3.4 Key Terms HBS

glomerulus

a ball of capillaries surrounded by the Bowman's capsule in the nephron and serving as the site of filtration in the vertebrate kidney

ureter

a duct leading from the kidney to the urinary bladder

aldosterone

a mineralcortocoid produced by the adrenal cortex that promotes sodium and water reabsorption by the kidneys and potassium excretion in urine

urethra

a tube that releases urine from the body near the vagina in females or through the penis in males; also serves in males as the exit tube for the reproductive system

urinalysis

chemical analysis of urine

antidiuretic hormone (ADH)

hormone produced by the neurosecretory cells in the hypothalamus that stimulates water reabsorption from kidney tubule cells into the blood and vasoconstriction of arterioles

adrenal glands

hormone producing glands located superior to the kidneys; each consists of a medulla and a cortex

filtration

in the vertebrae kidney, the extraction of water and small solutes, including metabolic wastes, from the blood by the nephrons

kidney

one of a pair of vertebrate organs situated in the body cavity near the spinal column that excrete waste products of metabolism, in humans are bean-shaped and about 4 1/2 inches long lying behind the peritoneum in a mass of fatty tissue, and consist of nephrons by which urine is secreted, collected, and discharged into the pelvis of the kidney whence it is conveyed by the ureter to the bladder

excretion

the disposal of nitrogen-containing waste products of metabolism

glomerular filtration

the first step in urine formation in which substances in blood pass through the filtration membrane and the filtrate enters the proximal convoluted tubule of the nephron

urinary system

the organs of the urinary tract comprising the kidneys, ureters, urinary bladder, and the urethra

urinary bladder

the pouch where urine is stored prior to elimination

nephron

the tubular excretory unit of the vertebrate kidney

urine

waste material that is secreted by the kidney, is rich in end products ( as urea, uric acid, and creatinine) of protein metabolism together with salts, pigments, and forms of clear amber and usually slightly acidic fluid