Maintenance of the Body
Unit 8: The Urinary System
Unit outline
Part 1: The Urinary Tract
- Gross Anatomy of the Kidney
- External Anatomy
- Internal Anatomy
- Renal Hilum
- Nephrons and Vessels
- Ureters
- Bladder
- Urethra
Part 2: Microscopic Anatomy of the Kidney
- Cortex
- Nephrons
- Renal Corpuscle
- Proximal Convoluted Tubule (PCT)
- Loop of Henle
- Distal Convoluted Tubule (DCT)
- Collecting Ducts
Part 3: Physiology of Urine Formation
- Filtration, Tubular Reabsorption and Secretion
- Reabsorption and Secretion in the Proximal Convoluted Tubule
- Descending Loop
- Ascending Loop
- Reabsorption and Secretion in the Distal Convoluted Tubule
- Collecting Ducts and Recovery of Water
Part 4: Micturition Reflex
- Micturition
Part 5: Physical Characteristics of Urine
- Urinalysis
Learning Objectives
At the end of this unit, you should be able to:
I. Specify the location and describe the function(s) of each of the organs of the renal system.
II. Describe the gross anatomy of the kidney.
III. Describe the formation and composition of urine.
IV. Describe the hormonal control of urine production.
V. Describe the nervous control of micturition.
VI. Describe the physical properties and chemical composition of urine.
Learning Objectives and Guiding Questions
At the end of this unit, you should be able to complete all the following tasks, including answering the guiding questions associated with each task.
I. Specify the location and describe the function(s) of each of the organs of the renal system.
- Sketch a diagram with annotations specifying the location (using correct anatomical terms) and function (one-sentence summary for each structure) of the following structures:
- Kidneys
- Ureters
- Urinary bladder
- Urethra
II. Describe the gross anatomy of the kidney.
- Sketch a diagram of the kidneys showing its gross anatomy and blood supply. Your diagram should include all the following structures:
- Renal cortex
- Renal medulla
- Renal pelvis
- Renal artery
- Renal vein
- Describe in layman’s terms the appearance (size, shape, colour) of a human kidney.
- Describe the structure of a nephron and explain how the nephrons are arranged in the kidney.
- Use correct anatomical terms to describe the location and function (one-sentence summary for each structure) of all the following structures of/at a nephron:
- Afferent arteriole
- Proximal convoluted tubule
- Glomerulus
- Descending Loop of Henle
- Efferent arteriole
- Ascending Loop of Henle
- Peritubular capillaries
- Distal convoluted tubule
- Glomerular capsule
- Collecting duct
III. Describe the formation and composition of urine.
- Describe each of the three main processes that occur in a nephron that result in urine production from blood:
- Glomerular filtration
- Tubular reabsorption
- Tubular secretion
- Compare the composition of glomerular filtrate and urine in humans with respect to the following: glucose, proteins, salts, urea, uric acid, water.
IV. Describe the hormonal control of urine produc