The Urinary System

Mr. Diaz
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 Aim: Ss make questions and answers about the urinary system in an acceptable
way respecting peer participation.

THE URINARY SYSTEM

Urine

The first nitrogenous waste to be

formed from the breakdown of
protein is ammonia, a highly toxic
chemical that is quickly converted
by the liver to urea and uric acid.
These are less toxic than ammonia
and are transported in the blood to
the kidneys for excretion in urine.
Urine consists of excess water,
excess salt, urea and uric acid.

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 Parts of the Urinary System

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 Renal Arteries
Two renal arteries constantly
transport blood to the kidneys.
Renal Veins
Two renal veins return useful
nutrients back into the bloodstream.
Ureters
Two ureters carry urine from the kidneys
to the urinary bladder.

Urinary Bladder
The urinary bladder temporarily stores
urine until it is released from the body.
Urethra
The urethra is the tube that carries
urine from the urinary bladder to the
outside of the body. The outer end of
the urethra is controlled by a circular
muscle called a sphincter.

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 Kidneys
The human kidneys are the major organs of bodily excretion (see
the figure) They are bean-shaped organs located on either side of
the backbone at about the level of the stomach and liver. Blood
always enters the kidneys through renal arteries and leaves through
renal veins. Tubes called ureters carry waste products from the
kidneys to the urinary bladder for storage or for release.

Details of the human

excretory system.
Position and allied
structures of the
kidneys (top). A cross
section of the kidney
showing the two
major portions (left).
Details of the
nephron, the
functional unit of the
kidney (right).

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 The product of the kidneys is urine, a watery solution of waste
products, salts, organic compounds, and two important nitrogen
compounds: uric acid and urea. Uric acid results from nucleic acid
decomposition, and urea results from amino acid breakdown in the
liver. Both of these nitrogen products can be poisonous to the body
and must be removed in the urine.
Nephron
The functional and structural unit of the
kidney is the nephron. The nephron
produces urine and is the primary unit of
homeostasis in the body. It is essentially
a long tubule with a series of associated
blood vessels. The upper end of the
tubule is an enlarged cuplike structure
called the Bowman's capsule. Below the
Bowman's capsule, the tubule coils to
form the proximal tubule, and then it
follows a hairpin turn called the loop of
Henle. After the loop of Henle, the tubule
coils once more as the distal tubule. It
then enters a collecting duct, which also
receives urine from other distal tubules.

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 Within the Bowman's capsule is a coiled ball of
capillaries known as a glomerulus. Blood from the
renal artery enters the glomerulus. The force of the
blood pressure induces plasma to pass through the
walls of the glomerulus, pass through the walls of the
Bowman's capsule, and flow into the proximal tubule.
Red blood cells and large proteins remain in the blood.

After plasma enters the proximal tubule, it passes

through the coils, where usable materials and
water are reclaimed. Salts, glucose, amino acids,
and other useful compounds flow back through
tubular cells into the blood by active transport.
Osmosis and the activity of hormones assist the
movement. The blood fluid then flows through the
loop of Henle into the distal tubule. Once more,
salts, water, and other useful materials flow back
into the bloodstream. Homeostasis is achieved by
this process: A selected amount of hydrogen,
ammonium, sodium, chloride, and other ions
maintain the delicate salt balance in the body.

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 The fluid moving from the distal tubules into the collecting duct
contains materials not needed by the body. This fluid is referred to as
urine. Urea, uric acid, salts, and other metabolic waste products are the
main components of urine. The urine flows through the ureters toward
the urinary bladder. When the bladder is full, the urine flows through
the urethra to the exterior.

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 Mr. Diaz

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