HN220 Lecture Notes - Lecture 10: Distal Convoluted Tubule, Renal Corpuscle, Renal Artery
Document Summary
Overall the function of the urinary system is regulation of plasma volume, ionic concentration, and by default osmolarity, ph levels, and is important in the removal of metabolic waste products and foreign substances from plasma as well. The regulation and removal of various substances is done through the renal exchange process this includes: glomerular filtration, reabsorption, secretion, excretion and clearance. The urinary system is composed of two kidneys, two ureters, urinary bladder and the urethra. Blood is supplied through the renal arteries and veins. Each kidney has the macroscopic structures of pyramids, papillae, minor and major calyces, renal pelvis. At a microscopic level, the functional unit of the kidney is a nephron. There are two different types of nephrons within the kidney, cortical nephrons that are all contained within the cortex, or juxtamedullary nephrons, which have their corpsule on the edge of the cortex and the rest is in the medulla.
