Hello everyone! Below, you’ll find an attached image of my Activity 6 – The Urinary System.

Urinary System:
The organs essential for the generation, storing, and excretion of urine make up the urinary system, commonly referred to as the renal system. The kidneys, which are positioned beneath the rib cage on either side of the spine, function as complex filters, drawing waste and surplus materials out of the blood to produce urine. Urine is transported by ureters, which are tiny tubes that join the kidneys and bladder during peristaltic contractions. Urine is stored in the bladder, a muscular sac located in the pelvic, until it is released from the body through the urethra while urinating. When a man ejaculates, the urethra also acts as a passageway for semen. The urinary system is essential to general body homeostasis and health because, in addition to eliminating waste, it also produces hormones like erythropoietin and renin and regulates blood pressure and water-electrolyte balance.

1. Frog Kidney Section: Similar to human kidneys, frog kidneys filter waste from the blood and control the balance of water and electrolytes. Nephrons, the functional units of the kidney made up of a renal tubule and renal corpuscle, are visible in a section of the frog kidney. Blood is filtered by the renal corpuscle to create a filtrate, which is then modified by the renal tubule through secretion and reabsorption to create urine. Blood arteries and the connective tissue that supports the nephrons would also be visible in the kidney portion.

2. Human Ureter Cross-Section (c.s.): Urine is transferred from the kidneys to the bladder by ureters, which are tiny tubes. Similar tissue layers to those found in other urinary system sections can be seen in a cross-section of a human ureter. Transitional epithelium in the mucosa permits stretching when urine goes through. The muscularis layer, which lies below the mucosa, is made up of smooth muscle fibers that are layered longitudinally and circularly to aid in peristaltic contractions, which force urine into the bladder. The adventitia, which is made of connective tissue and offers structural support, encircles the muscularis.

3. Ureter Mammal Section: Mammals, including humans, have ureters that perform the same purpose as previously mentioned. The histological characteristics of the mammalian ureter, such as the smooth muscle layers, connective tissue, and transitional epithelium, would resemble those of the human ureter cross-section. Urine can be easily transported from the kidneys to the bladder thanks to the ureter’s shape.

4. Urinary Bladder: The muscular sac in the pelvis known as the urinary bladder holds pee until it is released from the body through the urethra when a person urinates. The bladder wall is composed of multiple layers, which are identified histologically as the mucosa, submucosa, muscularis, adventitia, and serosa. The bladder can expand when it fills with pee because the mucosa contains transitional epithelium. Smooth muscle fibers are layered in a circular and longitudinal pattern in the muscularis layer, which makes it easier to contract the bladder and release pee. Connective tissue enveloping these layers gives the bladder stability and anchoring inside the pelvic cavity.

REFERENCES:

Anatomy of the urinary system. (2023, November 29). Johns Hopkins Medicine. Retrieved May 29, 2024, from https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/anatomy-of-the-urinary-system#:~:text=The%20urinary%20system's%20function%20is,and%20converts%20them%20to%20energy.

Professional, C. C. M. (n.d.-a). Bladder. Cleveland Clinic. Retrieved May 29, 2024, from https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/body/25010-bladder

The Healthline Editorial Team. (2018, January 20). Ureter. Healthline. Retrieved May 29, 2024, from https://www.healthline.com/human-body-maps/ureter#1

Virtual Microscope – Frog Kidney. (n.d.). Retrieved May 29, 2024, from http://vml.cad.rit.edu/microscopes/frogkidney.html