excretory system Flashcards

1
Q

Define excretion

A

Process of collection and removal of harmful / useless stuff from blood, tissues, cells

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2
Q

What materials do humans need to excrete?

A

Carbon dioxide, water, salts, urea

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3
Q

What are the four main organs?

A

Liver, Lungs, Skin, Urinary System (kidneys)

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4
Q

The liver is an organ of excretion, but it is also an organ of ____________

A

Digestion

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5
Q

The liver’s three main excretory functions:

A

Detoxifies the blood, produces bile, forms urea

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6
Q

Sometimes the liver can become scarred.
What is this called?

A

Cirrhosis

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7
Q

What is the resulting effect of cirrhosis?

A

Impairs liver function

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8
Q

How is cirrhosis caused?

A

Infection / poisons in the body – commonly caused by alcohol abuse.

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9
Q

What is the treatment of cirrhosis?

A

Avoid poison (avoid alcohol) and eat well.

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10
Q

What do the lungs excrete?

A

Carbon dioxide (and some water)

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11
Q

Lungs are not only organs of excretion, they are also important in the ______________ system.

A

Respiratory system

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12
Q

What does the skin excrete?

A

Sweat – salt and water

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13
Q

How does the skin assist in regulation of temperature?

A

Sweat evaporating cools skin (and thus body)
Blood gets closer to skin (where it can cool down

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14
Q

Hair and nails are made up of dead skin cells. There is a tough protein structure that is their main component. What is it called?

A

Keratin

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15
Q

The skin is made of two layers, a thin upper layer and a thicker lower level:

A

Upper level: Epidermis
Lower level: Dermis

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16
Q

What is epidermis layer made of?

A

Dead skin cells

17
Q

Why don’t you bleed or feel pain if you cut through only the epidermis?

A

No blood. No nerves. No nothing. Just dead skin.

18
Q

What is the kidney’s main job?

A

Filters waste from the blood

19
Q

How big are kidneys, what do they look like, and where are they located?

A

Fist size, bean-shaped (kidney bean in fact!!). They lie on either side of your spine just above your waist.

20
Q

What is the microscopic unit where wastes are filtered from the blood in the kidneys

A

Nephron

21
Q

Glomerulus

A

A network of coiled blood vessels. Blood suppliers

22
Q

From the kidney, the waste flows through ureters to the bladder.
What is the waste called and what is it made of?

A

Urine (made of urea, water, salts, and other substances)

23
Q

Ureters

A

narrow, muscular tubes that connect kidneys to bladder

24
Q

Bladder

A

muscular sac that stores urine (walls of bladder expand as it fills with urine and when muscle at the neck of the bladder is allowed to relax, urine is squeezed into urethra)

25
Q

Urethra

A

tube leading from the bladder to the outside of the body

26
Q

Inflammation of the bladder (often caused by bacteria that spread from the rectum through the urethra to the bladder)

A

Cystitis (UTI)

27
Q

Kidney Stones

A

lumps of crystallized salts and minerals that form in the kidneys; can cause severe pain as it moves out of kidney if it’s not small enough to pass through ureter

28
Q

Kidney Failure

A

When both kidneys stop working, excess fluid builds up rapidly in the body
Treatment: Dialysis

29
Q

How do you treat cystitis?

A

Antibiotics