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This illustration demonstrates the normal kidney physiology, including the Proximal Convoluted Tubule (PCT), Loop of Henle, and Distal Convoluted Tubule (DCT). It also includes illustrations showing where some types of diuretics act, and what they do. Renal physiology (Latin renes, "kidneys") is the study of the physiology of the kidney.
Nephrin is a zipper-like protein that forms the slit diaphragm, with spaces between the teeth of the zipper big enough to allow sugar and water through but too small to allow proteins through. Nephrin defects are responsible for congenital kidney failure. CD2AP regulates the podocyte cytoskeleton and stabilizes the slit diaphragm. [4] [5]
The kidney has many functions, which a well-functioning kidney realizes by filtering blood in a process known as glomerular filtration. A major measure of kidney function is the glomerular filtration rate (GFR). The glomerular filtration rate is the flow rate of filtered fluid through the kidney.
The filtration fraction is the amount of plasma that is actually filtered through the kidney. This can be defined using the equation. The kidney is a very complex organ and mathematical modelling has been used to better understand kidney function at several scales, including fluid uptake and secretion. [35] [36]
Blood flows into these capillaries through the afferent arterioles and leaves through the efferent arterioles. The high hydrostatic pressure forces small molecules in the tubular fluid such as water , glucose , amino acids , sodium chloride and urea through the filter, from the blood in the glomerular capsule across the basement membrane of the ...
The glomerulus (pl.: glomeruli) is a network of small blood vessels (capillaries) known as a tuft, located at the beginning of a nephron in the kidney. Each of the two kidneys contains about one million nephrons. The tuft is structurally supported by the mesangium (the space between the blood vessels), composed of intraglomerular mesangial cells.
In mammals, the kidneys are usually bean-shaped [58] and located retroperitoneally [59] on the dorsal (posterior) wall of the body. [60] The outer layer of each kidney is made up of a fibrous sheath called the renal capsule. The peripheral layer of the kidney is called the cortex and the inner part is called the medulla. The medulla consists of ...
The concave part of the bean-shaped kidneys is called the renal hilum, through which the renal artery and nerves enter the kidney. The renal vein, collecting lymphatic vessels and ureter exit the kidney through the renal hilum. [6] [55] The kidneys are located retroperitoneally [6] on the back wall of the body of mammals. [7]