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Background: Surgery is still the most important treatment method for thyroid cancer. The classic linea alba cervicalis approach caused obvious neck scarring. This study explored an alternative open operative approach with concealed incision for hemithyroidectomy, and demonstrated whether it was non-inferior to traditional approach in postoperative complications and operation efficiency., Methods: Patients ( n =220) from November 2019 to November 2020 willing to undergo hemithyroidectomy because of differentiated thyroid cancer were randomly divided into the sternocleidomastoid intermuscular approach (SMIA) group ( n =110), and the linea alba cervicalis approach (LACA) group ( n =110). The incidence of postoperative complications within 3 months and operation efficiency indicator R0 resection rate were recorded as primary endpoint, while scar apperance was assessed as secondary endpoint. The data were statistically analyzed., Results: The baseline data of these two groups were comparable, with no significant difference ( P >0.05). As primary endpoint, R0 resection rate was 100% in both groups. In the 1-month follow-up period, the SMIA group had a lower score for neck discomfort compared with that of the LACA group (1.01±0.1648 vs. 0.5657±0.0976, P =0.0217). The SMIA group's scar had better results from the observer scar assessment compared to that of the LACA group as secondary endpoint. Within the 3-month follow-up, the total complications were calculated, and it was demonstrated that SMIA was non-inferior to traditional LACA operation ( P of non-inferiority=0.0048)., Conclusions: Compared with LACA group, surgery through the SMIA is safe, effective, and has non-inferior postoperative complications. SMIA can be considered an alternative approach to classic LACA in hemithyroidectomy., (Copyright © 2023 The Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.)

Spontaneous combustion gangue hill has attracted great attention due to serious environmental pollution and terrible geological disasters. However, the rich thermal resources inside are often ignored. In order to control the spontaneous combustion of gangue hill and utilize the internal waste heat resources, this project studied the combined treatment effect of 821 gravity heat pipes, laid 47 sets of temperature monitoring devices, evaluated the storage of waste heat resources, and proposed different waste heat utilization methods. The results show that (1) the positions of spontaneous combustion are all located on the windward slope. The highest temperature is in the range of 6 ~ 12 m underground, exceeding 700 ℃. (2) The single-tube experiment of gravity heat pipe shows that the effective temperature control radius is 2 m. The cooling effect is obvious in the range of 3 ~ 5 m underground. However, the temperature rises at the depth of 1 m underground. (3) After 90 days of treatment of the gravity heat pipe group, the temperature at the depths of 3 m, 4 m, 5 m, and 6 m in the high-temperature zone dropped by 56 ℃, 66 ℃, 63 ℃, and 42 ℃, respectively. The maximum temperature drop exceeds 160 ℃. The average temperature drop in the middle- and low-temperature areas is between 9 and 21 °C. (4) The concentration of harmful gases (CO, SO 2 , and H 2 S) decreases by more than 90%. The hazard level is greatly reduced. (5) The amount of waste heat resources contained within 10 m of the spontaneous combustion gangue hill is 7.83E13J. Waste heat resources can be used for indoor heating and greenhouse cultivation. And, under the temperature difference of 50 °C, 100 °C, and 150 °C, the electric energy generated by the heat through the thermoelectric conversion device in the high-temperature zone of the gangue hill is 4056.8 kWh, 7468.2 kWh, and 10,603 kWh, respectively., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)