Urinary System Pt. 1

Question 1

What are the four urinary organs?

Answer 1

Kidneys, Ureters, Urinary Bladder, Urethra

Question 2

What is the primary function of the kidneys?

Answer 2

To produce urine

Question 3

What is the function of the ureters?

Answer 3

To transport urine toward the urinary bladder from the kidneys

Question 4

What is the purpose of the urinary bladder?

Answer 4

To store urine prior to urination

Question 5

What is the role of the urethra in the urinary system?

Answer 5

To conduct urine to the exterior

Question 6

Define urination or micturition.

Answer 6

The process of urine being eliminated from the body

Question 7

What is excretion in the context of the urinary system?

Answer 7

The removal of metabolic wastes from body fluids

Question 8

What is elimination in the context of the urinary system?

Answer 8

The discharge of metabolic wastes out of the body

Question 9

What is homeostatic regulation with respect to the urinary system?

Answer 9

The regulation of the volume and solute concentration of the blood

Question 10

List some essential aspects of homeostatic regulation by the urinary system.

Answer 10

Regulation of blood volume and pressure
Regulation of plasma concentrations of ions (e.g., sodium, potassium)
Stabilizing blood pH
Conserving valuable nutrients
Assisting the liver in detoxifying poisons

Question 11

Where are the kidneys located in the body?

Answer 11

In the abdominal cavity

Question 12

How does the left kidney position compare to the right kidney?

Answer 12

The left kidney lies slightly superior to the right kidney

Question 13

What is the role of the adrenal glands in relation to the kidneys?

Answer 13

Adrenal glands are located at the top of each kidney

Question 14

How are the kidneys held in position within the abdominal cavity?

Answer 14

Overlying peritoneum, contact with adjacent organs, and supporting connective tissues

Question 15

What are the three layers of connective tissue that protect and stabilize each kidney?

Answer 15

Fibrous capsule, peripheral fat, and renal fascia

Question 16

Describe the typical size of an adult kidney.

Answer 16

Bean-shaped, around 10cm long, 5.5cm wide, and 3cm thick

Question 17

What is the hilum of the kidney, and what structures enter and exit through it?

Answer 17

The hilum is the point of entry for the renal artery and renal nerves and the point of exit for the renal vein

Question 18

What is the renal sinus in the kidney?

Answer 18

The internal cavity within the kidney

Question 19

What is the function of the fibrous capsule in the kidney?

Answer 19

It covers the outer surface of the kidney

Question 20

What is the renal cortex in the kidney?

Answer 20

The superficial region of the kidney in contact with the outer capsule

Question 21

What is the renal medulla, and how deep are the renal pyramids within it?

Answer 21

The renal medulla contains 6-18 renal pyramids, which are deep to the renal cortex

Question 22

What is the renal papilla, and where does it project?

Answer 22

The renal papilla is the innermost point of a renal pyramid in the kidney, where urine is ultimately collected and funneled into the renal pelvis. It projects into the minor calyx, which is a small cavity that serves as a reservoir for urine before it flows into the major calyx and eventually into the renal pelvis.

Question 23

What are renal columns in the kidney, and what do they separate?

Answer 23

Renal columns are bands of cortical tissue that extend into the medulla and separate renal pyramids

Question 24

What is a kidney lobe composed of?

Answer 24

A renal pyramid, the overlying area of renal cortex, and adjacent tissues of the renal columns

Question 25

What are minor calyces in the kidney, and what do they drain?

Answer 25

Minor calyces are cup-shaped structures that receive urine from the renal papilla

Question 26

How do major calyces differ from minor calyces?

Answer 26

Major calyces are formed by the merging of multiple minor calyces

Question 27

What does the renal pelvis result from?

Answer 27

The combination of multiple major calyces

Question 28

Where does urine production begin within the kidney, at the microscopic level?

Answer 28

In the nephrons

Question 29

What are cortical nephrons in the kidney?

Answer 29

Nephrons located in the renal cortex

Question 30

What are juxtamedullary nephrons in the kidney?

Answer 30

Nephrons that extend into the renal medulla