Anatomy of the urinary system

The urinary system  is a group of organs in the body concerned with filtering out excess of fluid and other substances from the bloodstream. This system keeps the chemicals and water in your body balanced.  It consists of two kidneys, which secrete the urine, the ureters, or ducts, which convey urine to the urinary bladder, where it is stored for some time; and the urethra, through which it is discharged from the body.

The kidneys are paired bean-shaped organs of purplish or brown colour. They have two surfaces, two borders, and an upper and lower extremity. There are three major regions of the kidney: the renal cortex, the renal medulla and the renal pelvis. 

The kidneys are situated in the posterior part of the abdomen, behind the peritoneum. They are covered by the renal capsule. Each kidney is about 11.25 cm in length, 5 cm in breadth, and 2.5 cm in thickness. The left kidney is longer and narrower, than the right one. The weight of the kidney in the adults varies from 170 gm to 115 gm.

There are more than 1000000 nephrons in each kidney. The nephron carries out nearly all of the kidney's functions. Its chief function is to regulate the concentration of water and soluble substances like sodium salts by filtering the blood, reabsorbing what is needed and excreting the rest as urine. The nephron eliminates waste substances from the body, regulates blood volume and blood pressure, controls levels of electrolytes and metabolites, and regulates blood pH. The inflammation of nephrons in the kidneys is called nephritis.

The ureters are two tubes which measure from 25 to 30 cm in length. They convey the urine from the kidneys to the urinary bladder. 

The urinary bladder is a triangle-shaped, hollow musculomembranous organ. It is located in the lower part of the abdomen and is held in place by ligaments that are attached to other organs and the pelvic bones. After the urine enters the bladder from the ureters, small folds in the bladder mucosa act like valves preventing backward flow of the urine. 

The urethra is a tube that connects the urinary bladder with the outside of the body. Male and female urethra differs in shape and length. Male urethra length varies from 17.5 to 20 cm; and it is divided into three portions, the prostatic, membranous, and cavernous. The female urethra is a narrow membranous canal, about 4 cm. long.

POST-TEXT ASSIGNMENTS

Exercise 6. Find corresponding definition to the words on the left.

kidney	the outer portion of the kidney containing the glomeruli and the tubules
ureter	a membranous sac in which the urine, excreted from the kidneys, is stored
urethra	each of a pair of organs in the abdominal cavity of mammals, birds, that excrete urine
urinary bladder	the duct by which urine passes from the kidney to the bladder or the cloaca
renal cortex	the duct by which urine is conveyed out of the body from the bladder

Exercise 7. Answer the questions to the text.

1. What does the urinary system consist of?

2. What form do the kidneys have?

3. Where are the kidneys situated?

4. What is the function of nephrons?

5. What is the function of the ureters?

6. Where is the urine stored before it is discharged from the body?

7. What is urethra?

8. What is the function of the urethra?

9. What conveys urine from the kidneys?

10. What is the form of the urinary bladder?

Exercise 8. Find corresponding equivalents:

1. renal pelvis 2. to eliminate waste substances 3. kidneys and urinary bladder 4. renal medulla 5. ureter and urethra 6. a thick-walled narrow cylindrical tube 7. to discharge urine 8. soluble substances 9. to prevent backward flow of the urine 10. to be situated behind the peritoneum

сечовід та сечовипускальний канал розчинні речовини мозкова речовина нирки виводи продукти відходів життєдіяльності перешкоджати зворотному відтоку сечі розташуватися за очеревиною ниркова миска товстостінна вузька циліндрична трубка нирки та сечовий міхур переносити сечу

Exercise 9. Agree of contradict the following statements.

1. Urine is stored in the urethra before discharging from the body.

2. A nephron regulates the concentration of water and soluble substances.

3. The urinary bladder is a hollow bean-shaped organ, which discharges urine from the body.

4. The ureters convey the urine from the kidneys to the urinary bladder.

5. Kidney is a musculomembranous sac which stores the urine before eliminating it from the body.

6. The urine is discharged from the body through the ureters.

7. Urethra is a tube that connects the kidney and the urinary bladder.

8. The main function of the ureters is to regulate the concentration of water and soluble substances.

Exercise 10. Translate words given in italics.

1. The urine is stored in сечовий міхур.

2. There are 2 нирки in the human being.

3. Сечовід виводить urine from the kidneys.

4. All urine is виділяється from the body by сечовипускальний канал.

5. These organs are situated in the posterior part of черевної порожнини.

6. Ниркова миска is the hollow funnel, into which urine is discharged before entering the ureter.

7. A renal stone is a solid piece of material that forms in the kidney from substances in the сечі.

8. Nephrons виводять продукти відходів from the body.

Exercise 11.Find synonyms to the words in italics in the text (sometimes more than 1 word is possible):

To keep the urine in the bladder, to remove urine from the body, to carry urine out of the body, these organs are placed behind the peritoneum, substances that can be dissolved, absorb substances again, inflammation of nephrons, unwanted (unnecessary) materials, a mucous membrane.

Exercise 12. Fill in prepositions from the box below where necessary:

for by away into out of in around of to due to into

Most urinary infections are … … bacteria that come from your own intestines. Some bacteria lie …… your anus after you pass a stool. These bacteria can sometimes travel …. your urethra and …. your bladder. Some bacteria penetrate ….. the urine and multiply quickly to cause infection.

Cystitis means inflammation ….. the bladder. It is usually caused …….. a urinary infection. Typical symptoms are pain when urine is conveyed ….. ….. the body, blood in your urine and a fever.

Your immune system can often clear the infection. Without antibiotics, cystitis (particularly mild cases), may go ….. on its own …. a few days. However, symptoms can sometimes last ….. a week or so if you do not take antibiotics.