Summary of Filed Health Plans & Rate Levels as of 10/31/14. The Health Insurance Reform Information Center is a forum for information on the recent national health insurance reform and its effects on Illinois. The Department will post fact sheets, legislation, and other useful material as it becomes available. Please check back routinely for updates.
The internal structure of the kidney is divided into two main areas... a light outer area called the renal cortex, and a darker inner area called the renal medulla. Within the medulla there are eight (8) or more cone-shaped sections known as renal pyramids.
Structure and Function of the Kidneys: Overview. The kidneys have three basic mechanisms for separating the various components of the blood: filtration, reabsorption, and secretion. These three processes occur in the nephron (Figure 2), which is the most basic functional unit of the kidney. Each kidney contains approximately one million of these functional units.