Editing Nephron (section)

=== Difference in Length of Nephrons===
'''Cortical nephrons''' (the majority of nephrons) start high in the cortex and have a short loop of Henle which does not penetrate deeply into the medulla. Cortical nephrons can be subdivided into ''superficial cortical nephrons'' and ''midcortical nephrons''.<ref>{{cite book| title= Essentials of Human Physiology| vauthors = Nosek TM | chapter=Section 7/7ch03/7ch03p16 |chapter-url=http://humanphysiology.tuars.com/program/section7/7ch03/7ch03p16.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160324124828/http://humanphysiology.tuars.com/program/section7/7ch03/7ch03p16.htm|archive-date=2016-03-24}}</ref>

{{anchor|Juxtamedullary nephron}}
'''Juxtamedullary nephrons'''{{explain|reason=Juxtamedullary nephron redirects here, and nothing says what it is|date=August 2022}} start low in the cortex near the medulla and have a long loop of Henle which penetrates deeply into the renal medulla: only they have their loop of Henle surrounded by the [[Straight arterioles of kidney|vasa recta]]. These long loops of Henle and their associated vasa recta create a hyperosmolar gradient that allows for the generation of concentrated [[urine]].<ref>{{cite book | vauthors = Jameson JL, Loscalzo J |title=Harrison's Nephrology and Acid-Base Disorders|publisher=McGraw-Hill Professional|year=2010|isbn=978-0-07-166339-7|page=3|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yoeXSV8O2wUC&pg=PA3}}</ref> Also the hairpin bend penetrates up to the inner zone of medulla.<ref>{{cite web|title=Regulation of Urine Concentration |url=http://www.cliffsnotes.com/study_guide/Regulation-of-Urine-Concentration.topicArticleId-277792,articleId-277776.html |work=Anatomy & Physiology |publisher=CliffsNotes |access-date=27 November 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121025033759/http://www.cliffsnotes.com/study_guide/Regulation-of-Urine-Concentration.topicArticleId-277792%2CarticleId-277776.html |archive-date=25 October 2012 }}</ref>

Juxtamedullary nephrons are found only in birds and mammals, and have a specific location: ''medullary'' refers to the [[renal medulla]], while ''juxta'' (Latin: near) refers to the relative position of the [[renal corpuscle]] of this nephron  - ''near the medulla'', but still in the cortex.  In other words, a ''juxtamedullary nephron'' is a nephron whose renal corpuscle is near the medulla, and whose [[proximal convoluted tubule]] and its associated [[loop of Henle]] occur deeper in the medulla than the other type of nephron, the [[cortical nephron]].

The juxtamedullary nephrons comprise only about 15% of the nephrons in the human kidney.<ref name="lote" />{{rp|24}} However, it is this type of nephron which is most often depicted in illustrations of nephrons.

In humans, cortical nephrons have their renal corpuscles in the outer two thirds of the cortex, whereas juxtamedullary nephrons have their corpuscles in the inner third of the cortex.<ref name="lote" />{{rp|24}}