Ch. 7 Urinary System Vocabulary

Question 1

arteriole

Answer 1

small artery

Question 2

calciferol

Answer 2

active form of Vitamin D secreted by the kidneys

Question 3

calyx or calix

plural: calyces or calices

Answer 3

cup-like collecting region of the renal pelvis

Question 4

catheter

Answer 4

tube for injecting or removing fluids

Question 5

cortex

Answer 5

outer region of an organ

Question 6

creatinine

Answer 6

nitrogenous waste excreted in urine.

Question 7

creatinine clearance

Answer 7

measure of the efficiency of the kidneys in removing creatinine from the blood

Question 8

electrolyte

Answer 8

chemical element that carries an electrical charge when dissolved in water. Sodium and Potassium are electrolytes

Question 9

erythropoietin EPO

Answer 9

hormone secreted by the kidney to stimulate the production of red blood cells by bone marrow

Question 10

filtration

Answer 10

some substances, but not all, pass through a filter

Question 11

glomerular capsule

Answer 11

(Bowman’s capsule) enclosing structure surrounding each glomerulus and collects material filtered from the blood

Question 12

glomerulus

plural: glomeruli

Answer 12

tiny ball of capillaries in the kidney

Question 13

hilum

Answer 13

depression in organ where blood vessels and nerves enter and leave

Question 14

kidney

Answer 14

bean-shaped organ on either side of the backbone in the lumbar region; filters nitrogenous waste from the bloodstream to form urine

Question 15

meatus

Answer 15

opening or canal

Question 16

medulla

Answer 16

inner region of an organ

Question 17

nephron

Answer 17

combination of glomerulus and renal tubule where filtration, reabsorption, and secretion take place.
Functioning units of the kidney; one million nephrons in each kidney

Question 18

nitrogenous waste

Answer 18

substance containing nitrogen and is excreted through urine (urea, uric acid, creatinine)

Question 19

potassium (K+)

Answer 19

electrolyte regulated by the kidney. essential for muscle contraction and conduction of nerve impulses

Question 20

reabsorption

Answer 20

renal tubules return materials necessary to the body back into the bloodstream

Question 21

renal artery

Answer 21

blood vessel that carries blood into the kidney

Question 22

renal pelvis

Answer 22

central collecting region of the kidney

Question 23

renal tubule

Answer 23

microscopic tube in the kidney where urine is formed after filtration

Question 24

renal vein

Answer 24

blood vessel that carries blood away from the kidney and toward the heart

Question 25

renin

Answer 25

hormone secreted by the kidney; raises BP by influencing vasoconstriction (narrowing of the blood vessels)

Question 26

sodium (Na+)

Answer 26

electrolyte regulated in the blood and urine by the kidneys; needed for proper transmission of nerve impulses, heart activity, and other metabolic functions

Question 27

trigone

Answer 27

triangular area in the urinary bladder

Question 28

urea

Answer 28

major nitrogenous waste excreted in urine

Question 29

ureter

Answer 29

one of two tubes leading from the kidneys to the urinary bladder

Question 30

urethra

Answer 30

tube leading from the bladder to the outside of the body

Question 31

uric acid

Answer 31

nitrogenous waste excreted in urine

Question 32

urinary bladder

Answer 32

muscular sac that holds and stores urine

Question 33

urination

Answer 33

voiding, micturition