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BIO 20 > Unit D: The Excretory System > Flashcards

Unit D: The Excretory System Flashcards

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1
Q

What are the functions of the Excretory system? (6)

A
  1. Waste removal: system filters the blood, removing waste (urea, excess salt, byproducts)
  2. Fluid balance: kidneys (key part of system) → regulate amount of water + electrolytes in the body → helps maintain proper balance
  3. pH regulation: helps maintain body’s acid-base balance (through regulation of acids + bases in urine)
  4. Red blood cell production: kidneys (role of regulating production of red blood cells
  5. Blood pressure control: kidneys (help regulate blood pressure)
  6. Osmoregulation + Homeostasis: maintaining needed levels of water + dissolved substances in the body (combating dehydration)
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2
Q

What does renal mean?

A

Kidney

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3
Q

What is the purpose of the kidney? (3)

A

filter waste + excess water
Maintain electrolyte balance (aiding production of urine)
Produces urine

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4
Q

What are the percentages of reabsorption vs excretion in the kidneys?

A

99% reabsorbed / 1% excreted (urine)

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5
Q

What are the 3 layers of the kidney?

A
  1. Cortex
  2. Medulla
  3. Renal Pelvis
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6
Q

What is the cortex of the kidney and location?

A

What: outer layer of connective tissue
Location: encircles the kidney

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7
Q

What is the purpose of the cortex of the kidney?

A

Purpose: where initial steps of blood filtration occur, produces hormones for red blood cell production, produces urine and filters blood.

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8
Q

What does the cortex contain?

A

Nephron filtering units:
all of the glomeruli,
a large portion of capillaries, Proximal/distal tubule,
cortical portion of the collecting duct.

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9
Q

What is the medulla?:

A

What: The inner layer (consists of renal pyramids that contain blood vessels + tubular structures

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10
Q

What is the purpose of the medulla?

A

Purpose: to regulate urine concentration ensuring the body retains the right amount of water + electrolyte’s.

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11
Q

What does the medulla of the kidney contain?

A

Nephrons,
Vasa recta(straight capillaries),
loops of Henle,
Collecting ducts

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12
Q

What is the renal pelvis?

A

a hollow chamber joining the kidney with the ureter

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13
Q

What is the purpose of the renal pelvis?

A

collecting the urine produced in the kidney and leading it to a central “stem” aka the ureter
- Where urine is collected and funnelled → ureters
- Center of kidney

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14
Q

What is the overall goal of the nephron?

A

Overall goal: process waste products from the blood → create urine
- removes waste products + other solutes from blood
- filters blood
- regulates comosition of body fluids
- excreting waste
- maintain pH of the body

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15
Q

What is the relation between homeostatic regulation and the nephrons processes?

A

The nephrons of the body allow for the reabsporption of water + solutes BACK → bloodstream (maintaining HOMEOSTASIS)

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16
Q

What is the structure and location of nephrons?

A

Closely knit together (affects others) → millions
Fold in + around one another
Span cortex + medulla/kidney

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17
Q

What is the function of the renal artery?

A

Main blood vessels (carry oxygenated blood from aorta (main artery) → kidneys)
Allows kidneys to do their job
Small branches = afferent arterioles (supply nephrons w/ blood)

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18
Q

What is the function of the renal veins?

A

main blood vessel (carry blood from kidney + ureter → inferior vena cava)
return filtered blood (by kidneys) → heart (travels through)
After blood has been filtered (kidneys), renal veins carry cleaned blood out of kidneys → heart

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19
Q

What is the function of the glomerulus?

A

Starting point for a single nephron
Specialized mass of capillaries
To form a filtrate from the circulating blood → then modified by the tubule → form urine

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20
Q

What is the function of the bowman’s capsule?

A

participates in the filtration of blood (initial filtration site for blood)
*1st step in urine production
Captures glomerular filtrate (fluid of small molecules → water, salt, sugars + retaining large molecules → blood cells, proteins)

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21
Q

Where is the Bowman’s capsule found in the body + what is its structure?

A

Surrounds glomerulus → in cortex of kidney (w/ afferent/efferent arterioles)
Structure: funnel-like
Process: passes filtrate → proximal tubule (branched off smaller tube)

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22
Q

What is filtrate? Examples

A

fluid that enters the Bowman’s Capsule due to blood pressure
Entry: forces fluid from the blood in the glomerulus → Bowman’s capsule
Examples:
- Glucose
- Water
- H+ ions
- Bicarbonate ions
- Salts
- Amino acids
- Medications + Vitamins
- Urea

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23
Q

Which arteriole DELIVERS blood to the glomerulus?

A

Afferent arteriole (think A for Above Efferent)

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24
Q

What direction does the efferent arteriole carry blood?

A

Carries blood AWAY from the glomerulus

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25
What is the order of branch exchange from the Aorta to the glomerulus?
Aorta (main artery) --> Renal Artery (branches of aorta) --> Afferent Arterioles (smaller branches of renal artery) --> Glomerulus (where filtration occurs)
26
What is the function of the proximal and distal tubules?
- further processing + absorption of useful substances - Active and passive transport - Reabsorb water and dissolved materials to create whatever balance the body needs at that specific time
27
What is absorbed in the proximal tubule? (transport of solutes and liquid)
Reabsorbed into interstitial fluid - NaCl (salt) - H2O follows via osmosis - Amino acids - Potassium - Glucose - Bicarbonate
28
what is secreted in the proximal tubule (intersitiial --> proximal tubule)
H+, Ammoniom
29
What is pumped in the distal tubule and what does it help to do?
Hydrogen helps to maintain pH levels
30
What does the distal tubule focus on regulating?
Focus on regulating levels of potassium, sodium, calcium (pumps and hormones)
31
What are the substances secreted in the distal tubule? (back to filtrate)
Substances secreted: (from interstitial fluid) - H+ - Ammonium - Potassium
32
What are the substances absorbed by the interstitial fluid from the distal tubule?
Reabsorbed (exiting filtrate) NaCl H2O Bicarbonate
33
What is the function of the loop of Henle?
Reabsorb water + NaCl from the filtrate Maintain concentration gradient in medulla (allows efficient water reabsorption + production of concentrated urine)
34
What happens in the descending loop of Henle?
- many aquaporins (easy for H2O) - H2O reabsorbed by interstitial fluid (osmosis) Intersititual fluid = hypertonic (H2O follows) **decrease in water = increased solute concentration Descending: water = low / solute = high
35
Is the descending loop of Henle Hypotonic or Hypertonic?
Hypertonic - contains many aquaporins to help move water via osmosis - little water in filtrate - lots of solute in filtrate
36
What is the purpose of the ascending loop of henle?
Actively pumps out ions, primarily NaCl into the surrounding interstitial fluid
37
Does the ascending loop of Henle contain aquaporins?
no aquaporins, proteins for NaCl to be absorbed
38
What happens to sodium (NaCl) in the ascending loop of henle?
- NaCl: diffuses out (high → low) (filtrate → interstitial fluid)
39
Is the ascending loop of henle pumped through active or passive transport?
active
40
Which loop of Henle is impermeable to water?
Ascending (water does not follow the ions as they are pumped out, as this segment uses active transport)
41
What are the 3 important things that the loop of Henle does?
1. Extracts most of the H2O we need from the filtrate as it travels down to the medulla 2. Pumps out the salt that we want to keep on the way back up to the cortex 3. Makes medulla hypertonic (super salty relative to the filtrate) → creates a concentration gradient = allows medulla to draw out even more H2O (one last time from filtrate before excreted)
42
What is the function of the collecting duct?
Function: collects urine from nephrons → moves it to renal pelvis and ureters
43
What is reabsorbed in the collecting duct:
- NaCl - H2O - A significant amount of ura (some reabsorbed by diffusion)
44
What is the function of ureters?
Filter blood + create urine (waste product) - Carries urine from the kidneys --> bladder - Contractions that force urine away from the kidneys --> bladder
45
What are the 3 main functions of the bladder?
1. Storage: muscular walls → expand + contract (helps accommodate different volumes of urine) 2. Expulsion: when full → sends signals to brain → triggers urge to urinate → bladder contracts to force urine out → urethra (sphincter muscles) 3. Continence: ability to store urine + control release (allows delay for a suitable time)
46
What is the function of the Urethra?
Function: a single tube where urine exits the body (from bladder) What: Muscular tube that connects the urinary bladder to + external urethral opening
47
What happens in the filtration process of the excretory system?
movement of fluid from the blood → Bowman’s capsule
48
What happens in the reabsorption process of the excretory system?
transfer of essential solutes + water from nephron back → blood Water exits happily moves (holes) → aquaporins (osmosis b/c high concentration of salt) Up ascending group of Henle: aids to the passive transport of water in aquaporins
49
What happens in the secretion process of the excretory system?
Kidneys remove excess solutes and waste products from the blood and transfer then into the urine to be eliminate - Involves the movement of substances (H+, K, drugs)
50
What are the 2 hormones found in the Nephron?
1. Aldosterone 2. Antidiuretic Hormone (ADH)
51
What is the cause of Diabetes mellitus?
inadequate secretion of insulin from islet cells in the pancreas (affects function of kidneys)
52
what is the result of Diabetes mellitus?
without insulin = blood glucose → higher than normal (increased glucose in urine** sign), osmotic gradient of high glucose levels created = can’t reabsorb water → bloodstream from nephron (disrupts passive transport of H2O) = loss of H2O = dehydration + thirsty
53
What is the treatment for Diabetes mellitus?
insulin injections
54
What is the cause of Diabetes Insipidus:
defect in antidiuretic hormone (ADH) → function of water reabsorption regulation in nephron - NO ADH = less H2O permeable nephron = less H2O removal from filtrate
55
What is the result of Diabetes Insipidus:
large volumes of urine (urine = NO high concentrations of glucose)
56
What is the treatment for Diabetes Insipidus:
increasing fluids, hormone replacement therapy (gaining ADH back)
57
What is the cause of nephritis?
Result of sort of urinary infections with/ bacteria entering the body through the urethra → Toxins produced destroy the blood vessels and other permeability of the nephron = proteins + large molecules to pass the nephron (no filtration)
58
What is the result of Nephritis?
large molecules found in urine (osmotic gradient altered, drawing water into the nephron) → large quantities of urine with/ high protein concentration (look at the urine sample)
59
What is the treatment for Nephritis?
blood pressure medications, antibiotics (for the infection), possible dialysis depending on severity, anti-inflammatory medications
60
What is the cause of Kidney Stones?
precipitation of mineral solutes from blood - (When urine contains more calcium/uric acid than the fluid in urine can dilute) - Unbalanced diet (too much protein/salt/sugar) - Inadequate amounts of water = precipitation of solutes
61
What is the result of Kidney Stones?
sharp-sided stones = lodged in renal pelvis or ureter → bladder (extremely painful)
62
What is the treatment for Kidney Stones?
high-energy shock waves (breaks down kidney stones → smaller fragments) → pass more easily
63
What happens in the excretory system + its hormones when someone is drunk + hungover?
One drink too many: Start to pee a lot + pee is clear Reasoning: alcohol interferes with hormones found in this system (particularly Anti-diuretic Hormone) → tells collecting ducts to be very porous so that water can be reabsorbed Confused hormones = consistent peeing of all kinds of water → dehydration → hangover
64
Why would someone have to have Kidney Dialysis
Why?: for people who can’t effectively process bodily wastes Helps restore proper solute balance by removing additional wastes, NaCl, H2O from blood
65
What is the result of kidney dialysis?
Result: helps prevent any buildup in the body

BIO 20 (10 decks)

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