Page 199 - 84 human physiolofy part-1

The Urinary System

Glossary

Antidiuretic: lessening or decreasing of urine production or an agent that decreases the release of
urine.

Catheterisation: a catheter is a tube that can be inserted into a body cavity, duct or vessel.
Catheters thereby allow drainage or injection of fluids or access by surgical instruments. The process of
inserting a catheter is catheterisation. In most uses a catheter is a thin, flexible tube: a "soft" catheter; in
some uses, it is a larger, solid tube: a "hard" catheter.

Dehydration: condition resulting from excessive loss of body fluid.

Diabetes: a general term for a disease characterized by the begining stages and onset of renal
failure. It is derived from the Greek word diabaínein, that literally means "passing through," or
"siphon", a reference to one of diabetes' major symptoms—excessive urine production.

Diuresis: secretion and passage of large amounts of urine.

Diuretic: increasing of urine production, or an agent that increases the production of urine.

Erythropoietin: hormone that stimulates stem cells in the bone marrow to produce red blood cells

Fibrous Capsule: the kidney's loose connective tissue

Glomerulus: capillary tuft that receives its blood supply from an afferent arteriole of the renal
circulation.

Gluconeogenesis: the cycle of producing a glucose form fat or protein; preformed by the kidney in
times of long fasting, initially gluconeogenesis is preformed by the liver

Juxtaglomerular (JG) cells: Renin-secreting cells that are in contact with the macula densa and
the afferent arterioles of the renal nephron.

Juxtaglomerular apparatus (JGA): A site of juxtaglomerular cells connecting with the macula
densa where renin is secreted and sensor for control of secretion of golmerular filtration rate.

Loop of Henle/ Nephron Loop: u-shaped tube that consists of a descending limb and ascending
limb; primary role is to concentrate the salt in the interstitium, the tissue surrounding the loop

Medullary Pyramids or Renal Pyramids: the cone shaped masses in the kidney

Micturition: another name for excretions

Nephron: basic structural and functional unit of the kidney; chief function is to regulate water and
soluble substances by filtering the blood, reabsorbing what is needed and excreting the rest as urine

Podocytes: filtration membrane, in the visceral layer of the bowman's capsule

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