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nephron |
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nephron: see urinary system urinary system, group of organs of the body concerned with excretion of urine, that is, water and the waste products of metabolism. In humans, the kidneys are two small organs situated near the vertebral column at the small of the back, the left lying somewhat higher ..... Click the link for more information. . nephronFunctional unit of the kidney that removes waste and excess substances from the blood to produce urine. Each of the million or so nephrons in each kidney is a tubule 1.2–2.2 in. (30–55 mm) long. At one end it is closed, expanded, and folded into a double-walled cuplike structure (Bowman's capsule) enclosing a cluster of capillaries (glomerulus). Fluid forced out of the blood through the capillary walls of the glomerulus into Bowman's capsule flows into the adjacent renal tubule, where water and nutrients are selectively reabsorbed from the fluid back into the blood, and electrolytes such as sodium and potassium are balanced in several distinct sections along its length. The final concentrated product is urine. See also urinary system. nephron [′nef‚rän] (anatomy) The functional unit of a kidney, consisting of the glomerulus with its capsule and attached uriniferous tubule. How to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us, add a link to this page, add the site to iGoogle, or visit webmaster's page for free fun content. |
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Kidneys lose nephrons over the years, and in this experiment, only organs with a good supply of nephrons were removed and transplanted. This filtration occurs in more than 1 million nephrons, each of which contains a blood capillary (the glomerulus) intertwined with a urine-collecting tubule. 26) During stage I, hyperfiltration occurs and the glomerular filtration rate (GFR) increases as healthy individual nephrons attempt to compensate for the damaged nephrons. |
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