Pee Values

by Greg Crowther

This song covers a simple but vital equation in kidney physiology: the rate at which a substance is excreted equals the rate at which it is filtered plus the rate at which it is secreted, minus the rate at which it is reabsorbed.

Solutes in the plasma may be lost in the urine.
(Push some solutes out; pull some solutes back!)
They're governed by a formula that's well worth learnin'.
(Push some solutes out; pull some solutes back!)
Three different processes control what you're releasin':
Filtration plus secretion minus reabsorption is excretion.
(Push some solutes out; pull some solutes back!)
(Push some solutes out; pull some back!)

• karaoke

• MP3 (demo)

• music video

• sheet music

Songs like this one can be used during class meetings and/or in homework assignments. Either way, the song will be most impactful if students DO something with it, as opposed to just listening.

An initial, simple follow-up activity could be to answer the study questions below. A more extensive interaction with the song might entail (A) learning to sing it, using an audio file and/or sheet music as a guide, and/or (B) illustrating it with pictures, bodily poses, and/or bodily movements. The latter activity could begin with students identifying the most important or most challenging content of the song, and deciding how to illustrate that particular content.

(1) The song refers to solutes in the plasma. Give three exammples of solutes in the plasma.

(2) Does secretion of a solute by the kidney increase or decrease the rate at which it is excreted?

(3) Where along the nephron do the three listed processes occur?

(4) Do the three listed processes move substances down or against their concentration gradients?

(5) Do the three listed processes use ATP?

(6) Is it possible for the excretion rate of a solute to be 0? If so, how?

(7) Considering the specific content covered by this song, is there anything important that is missing, unclear, or misleading? If so, what?