bend of the loop is much richer than the blood plasma in salt and urea. Distal convoluted tubule joins the collecting tubule. Uses Anti-diuretic hormone for reabsorption. Renal Collecting Tubule - Also called Duct of Bellini, any of the long narrow tubes in the kidney that concentrate and transport urine from the nephrons, to larger ducts that connect with the renal calyces. The functions of the collecting tubes are transportation of urine and absorption of water. It is thought that the tissue of the kidneys medulla, or inner substance, contains a high concentration of sodium. As the collecting tubule travel through the medulla, the concentration of sodium causes water to be extracted through the tubule walls into the medulla. The water diffuses out between the collecting wall cells until the concentration of sodium is equal in the tubes and outside them. Removal of water from the solution in the tubes serves to concentrate the urine content and conserve body water.

1. Urine Production And Blood Filtration (1) Blood with waste enters the kidney through the renal artery. The artery divides into smaller and smaller blood vessels, called arterioles, eventually ending in the tiny capillaries of the glomerulus in each of the Nephrons.

(2) The Blood in kidney get into glomerulus through Affarent Arteriole. In glomerulus, blood travel through twist and turn capilaries. The capillary walls here are quite thin, and the blood pressure within the capillaries is high. The result is that water, along with any substances that may be dissolved in ittypically salts, glucose or sugar, amino acids, and the waste products

urea and uric acidare pushed out through the thin capillary walls, where they are collected in Bowman's capsule. Larger particles in the blood, such as red blood cells and protein molecules, are too bulky to pass through the capillary walls and they remain in the bloodstream. The blood, which is now filtered, leaves the glomerulus through Everent Arteriole, which branches into the meshlike network of blood vessels around the renal tubule. The blood then exits the kidney through the renal vein. Approximately 180 liters (about 50 gallons) of blood moves through the two kidneys every day.

(3) Urine production begins with the substances that the blood leaves behind during its passage through the kidneythe water, salts, and other substances collected from the glomerulus in Bowmans capsule. This liquid, called glomerular filtrate, moves from Bowmans capsule through Proximal Convulated Tubule. As the filtrate flows through the renal tubule, the network of blood vessels surrounding the tubule reabsorbs much of the water, salt, and virtually all of the nutrients, especially glucose and amino acids, that were removed in the glomerulus. This important process, called tubular reabsorption, enables the body to selectively keep the substances it needs while ridding itself of wastes. Eventually, about 99 percent of the water, salt, and other nutrients is reabsorbed. This process happens in Henles Loop. (4) At the same time that the kidney reabsorbs valuable nutrients from the glomerular filtrate, it carries out an opposing task, called tubular secretion. In this process, unwanted substances from the capillaries surrounding the nephron are added to the glomerular filtrate. These substances include various charged particles called ions, including ammonium, hydrogen, and potassium ions. The secretion of potassium by the distal tubule is one of the most important events in the dikney as its control is fundamental to the maintance of overall potassium balance.

(5) Together, glomerular filtration, tubular reabsorption, and tubular secretion produce urine, which flows into collecting ducts, which guide it into the microtubules of the pyramids. The urine is then stored in the renal cavity and eventually drained into the ureters, which are long, narrow tubes leading to the bladder. From the roughly 180 liters (about 50 gallons) of blood that the kidneys filter each day, about 1.5 liters (1.3 qt) of urine are produced.