Wella S, VIRINA

BSN- I
Review Question

Urinary System

1 Describe the location of the kidneys, ureters, urinary bladder, and urethra.

 Kidney – Located in the upper abdominal cavity on their side of the

vertebral column, behind the peritoneum.
 Ureter – Extends from the hilus of a kidney to the lower, posterior side
of the urinary bladder.
 Urinary Bladder – Below the peritoneum and behind the public bones.
 Urethra – External Urethra Sphincter

2. Name the three areas of the kidney, and state what each consists.

 The lateral and middle areas are tissue layers, and the medial area of
at the hilus is a cavity. The outer tissue layer made of renal convoluted
tubules.
 The medulla is the inner tissue layer made of loops of henle and
collecting tubules.

3. Name the two major parts of a nephron. State the general function of
nephrons.

 Renal corpuscle and renal tubule. Nephron is the structural and

functional unit of kidney.

4. Name the parts of a renal corpuscle. What process takes place here?
Name the parts of a renal tubule. What processes take place here?

 A renal corpuscle consists of glomerulus a capillary network between

an afferent arterioles and an efferent arterioles.

5. State the mechanism of tubular reabsorption of each of the following. Also

explain what is meant by a threshold level of reabsorption.

 Water – OSMOSIS
 Glucose – ACTIVE TRANSPORT
 Small protein – PINOCYTOSIS
  Positive ions – PASSIVE TRANSPORT

6. Explain the importance of tubular secretion.

 In tubular secretion substances are actively secreted from the blood in

the peritubular capillaries to the filtrate in the renal tubules. Waste
product such as ammonia and some creatinine, and the metabolic
product of medications may be secreted into the filtrate to be
eliminated in urine.

7. Describe the pathway of blood flow through the kidney from the
abdominal aorta to the inferior vena cava.

 The pathway of the blood through the kidney is an essential part of the
process of urine formation. Blood from the abdominal aorta enters the
renal artery, which branches extensively within the kidney into the
smaller arteries. The small arteries give rise to afferent arterioles in the
renal cortex from the afferent arterioles blood flows into the glomeruli
to efferent arterioles to peritubular capillaries to veins within the
kidney, to renal vein and finally to the inferior vena cava.

8. Name the two sets of capillaries in the kidney, and state the processes
that take place in each.

 Two sets of capillaries and recall that it is in capillaries that exchanges

take place between the blood and surrounding tissues. Therefore in the
kidneys there are two sites of change. The exchange that takes place
between the nephrons and capillaries of the kidneys will form blood
plasma.

9. Name the hormone that has each of these effects on the kidneys.

 A. Promotes reabsorption of Na+ ions. – ALDOSTERONE

 B. Promotes direct reabsorption of water.- ADH
 C. Promotes direct reabsorption of Ca+ ions. - PTH
 D. Promotes direct reabsorption of K+ ions. - ALDOSTERONE
 E. Decrease direct reabsorption of Na+ ions. - ANP

10. In what circumstances will the kidneys excrete H+ ions? What ions will
be returned to the blood? How will this affect the pH of blood.

 If the body fluids becoming too acidic, the kidney secretes H+ ions and
return HCO3 ions to the blood. This will help raises the pH of the blood
back to normal.
11. In what circumstances do the kidneys secrete renin and what is its
purpose?

 Secretion of renin by juxtaglomerular cells when blood pressure

decrease.

12. In what circumstances do the kidneys secrete erythropoietin, and what is

its purpose?

 Secretion of erythropoietin in responses to hypoxia. Stimulates RBM to

increase rate of RBC production. The oxygen – carrying capacity of the
blood is greater and the hypoxic state may be corrected.

13. Describe the function of the ureters and that of the urethra.

 The Ureters – Each extend from the hilus of a kidney to the lower
posterior side of urinary bladder. Peristalsis of smooth muscle layer
propels urine towards the bladder.
 Urethra – In women 1-1.5 inches long, anterior t vagina. In men 7-8
inches long passes through the prostate gland.

14. With respect to the urinary bladder, describe the function of rugae and
the detrusor muscle.

 Bound by openings of ureters and urethra.

 Detrusor muscle contracts to expel urine.

15. Describe the urination reflex in terms of stimulus, part of the CNS
involved, effector muscle, internal urethral sphincter, and voluntary control.

 Stimulus stretching of the detrusor muscle by accumulating urine.

Sensory impulses to spinal cord most impulses returned to the
detrusor muscle which contracts. Internal urethral sphincter relaxes.
The internal urethral sphincter provide voluntary control. Motor
impulses return along parasympathetic nerves to the detrusor muscle,
causing contraction. At the same time the internal urethral sphincter
relaxes.

16. Describe the characteristics of normal urine in terms of appearance,

amount, pH, specific gravity, and composition.

 Amount; - 1-2l per 24hrs; highly variable dependency on fluid intake

and water loss through the skin and G1 tract.
 pH- Average 6; range 4.6-8.0;diet has the greatest effect on urine ptt.
  Specific Gravity- 1.010-.025; a measure of the dissolve materials in
urine; The lower the value, The more dilute the urine.
 Composition – 95% water; 5% salt; and waste product.

17. State the source of each of the nitrogenous waste products: creatinine,
uric acid, and urea.

 Creatinine – From muscle metabolism

 Uric Acid – From nucleic acid metabolism
 Urea – From amino acid metabolism