What is the microscopic unit of the kidney?
What is the microscopic unit of the kidney?
nephron, functional unit of the kidney, the structure that actually produces urine in the process of removing waste and excess substances from the blood. There are about 1,000,000 nephrons in each human kidney.
How do you find the renal cortex?
The glomerulus shrinks during tissue processing, leaving a thin white space between it and the outer wall of the capsule. This white space makes the renal corpuscles easy to find. They make good landmarks for identifying renal cortex, because that is the only place they are found.
Can you see a nephron with a naked eye?
The renal structures that conduct the essential work of the kidney cannot be seen by the naked eye. Only a light or electron microscope can reveal these structures.
Why does the renal cortex have a granular appearance?
The renal cortex is granular due to the presence of nephrons—the functional unit of the kidney. The medulla consists of multiple pyramidal tissue masses, called the renal pyramids. In between the pyramids are spaces called renal columns through which the blood vessels pass.
How can you distinguish between the renal cortex and the renal medulla under the microscope?
The renal medulla, the region internal to the cortex that contains parallel tubules (nephron loops, collecting tubules and collecting ducts) and blood vessels, their shape on your slide depending on how they’re sectioned. The absence of renal corpuscles distinguishes the medulla.
What is a renal cortex?
The renal cortex is the outer part of the kidney. It contains the glomerulus and convoluted tubules. The renal cortex is surrounded on its outer edges by the renal capsule, a layer of fatty tissue. Together, the renal cortex and capsule house and protect the inner structures of the kidney.
What is found in renal cortex?
The cortex contains the renal corpuscle, proximal, and distal convoluted tubules. The medulla and medullary rays contain the loops of Henle and collecting ducts.
Are kidneys bean shaped?
The kidneys are two bean-shaped organs, each about the size of a fist. They are located just below the rib cage, one on each side of your spine. Healthy kidneys filter about a half cup of blood every minute, removing wastes and extra water to make urine.
What are vasa recta?
The vasa recta, the capillary networks that supply blood to the medulla, are highly permeable to solute and water. As with the loop of Henle, the vasa recta form a parallel set of hairpin loops within the medulla (see Chapter 2).
What is the appearance of the renal cortex and what account for such appearance?
The renal cortex is the outer layer of the kidney tissue. It is darker than its underlying renal medulla because it receives over 90% of the kidney blood supply. The cortex has a grainy appearance, as it mostly contains ovoid and coiled parts of the nephrons (renal corpuscles and convoluted tubules).