Question

Glomeruli are confined to
(a) Cortex
(b) Medulla
(c) Pelvis
(d) Pyramid

Answer 1

Hint: Glomeruli are the tuft of capillaries formed by the branching of efferent arterioles which is a fine branch of the renal artery. It lies between the renal capsule and renal medulla, which consists of a space that contains several blood vessels and gets connected to nephrons.

Complete answer:
Kidneys are the bean-shaped excretory organs made up of two zones, an inner medulla, and an outer cortex.
Nephrons consist of two parts, glomerulus and renal tubules, and is known as the structural and functional unit of the kidney. The glomerulus is a tuft of small blood vessels that are known as capillaries located within the bowman’s capsule of the kidney.
Blood enters through the capillaries of the glomerulus by efferent arteriole and exits into efferent arterioles.
The cortex is the outer zone of the kidney which is continuous, smooth with cortical columns that reach down between the pyramids. It contains the renal corpuscle and the tubules except for the loop of Henle which goes down into the renal medulla. It also contains cortical collecting ducts and blood vessels along with the glomerulus.

Additional Information: -Since, the cortex contains glomerulus it also aids in ultra-filtration.
-Enzyme Erythropoietin which helps in the production of red blood cells is produced by the renal cortex.
-Glomerular filtration is the first step in urine formation and is carried out by glomerulus. The epithelial cells of bowman’s capsule called podocytes are arranged in such a way that they form filtration slits or slit pores.
-On average, 1100 to 1200mL of blood is filtered by the kidneys per minute.
There are two kinds of nephrons- Cortical and Juxtamedullary nephrons
-Cortical nephrons: In the majority of the nephrons, the loop of Henle is too short and extends only very little into the medulla. Such nephrons are called cortical nephrons.
-Juxtamedullary nephrons: The loop of Henle is extremely long and runs deep into the medulla.
So, the correct answer is, “Cortex”

Note: -Glomerulus along with the bowman’s capsule is called the Malpighian body or renal corpuscle.
- The Malpighian body, PCT, DCT, or nephrons are situated within the cortical area of the kidney whereas the loop of Henle dips into the medulla.
-Collecting ducts enter the medulla and forms the ducts of Bellini.
-The blood is filtered so finally through the layers of the bowman’s capsule, that almost all constituents of plasma except the protein pass into the loop of the bowman’s capsule. Therefore, it is known as ultra-filtration.