nephron

Thân thiện

A student studies a diagram of a nephron in a biology textbook.

Definition

Noun: 1. The functional microscopic unit of the vertebrate kidney: A nephron is one of the numerous, tiny, tubular structures within the kidney that filter blood, reabsorb necessary substances, and excrete waste products as urine. It is the fundamental structural and functional unit responsible for urine formation.

Examples of Usage

• Noun:
  • Each human kidney contains approximately one million nephrons.
  • The primary function of the nephron is to regulate the concentration of water and soluble substances in the blood.
  • Damage to the nephrons can lead to impaired kidney function.

Advanced Usage

• "Nephron loss": Refers to the irreversible damage or destruction of nephrons, often due to chronic kidney disease.
  • Progressive nephron loss is a hallmark of diabetic nephropathy.
• "Nephron-sparing surgery": A surgical technique aimed at removing a kidney tumor while preserving as much healthy kidney tissue and as many nephrons as possible.
  • The patient was a candidate for nephron-sparing surgery.

Variants and Related Words

• Nephrology (n): The branch of medicine that deals with the physiology and diseases of the kidneys.
• Nephritic (adj): Relating to or affected with nephritis (inflammation of the kidneys).
• Nephronophthisis (n): A genetic disorder characterized by inflammation and scarring that leads to progressive nephron damage.

Synonyms

• Kidney tubule: A more general term for the tiny tubes in the kidney, of which the nephron is the complete functional unit.
• Renal unit: A descriptive synonym emphasizing the nephron's role as a functional component of the kidney (from Latin , meaning kidneys).

Related Terms (Not Phrasal Verbs)

• Glomerulus: The network of capillaries at the beginning of a nephron where blood filtration starts.
• Renal corpuscle: The initial, filtering component of a nephron, consisting of the glomerulus and Bowman's capsule.
• Loop of Henle: A U-shaped segment of the nephron crucial for concentrating urine.

Học thuật

Noun

1. any of the small tubules that are the excretory units of the vertebrate kidney

Từ đồng nghĩa

• uriniferous tubule