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Vertebrate trachea
Conducting passages.
Laryngoscopic view of interior of larynx. (Trachea labeled at bottom.)
Gray's	subject #237 1084
Artery	tracheal branches of inferior thyroid artery
Vein	brachiocephalic vein, azygos vein accessory hemiazygos vein
MeSH	Trachea

In tetrapod anatomy the trachea, or windpipe, is a tube that connects the pharynx or larynx to the lungs, allowing the passage of air. It is lined with pseudostratified ciliated columnar epithelium cells with goblet cells that produce mucus. This mucus lines the cells of the trachea to trap inhaled foreign particles that the cilia then waft upward toward the larynx and then the pharynx where it can be either swallowed into the stomach or expelled as phlegm.

Despite the name, not all vertebrates have a trachea; only non-fish ones. The name is used in contrast with invertebrate trachea, a structure in arthropod anatomy.

In non-humans[link]

Allowing for variations in the length of the neck, the trachea in other mammals is, in general, similar to that in humans. In general, the reptilian trachea is also similar.^[1]

In birds, the trachea runs from the pharynx to the syrinx, from which the primary bronchi diverge. Swans have an unusually elongated trachea, part of which is coiled beneath the sternum; this may act as a resonator to amplify sound. In some birds, the cartilagenous rings are complete, and may even be ossified.^[1]

In amphibians, the trachea is normally extremely short, and leads directly into the lungs, without clear primary bronchi. A longer trachea is, however, found in some long-necked salamanders, and in caecilians. While there are irregular cartilagenous nodules on the amphibian trachea, these do not form the rings found in amniotes.^[1]

The only vertebrate to have lungs, but no trachea, is Polypterus, in which the lungs arise directly from the pharynx.^[1]

In humans[link]

Trachea

In humans, the trachea passes ventrally to the esophagus, dorsally to the ascending aortic arch, but the left main bronchus that the trachea gives off passes ventrally to the descending aortic arch.

The trachea has an inner diameter of about 25.4 millimetres (1.00 in) and a length of about 10 to 16 centimetres (3.9 to 6.3 in). It commences at the lower border of the larynx, level with the sixth cervical vertebra, and bifurcates into the primary bronchi at the vertebral level of thoracic vertebra T5, or up to two vertebrae lower or higher, depending on breathing.

There are about fifteen to twenty incomplete C-shaped cartilaginous rings that reinforce the anterior and lateral sides of the trachea to protect and maintain the airway, leaving a membranous wall (pars membranacea) dorsally without cartilage. The trachealis muscle connects the ends of the incomplete rings and contracts during coughing, reducing the size of the lumen of the trachea to increase the air flow rate. The esophagus lies posteriorly to the trachea. The cartilaginous rings are incomplete to allow the trachea to collapse slightly so that food can pass down the esophagus. A flap-like epiglottis closes the opening to the larynx during swallowing to prevent swallowed matter from entering the trachea. Lined with respiratory epithelium.

Tracheal diseases and conditions[link]

The following are diseases and conditions that affect the trachea:

• Choking
• Tracheotomy, a surgical procedure on the neck to open a direct airway through an incision in the trachea
• Tracheomalacia (weakening of the tracheal cartilage)
  • Tracheal collapse (in dogs)
• Tracheobronchial injury (perforation of the trachea or bronchi)
• Mounier-Kuhn syndrome (causes abnormal enlargement of the trachea)

Transplantation[link]

In 2008, a Colombian woman received a trachea transplant using her own stem cells so her body would not reject the transplant.^[2] In June 2011, a team of surgeons led by Professor Paolo Macchiarini at the Karolinska University Hospital performed the first synthetic windpipe transplant on a 36-year-old Eritrean man, Andemariam Teklesenbet Beyene.^[3][4]

Additional images[link]

• 

  Trachea.

• 

  Section of the neck at about the level of the sixth cervical vertebra.

• 

  Front view of heart and lungs.

• 

  The tracheobronchial lymph glands.

• 

  Ligaments of the larynx. Posterior view.

• 

  Coronal section of larynx and upper part of trachea.

• 

  Muscles of larynx. Posterior view.

• 

  Muscles of larynx. Side view. Right lamina of thyroid cartilage removed.

• 

  Transverse section of trachea.

• 

  Sagittal section of nose mouth, pharynx, and larynx.

• 

  The position and relation of the esophagus in the cervical region and in the posterior mediastinum. Seen from behind.

• 

  Thyroid

• 

  Respiratory system

• Trachea.JPG

  Microscopic cross section of human trachea.

• 

  Vertebrate trachea

• 

  Trachea

• 

  Trachea

• 

  trachea

See also[link]

• Invertebrate trachea

References[link]

Patrick Swayze
Swayze greeting fans after Guys and Dolls in 2006
Born	Patrick Wayne Swayze (1952-08-18)August 18, 1952 Houston, Texas, U.S.
Died	September 14, 2009(2009-09-14) (aged 57)[1] Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Cause of death	Pancreatic cancer
Nationality	American
Occupation	Actor, dancer, singer-songwriter
Years active	1978–2009
Spouse	Lisa Niemi (m. 1975–2009, his death)
Relatives	Don Swayze (brother)

Patrick Wayne Swayze ( /ˈsweɪziː/; August 18, 1952 – September 14, 2009)^[1] was an American actor, dancer and singer-songwriter. He was best known for his tough-guy roles, as romantic leading men in the hit films Dirty Dancing and Ghost, and as Orry Main in the North and South television miniseries. He was named by People magazine as its "Sexiest Man Alive" in 1991. His film and TV career spanned 30 years.

Diagnosed with Stage IV pancreatic cancer in January 2008, Swayze told Barbara Walters a year later that he was "kicking it".^[2] However, he died from the disease on September 14, 2009.^[3] His last role was the lead in an ill-fated A&E TV series, The Beast, which premiered on January 15, 2009. Due to a prolonged decline in health, Swayze was unable to promote the series. On June 15, 2009, Entertainment Tonight announced the show's cancellation.^[4]

Early life[link]

Patrick Swayze was born on August 18, 1952, in Houston, Texas, the second child of Patsy Yvonne Helen (née Karnes; born 1927), a choreographer, dance instructor, and dancer, and Jesse Wayne Swayze (1925–1982), an engineering draftsman.^[5][6][7] He had two younger brothers, actor Don Swayze (born 1958) and Sean Kyle (born 1962), and two sisters, Vickie Lynn (1949–1994) and Bambi.^[5][8] He was a sixth cousin once removed of news commentator John Cameron Swayze, and a relative of noted Texas Revolution soldier Henry Karnes.^[9] Swayze was raised Roman Catholic.^[10]

Until the age of twenty, Swayze lived in the Oak Forest neighborhood of Houston, where he attended St. Rose of Lima Catholic School,^[11] Oak Forest Elementary School,^[12] Black Middle School,^[12][13] and Waltrip High School.^[12] During this time, he also pursued multiple artistic and athletic skills, such as ice skating, classical ballet, and acting in school plays. He played football for his high school and was hoping to receive a football scholarship for college until a knee injury ended his career. He studied gymnastics at nearby San Jacinto College for two years.^{[citation needed]}

In 1972, he moved to New York City to complete his formal dance training at the Harkness Ballet and Joffrey ballet schools.

Career[link]

Swayze's first professional appearance was as a dancer for Disney on Parade. He then starred as a replacement playing the role of Danny Zuko in the long-running Broadway production of Grease^[14] before his debut film role as "Ace" in Skatetown, U.S.A.. He appeared as Pvt. Sturgis in the M*A*S*H episode "Blood Brothers"^[15] and had a brief stint in 1982 on a short lived TV series The Renegades^[16] playing a gang leader named Bandit. Swayze became known to the film industry after appearing in The Outsiders as the older brother of C. Thomas Howell and Rob Lowe. Swayze, Howell, and Howell's friend Darren Dalton reunited in Red Dawn the next year, and Lowe and Swayze reunited in Youngblood. He was considered a member of the Brat Pack.^[17] His first major success was in the 1985 television miniseries North and South, which was set during the American Civil War.^[18]

Swayze and Paula Abdul at the 1990 Grammy Awards

Swayze's breakthrough role came with his performance as dance instructor Johnny Castle in the 1987 film Dirty Dancing, alongside his Red Dawn co-star, Jennifer Grey. Dirty Dancing, a coming of age story, was a low-budget film that was intended to be shown in theaters for one weekend only and then go straight to video, but it became a surprise hit and achieved massive international success. It was the first film to sell one million copies on video, and as of 2009, it earned over $214 million worldwide and spawned several alternative versions, ranging from a television series to stage productions to a computer game. Swayze received a Golden Globe Award nomination for the role and also sang one of the songs on the soundtrack, "She's Like the Wind", which he had originally co-written with Stacy Widelitz for the film Grandview, U.S.A. The song became a top ten hit and has been covered by other artists.

After Dirty Dancing, Swayze found himself typecast and appeared in several flops, of which Road House was the most successful. His biggest hit came in 1990, when he starred in Ghost, with Demi Moore and Whoopi Goldberg.^[19] In 1991, he starred alongside Youngblood cast mate Keanu Reeves in another major action hit, Point Break, and was also chosen by People magazine as that year's "Sexiest Man Alive".

Swayze was seriously injured in 1998 while filming HBO's Letters from a Killer near Ione, California when he fell from a horse and hit a tree. Both of his legs were broken and he suffered four detached tendons in his shoulder. Filming was suspended for two months, but the film aired in 1999. Swayze recovered from his injuries, but he had trouble resuming his career until 2000, when he co-starred in Waking Up in Reno, with Billy Bob Thornton and Charlize Theron, and in Forever Lulu, with Melanie Griffith.

In 2001, he appeared in the cult classic Donnie Darko, where he played a famous motivational speaker revealed to be a closet pedophile, and in 2004, he played Allan Quartermain in King Solomon's Mines. He also had a cameo appearance in the Dirty Dancing sequel, Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights as an unnamed dance instructor.

Swayze made his West End theatre début in the musical Guys and Dolls as Nathan Detroit on July 27, 2006,^[20][21][22] alongside Neil Jerzak, and remained in the role until November 25, 2006. His previous appearances on the Broadway stage had included productions of Goodtime Charley (1975)^[23] and Chicago.

Swayze also provided the voice for Cash the country music band dog in The Fox and the Hound 2 and in 2007 starred in the film Christmas in Wonderland. Swayze played an aging rock star in Powder Blue, co-starring his younger brother Don in their first film together. Swayze starred in the A&E FBI drama The Beast,^[24] filmed in Chicago, as FBI Agent Charles Barker.^[25]

Personal life[link]

Swayze and his wife, Lisa Niemi, arrive at the 1989 Academy Awards ceremony

Swayze was married to Lisa Niemi from June 12, 1975, until his death. The couple first met in 1970 when Swayze was 18 years old. Niemi, 14 years old at the time, was taking dance lessons from Swayze's mother. Swayze and Niemi had no children.^[26] In a 2008 interview, Swayze stated that Niemi was the inspiration for his 1987 hit song, "She's Like the Wind".^[27]

As a reaction to his father's death at age 57 from a heart attack in 1982, Swayze began to drink heavily.^[28] In 1989, Swayze said, "I've always felt there was something different in there (my personality), but I was scared to look for fear I wouldn't find anything. That's the reason I got into Buddhism, took est training, was into therapy, into Scientology, into Transcendental Meditation. I was trying to support that side of myself. But, you know, in Texas there isn't much support for that part of you."^[29] His sister Vicky committed suicide by drug overdose in 1994,^[28] leading him to seek treatment for alcoholism. After initial recovery, he temporarily withdrew from show business, retreating to his ranches in California and Las Vegas, New Mexico, to breed Arabian horses. His best-known horse was Tammen, a chestnut Arabian stallion.^[30]

Swayze, who was a certified pilot with an instrument rating, made the news on June 1, 2000, while flying with his dogs in his twin-engine Cessna from Van Nuys, California to Las Vegas. His plane developed a pressurization problem, causing Swayze to make a precautionary landing on a dirt road in a housing complex in Prescott Valley. The plane's right wing struck a light pole, but Swayze was unharmed. He locked the cockpit, left the aircraft in the subdivision, and obtained a ride—with his dogs—from a passing vehicle, allegedly in order to telephone the authorities. According to the police report, witnesses said that Swayze appeared to be extremely intoxicated and asked for help to remove evidence—an open bottle of wine and a 30-pack of beer—from the crash site.^[31] He made himself unavailable to police for several hours. It was later determined that the alcohol in question was not in the cabin, but stored in external storage compartments inaccessible in flight and that the probable cause of the accident was Swayze's physical impairment due to the cumulative effects of carbon monoxide from engine exhaust by-products, carbon monoxide from heavy tobacco use, and the loss of an undetermined amount of cabin pressurization.^[32]

Illness and death[link]

Wikinews has related news: American actor Patrick Swayze dies at age 57

In late January 2008, Swayze was diagnosed with Stage IV pancreatic cancer (specifically, intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm). He traveled to the Stanford University Medical Center for chemotherapy and treatment with the experimental drug Vatalanib, the latter of which doctors hoped would cut off the blood supply to the tumor.^[33] On March 5, 2008, a Reuters article reported that Swayze "has a very limited amount of disease, and he appears to be responding well to treatment thus far."^[34] Swayze's doctor confirmed that the actor was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, but insisted he was not as close to death as reports suggest. Despite repeated tabloid claims that his death was imminent, Swayze continued to actively pursue his career.^[35]

In early May 2008, it was widely reported in a number of tabloids that Swayze had undergone surgery to remove part of his stomach after the spread of the cancer and that he had rewritten his will, transferring his property to his wife.^[36][37] In a statement made on May 28, Swayze said that he continued to respond well to treatment at Stanford University Medical Center. In late May 2008, he was seen at a Los Angeles Lakers basketball game, his first public appearance since his diagnosis.^[38] In 2008 Swayze was treated with Cyberknife radiotherapy cancer treatment.^[39]

In late July 2008, six months after reportedly being given just weeks to live by medical experts, a healthy-appearing^[40] Swayze was asked by reporter in Los Angeles airport about this health. He replied, "I'm cooking. I'm a miracle dude. I don't know why".^[41]

Swayze appeared on the ABC, NBC, and CBS simulcast of Stand Up to Cancer in September 2008, to appeal to the general public for donations for the initiative. Swayze said to a standing ovation "I dream that the word 'cure' will no longer be followed by the words 'it's impossible'. Together, we can make a world where cancer no longer means living with fear, without hope, or worse".^[42] After the show ended, Swayze remained on-stage and talked to other cancer patients; executive producer Laura Ziskin said, "He said a beautiful thing: 'I'm just an individual living with cancer'. That's how he wants to be thought of. He's in a fight, but he's a fighter".^[42][43] In late 2008, Swayze denied claims made by tabloids that the cancer had spread to his liver.^[44] Swayze told Barbara Walters in January 2009 that he wanted the media to report that he was "kicking it".^[2]

When Barbara Walters asked him if he was using any holistic or alternative methods of treatment besides the chemotherapy, Swayze admitted to using some Chinese herbs, but not much. He then voiced his opposition to the unsupported claims made by proponents of alternative therapies, as noted by ABC News journalist Joseph Brownstein:

Because of the grim prognosis, many patients turn to alternative therapies without scientific evidence behind them. Swayze did not.

"That's one thing I'm not gonna do, is chase, is chase staying alive. I'm not, you know, you'll spend so much time chasing staying alive you won't live, you know? I wanna live. If anybody had that cure out there like so many people swear to me they do, you'd be two things: you'd be very rich, and you'd be very famous. Otherwise, shut up," he told Barbara Walters in an interview that aired in January [2009].^[45]

His last role was the lead in an A&E TV series, The Beast, which premiered on January 15, 2009. Owing to a prolonged decline in health, Swayze was unable to promote the series, and on June 15, 2009, Entertainment Tonight reported that the show had been cancelled.^[4] In an interview with Barbara Walters which aired in January 2009, Swayze admitted that he had a "tiny little mass" in his liver. On January 9, 2009, Swayze was hospitalized with pneumonia. The pneumonia was said to be a complication of chemotherapy treatments for Swayze's cancer.^[46] On January 16, he was released from the hospital to rest at home with his wife.^[47] On April 19, 2009, doctors informed Swayze that the cancer had again metastasized to his liver.^[48] Swayze stated that his chain smoking probably "had something to do with" the development of his disease. Photos taken of a gaunt Swayze in the months before his death showed him continuing to smoke.^[49][50]

Swayze died with family at his side on September 14, 2009, at age 57, 20 months after being diagnosed.^[51][52] Swayze's publicist, Annett Wolf, confirmed to CNN that he had died of pancreatic cancer.^[53] He was cremated and his ashes scattered over his New Mexico ranch. He is survived by his wife Lisa Niemi, along with his mother, both brothers and one sister.

Cultural impact[link]

Swayze's name has become a commonly used term in hip hop songs.^[54] Lyrics will use the phrase "...and I'm Swayze," meaning that the speaker has become "like a ghost", meaning he disappeared or is otherwise gone. This is a reference to the title character of Swayze's 1990 film Ghost. It is known to have begun in the early 1990s, by prominent rappers such as EPMD, Black Sheep, CL Smooth, and more recently by such rappers as The Notorious B.I.G. in 2Pac's song Runnin' (Dying to Live), Method Man, Aesop Rock, and in Mistah F.A.B.'s Ghost Ride It. The expression has become such a hip hop staple that it was even used in the Saturday Night Live hip hop parody, Lazy Sunday.

Filmography[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

Houston portal

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Patrick Swayze

• Patrick Swayze at the Internet Movie Database
• Patrick Swayze at the Internet Broadway Database
• Remembering Patrick Swayze - slideshow by LIFE magazine
• Patrick Swayze at Find a Grave

Hannelore Kraft
Hannelore Kraft
Minister-President of North Rhine-Westphalia
Incumbent
Assumed office 14 July 2010
Preceded by	Jürgen Rüttgers
President of the German Bundesrat
In office 1 November 2010 – 31 October 2011
Preceded by	Jens Böhrnsen
Succeeded by	Horst Seehofer
Chairwoman of SPD North Rhine-Westphalia
Incumbent
Assumed office 20 January 2007
Preceded by	Jochen Dieckmann
Vice Chairwoman of SPD with Klaus Wowereit, Manuela Schwesig and Olaf Scholz
Incumbent
Assumed office 13 November 2009
Preceded by	Frank-Walter Steinmeier Peer Steinbrück
Personal details
Born	Hannelore Külzhammer 12 June 1961 Mülheim an der Ruhr, Germany
Nationality	German
Political party	Social Democratic Party
Alma mater	Comprehensive University of Duisburg
Religion	Lutheranism, former Roman Catholic
Website	www.hannelore-kraft.de

Hannelore Kraft (née Külzhammer; born 12 June 1961) is a German politician. She is the leader of the Social Democratic Party in North Rhine-Westphalia and the current Minister-President of North Rhine-Westphalia. Kraft is the first woman to fill this post since it was created in 1946. She has served on the SPD's federal executive since November 2009, and is one of the four federal deputy chairmen.^[1] Between 1 November 2010 and 31 October 2011 she was the President of the German Bundesrat after Jens Böhrnsen. She was the first woman to hold the office.

Biography[link]

Kraft graduated in 1980, and first trained as a bank clerk. She commenced her studies in economics at Comprehensive University of Duisburg in 1982, and studied at King's College London in 1986 and 1987. She completed her studies in Duisburg in 1989.

From 1989 until 2001, she was a consultant and project manager at the Centre for Innovation and Technology (ZENIT GmbH) in Mülheim an der Ruhr, and was head of the local European Info Centre.

In 1994, Kraft joined the SPD, and on 2 June 2000 was elected to the Landtag of North Rhine-Westphalia. Initially representing electoral district 74 (Mülheim II-Essen VII), she switched to electoral district 64 (Mülheim I) in 2005.

On 24 April 2001, she replaced Detlev Samland as Minister for Federal and European Affairs, and then under Minister-President Peer Steinbrück, served from 12 November 2002 until 31 May 2005 as Minister for Science and Research.

After the SPD lost the 2005 state election in North Rhine-Westphalia, Kraft was elected leader of the SPD's parliamentary group with 95.7% of the votes, hence becoming the Opposition Leader in North Rhine-Westphalia. In 2007, she was elected chairman of the SPD in Northrhine-Westphalia. On 13 November 2009, Kraft was elected as one of the four vice chairmen of the federal SPD under chairman Sigmar Gabriel, receiving the highest overall vote. A party congress in February 2010 affirmed that she was the SPD's candidate for Minister-President at the May 2010 state election.^[2]

The state election on 9 May 2010 resulted in a near tie with the governing CDU at 67 seats, and with Kraft's preferred red-green coalition one seat short of an overall majority. After many parallel negotiations and various coalitions, Kraft was elected Minister-President of North Rhine-Westphalia on 14 July 2010 on the second ballot with a sufficient plurality of votes, coming from the Social Democrats and Alliance 90/The Greens, while the Left Party abstained. Kraft formed a minority government with ministers of Social Democrats and Greens.^[3]

In October 2010, Kraft was elected President of the Bundesrat, according to the customary rotation of the chairmanship between the Bundesländer. She assumed office on 1 November 2010, becoming the first female office holder, remaining in office until 31 October 2011. In 2012, the minority government collapsed after the three opposition parties blocked the budget. The resulting election saw the SPD-Green coalition win a nine-seat majority and allowed Kraft to remain in office.

Hannelore Kraft is married and has one son. She was formerly a Catholic but later converted to Protestantism, joining the Evangelical Church in the Rhineland, a member church of the Evangelical Church in Germany.^[4]

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Hannelore Kraft

• Official website (German)

v t e Ministers-President of North Rhine-Westphalia Rudolf Amelunxen Karl Arnold Fritz Steinhoff Franz Meyers Heinz Kühn Johannes Rau Wolfgang Clement Peer Steinbrück Jürgen Rüttgers Hannelore Kraft

v t e Current heads of government of the States of Germany States Winfried Kretschmann (Baden-Württemberg) · Horst Seehofer (Bavaria) · Klaus Wowereit (Berlin) · Matthias Platzeck (Brandenburg) · Jens Böhrnsen (Bremen) · Olaf Scholz (Hamburg) · Volker Bouffier (Hesse) · David McAllister (Lower Saxony) · Erwin Sellering (Mecklenburg-Vorpommern) · Hannelore Kraft (North Rhine-Westphalia) · Kurt Beck (Rhineland-Palatinate) · Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer (Saarland) · Stanislaw Tillich (Saxony) · Reiner Haseloff (Saxony-Anhalt) · Peter Harry Carstensen (Schleswig-Holstein) · Christine Lieberknecht (Thuringia) Italic = President of Federal Council