Appendicitis combined with Meckel's diverticulum obstruction, perforation, and inflammation in children: Three case reports.

BACKGROUND: Meckel's diverticulum is a common congenital malformation of the small intestine, with the three most common complications being obstruction, perforation, and inflammation. To date, only a few cases have been reported worldwide. In children, the clinical symptoms are similar to appendicitis. As most of the imaging features are nonspecific, the preoperative diagnosis is not precise. In addition, the clinical characteristics are highly similar to pediatric acute appendicitis, thus special attention is necessary to distinguish Meckel's diverticulum from pediatric appendicitis. Patients with poor disease control should undergo laparoscopic exploration to avoid serious complications, including intestinal necrosis, intestinal perforation and gastrointestinal bleeding. CASE SUMMARY: This report presents three cases of appendicitis in children combined with intestinal obstruction, which was caused by fibrous bands (ligaments) arising from the top part of Meckel's diverticulum, diverticular perforation, and diverticular inflammation. All three patients, aged 11-12 years, had acute appendicitis as their initial clinical presentation. All were treated by laparoscopic surgery with a favorable outcome. A complete dataset including clinical presentation, diagnostic imaging, surgical information, and histopathologic findings was also provided. CONCLUSION: Preoperative diagnosis of Meckel's diverticulum and its complications is challenging because its clinical signs and complications are similar to those of appendicitis in children. Laparoscopy combined with laparotomy is useful for diagnosis and treatment.

Effect of melatonin on ATG2B-mediated autophagy regulation in sheep granulosa cells with different FecB genotypes.

Melatonin (MLT) protects cells by reducing reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels, which are key for inducing cellular autophagy. The aim of this study was to investigate the molecular mechanisms underlying MLT regulation of autophagy in granulosa cells (GCs) with BMPR-1B homozygous (FecB BB) and wild type (FecB ++) mutations. GCs collected from small-tailed Han sheep with different FecB genotypes were typed using a TaqMan probe assay, and autophagy levels were found to be significantly higher in GCs with FecB BB than the levels in those with FecB ++. Autophagy-related 2 homolog B (ATG2B) was associated with cell autophagy and was highly expressed in GCs with the FecB BB genotype in small-tailed Han sheep. Overexpression of ATG2B in the GCs of sheep with both FecB genotypes promoted GC autophagy, and the contrary was observed after the inhibition of ATG2B expression. Subsequently, treatment of GCs with different genotypes of FecB and MLT revealed a significant decrease in cellular autophagy and an increase in ATG2B expression. Addition of MLT to GCs with inhibited ATG2B expression revealed that MLT could protect GCs by decreasing ROS levels, especially in GCs with FecB ++ genotype. In conclusion, this study determined that autophagy levels were significantly higher in sheep GCs with FecB BB genotype than the levels in those with FecB ++ genotype, which may have contributed to the difference in lambing numbers between the two FecB genotypes. Autophagy was regulated by ATG2B and was able to protect GCs by reducing the high levels of ROS produced following inhibition of ATG2B through the addition of MLT in vitro.

Progress on the effect of FecB mutation on BMPR1B activity and BMP/SMAD pathway in sheep.

BMPR1B is the first major gene of litter size identified in sheep. However, the molecular mechanism of the FecB mutation that increases the ovulation rate in sheep is still unclear. In recent years, it has been demonstrated that BMPR1B activity is regulated by the small molecule repressor protein FKBP1A, which acts as a key activity switch of the BMPR1B in the BMP/SMAD pathway. The FecB mutation is located close to the binding site of FKBP1A and BMPR1B. In this review, we summarize the structure of BMPR1B and FKBP1A proteins, and clarify the spatial interactive domains of the two proteins with respect to the location of the FecB mutation. Then the relationship between the FecB mutation and the degree of affinity of the two proteins are predicted. Finally, the hypothesis that FecB mutation causes change of activity in BMP/SMAD pathway by affecting the intensity of the interactions between BMPR1B and FKBP1A is proposed. This hypothesis provides a new clue to investigate the molecular mechanism of FecB mutation affecting ovulation rate and litter size in sheep.

Effects of dexmedetomidine on cognitive dysfunction and neuroinflammation via the HDAC2/HIF-1α/PFKFB3 axis in a murine model of postoperative cognitive dysfunction.

Inhibition of histone deacetylase (HDAC) may be a useful approach in the treatment of disorders characterized by cognitive dysfunction. Dexmedetomidine (DEX), an α2-adrenoceptor (α2-AR) agonist, has demonstrated neuroprotective effects. Here, we attempted to investigate the protective effects of DEX on postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) involving HDAC2. Male C57BL/6 mice were selected to develop a POCD model, where HDAC2, HIF-1α, and PFKFB3 expression was quantified. DEX was administered before POCD modeling. Then the cognitive function of POCD mice was evaluated with the open field and Y-maze tests. Meanwhile, lipopolysaccharide (LPS) was employed to induce BV-2 microglial cells to simulate the inflammatory response. The contents of TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-10 were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in mouse serum and BV-2 cell supernatant. Abundant expression of HDAC2, HIF-1α, and PFKFB3 was confirmed in POCD mice (p < 0.05). Cognitive dysfunction in POCD mice could be alleviated following pharmacological inhibition of HDAC2 by FK228 (p < 0.05). Mechanistically, HDAC2 upregulated HIF-1α and PFKFB3 and promoted the secretion of inflammatory factors in LPS-exposed BV-2 cells (p < 0.05). DEX attenuated neuroinflammation and the resulting cognitive dysfunction by decreasing HDAC2 expression and HIF-1α-dependent PFKFB3 upregulation in POCD mice (p < 0.05). In conclusion, DEX-regulated HDAC2 may play an inhibitory role in mice with POCD through regulation of the HIF-1α/PFKFB3 axis.

Upcycling fruit peel waste into a green reductant to reduce graphene oxide for fabricating an electrochemical sensing platform for sulfamethoxazole determination in aquatic environments.

Fruit and vegetable wastes contribute to a substantial proportion of global food waste. While these wastes could potentially be repurposed for a wide range of applications, the majority of them are discarded without effective utilization. To address the current challenges of fruit waste accumulation and sustainable nanomaterial synthesis, natural reductants derived from discarded dragon fruit (Hylocereus polyrhizus) peels are proposed as an alternative to conventional hazardous reductants for graphene-based material synthesis. Given that the chemical reduction of graphene oxide (GO) is the major route for graphene production, the effectiveness of the proposed reductants derived from peels of dragon fruit on graphene oxide reduction was evaluated. The reducing constituents (i.e., betanin substances) were recovered from dragon fruit peel wastes using facile aqueous extraction processes, where suitable extraction treatments (e.g., pH conditions) were found to be critical for boosting the reducing power of the obtained reductants. The compiled results indicated that the proposed fruit waste-derived reducing agents demonstrated great promise for GO reduction through SN2 nucleophilic reactions, mainly driven by the extracted betanin. The obtained reduced GO serves as a promising platform for electrochemical determination of sulfamethoxazole in aquatic environments, realizing both food waste valorization and environmentally benign material synthesis.

Low Threshold Microlasers Based on Organic-Conjugated Polymers.

Conjugated polymers have emerged as ideal organic laser materials for the excellent optoelectrical properties and facile processability. During a typical lasing process, resonator configurations with specific geometry are essential to provide optical feedback and then amplified light. Herein, we summarized the geometry and working mechanism of several typical resonator configurations formed with conjugated polymers. Meanwhile, recent advances in fabrication techniques and lasing performance are also discussed to provide new ideas for the design and optimization of microcavity geometries. Followed by the advances of practical applications in fields of laser sensing, bioimaging, and laser illumination/display, we make a summary of the existing bottlenecks and future perspectives of electrically driven organic lasers toward laser display and illumination.

Quasiperiodic metamaterials empowered non-metallic broadband optical absorbers.

Realizing a polarization-insensitive broadband optical absorber plays a key role in the implementation of microstructure optoelectrical devices with on-demand functionalities. However, the challenge is that most of these devices involve the constituent metals, thus suffering from poor chemical and thermal stability and a complicated manufacturing process. In addition, the extreme contrast between the negative (metallic) and positive (dielectric) real parts of the constituent permittivities can cause additional problems in the design of structural devices. Based on these facts, this work proposes a design of planar broadband one-dimensional structure based on Fibonacci geometry. Experimental results show that the proposed planar structure exhibits high absorptivity behavior independent of polarization and angle in the wavelength range of 300-1000 nm. The absorptivity remains more than 80% when the incident angle is 60°. This proof-of-concept represents a new strategy for realizing non-metallic broadband optical absorbers with advantages of polarization-independence, low-cost, and wide-field-of-view and paves the way for light manipulation under harsh conditions.

The variations of surface wetness recorded by multi-proxies in Yuanchi peatland of the Changbai Mountains from 1962 to 2008.

Surface wetness of Yuanchi peatland in the Changbai Mountains were reconstructed by comprehensive analysis on plant residue, testate amoeba and humification, using the age-depth model established with AMS 14C and 137Cs dating methods. The response of surface wetness to climate change was addressed. Results showed that plant residues in the top 50 cm of peat sequence were dominated by mosses. Detrended correspondence analysis (DCA) of plant residue revealed that axis 1 of DCA biplot might represent mire surface wetness (MSW). MSW from 1962 to 2008 as indicated by axis 1 scores of DCA on plant residue were compared with depths to water table derived by testate amoebae-DWT transfer function and humification measurements, and the results showed that the trends of MSW reconstructed by three proxies were largely consistent. They were wetter MSW from 40-50 cm (1962 to 1975), 27-40 cm (fluctuating from wet to dry from 1975 to 1987), and 0-27 cm (drier from 1987 to 2008). Compared with instrumental data from nearby Erdao weather station, the reconstructed MSW was basically consistent with temperature change in this period. The decreases of MSW occurred when mean summer temperature and mean annual temperature were higher than long-term mean value. Our results suggest that the variability in MSW in the recent 46 years predominantly responded weakening of effective precipitation induced by increasing temperature.

[Effects of Triptolide on Tc and Th Cell Excursion in Peripheral Blood of Nude Mice with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus BALB/c-un].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of triptolide on the excursion of Tc and Th cells in peripheral blood of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) BALB/c-un nude mice induced by pristane. METHODS: Eighteen female BALB/c-un nude mice were randomly divided into blank, SLE and triptolide group, each with 6 mice by random table method. Group SLE and group triptolide were established by single intraperitoneal injection of pristane, and blank group was used as blank control group. SLE model was established by single intraperitoneal injection. Triptolide group was fed with triptolide at the dose of 5 mg/(kg·d), and the blank group and SLE group were fed normally. Blood samples were collected from the caudal vein before treatment and 1, 3 and 6 months after treatment respectively. Fluorescence labeled flow cytometry was used to delect Tc and Th lymphocyte subsets at different stages of treatment. RESULTS: After treatment for 3 and 6 moths, the percentages of Tcl, Thl cells and CD8+, Tcl/Tc2, Thl/Th2 and CD4+/CD8+ all decreased in the group of triptolide, and the percentage of CD4+, Tc2 and Th2 cells increased (P＜0.05). CONCLUSION: The mechanism of triptolide in the treatment of SLE may be related with the excursion of Tc and Th cells to Tcl and Tc2 to maintain the relative homeostasis of Tc and Th cells at different stage, thus affecting the immune response and the inflammatory reaction.

Theoretical study on the charge transport and metallic conducting properties in organic complexes.

The charge transfer process between substrate molecular and dopant always appears in doped organic semiconductors, so that molecular doping is a common method to improve the electrical properties by combining appropriate complexes of electron acceptor and donor molecules. At the interface of the doped complexes, the amount of charge-transfer based on the charge analysis method could be affected by various factors, including the stacking structure, the HOMOD-LUMOA gaps, the offset defined by the donor ionization potential and the acceptor electron affinity IPD-|EAA|, and the strength of the intermolecular orbital interaction. To better understand the charge transport properties in complex crystals, reasonable mobility values were calculated by combining semi-classical Marcus-Hush theory with molecular dynamics simulation, in which the mobility values were on the same order of magnitude as experimental values. The largest and average room-temperature mobility were 4.59 and 0.21 cm2 V-1 s-1 for TTF-TCNQ based on the anisotropic transport properties and random-walk schemes of the charge diffusion coefficient. The interface of the TTF-TCNQ crystal possesses metallic conducting properties with a predicted resistance of 4.43 kΩ. Charge-transfer complexes exhibit larger mobility and higher conductivity compared to the constituent donor and acceptor molecules.

Perovskite/Black Phosphorus/MoS2 Photogate Reversed Photodiodes with Ultrahigh Light On/Off Ratio and Fast Response.

As compared with epitaxial semiconductor devices, two-dimensional (2D) heterostructures offer alternative facile platforms for many optoelectronic devices. Among them, photovoltaic based photodetectors can give fast response, while the photogate devices can lead to high responsivity. Here, we report a 2D photogate photodiode, which combines the benefits of 2D black phosphorus/MoS2 photodiodes with the emerging potential of perovskite, to achieve both fast response and high responsivity. This device architecture is constructed based on the fast photovoltaic operation together with the high-gain photogating effect. Under reverse bias condition, the device exhibits high responsivity (11 A/W), impressive detectivity (1.3 × 1012 Jones), fast response (150/240 µs), and low dark current (3 × 10-11 A). All these results are already much better in nearly all aspects of performance than the previously reported 2D photodiodes operating in reverse bias, achieving the optimal balance between all figure-of-merits. Importantly, with a zero bias, the device can also yield high detectivity (3 × 1011 Jones), ultrahigh light on/off ratio (3 × 107), and extremely high external quantum efficiency (80%). This device architecture thus has a promise for high-efficiency photodetection and photovoltaic energy conversion.

Palladium-catalyzed dehydrogenative coupling of cyclic enones with thiophenes: a rapid access to ß-heteroarylated cyclic enones.

Dehydrogenative coupling of cyclic enones with heteroarenes has been a longstanding challenge because of the competitive ketone dehydrogenation and conjugated addition. Herein, a dehydrogenative coupling reaction of cyclic enones of different sizes with substituted thiophenes to construct ß-thienyl cyclic enone compounds through palladium-catalyzed C-H functionalization under mild reaction conditions is reported. Simple substituted thiophenes with different functional groups can be directly introduced into cyclic enones with predominant regioselectivity at the α position of thiophene moieties and excellent functional group tolerance. Further molecular transformations of the coupling products to synthetically useful meta-heteroarylated phenol derivatives have also been demonstrated.

Acid Promoted Direct Cross-Coupling of Methyl Ketones with Dimethyl Sulfoxide: Access to Ketoallyl Methylsulfides and -sulfones.

A new strategy to prepare ß-acyl allylic methylsulfides and -sulfones through acid promoted direct cross-coupling of methyl ketones with dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) is reported. The reaction proceeded through the nucleophilic attack of enamine intermidiates derived from ketones to in situ generated thionium ion species, followed by elimination of methanthiol to give ketoallylic methylsulfides. With the prolonged reaction time, such products could be further reacted with a methyl sulfonyl radical, which might be generated from a methylthiosulfonate species, to afford ketoallylic methylsulfones in high yields. Molecular transformations of the allylic methylsulfides were also demonstrated.

Epidemiology of Echinococcosis Among Schoolchildren in Golog Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Qinghai, China.

Echinococcosis is a serious zoonotic parasitic disease that is highly endemic in Qinghai Province. The present study aimed to investigate the prevalence of echinococcosis among schoolchildren in Golog Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture to improve early diagnosis and treatment of patients and to provide information for echinococcosis prevention and control. A total of 11,260 schoolchildren from five counties (Maqin, Gander, Dari, Jiuzhi, and Banma) in Golog Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Qinghai Province, were screened for echinococcosis. Screening involved ultrasound imaging combined with serologic examination as an auxiliary diagnostic test. The prevalence of echinococcosis in the schoolchildren was 2.1% (235/11,260), with a rate of 0.8% for cystic echinococcosis (CE; 89/11,260) and 1.3% for alveolar echinococcosis (AE; 146/11,260). Additionally, one child had a mixed infection. The prevalence ranged between 1.1% and 4.1% among the five investigated counties, and was highest in Dari County (4.1%). The prevalence of echinococcosis was higher in girls than in boys and gradually increased with age. In addition, children with CE mainly had type 1 (CE1) and type 3 (CE3) lesions, and children with AE mainly had small-diameter calcified lesions, suggesting that they were in the early asymptomatic stage of echinococcosis. In conclusion, children of Golog Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture appear to exhibit the highest recorded prevalence of CE and AE globally. Ultrasound is useful for screening populations in regions where both CE and AE are endemic.

The Prevention Effect of Selenium on Prevalence of Children Kaschin-Beck Disease in Active Endemic Areas in Qinghai Plateau.

Selenium deficiency is an important environmental risk factor of Kaschin-Beck disease (KBD), and appropriate selenium supplement can reduce the prevalence of KBD. Guide and Xinghai counties, active endemic areas of KBD in Qinghai Plateau, are characteristic with low level of selenium. The aim of this article was to explore the relationship between selenium content and prevalence of children KBD in some active endemic areas from Guide and Xinghai counties. The historical data of KBD were collected, including the detectable rates of KBD and selenium contents of the hair of children, and then the relationship between the prevalence of KBD and selenium contents of hair was analyzed. In KBD endemic areas of Guide County, the detectable rates of X-ray and metaphysic lesion were declined from 25.00 and 16.96% in 2000 to 13.75 and 13.75% in 2010, respectively. Similarly, in KBD endemic areas of Xinghai County, the detectable rates of X-ray and metaphysic lesion were declined from 46.51 and 40.31% in 2000 to 10.64 and 8.51% in 2010, respectively. The selenium contents of hair in Xinghai county were increased from 130.01 ± 48.08 µg/kg in 2003 to 211.8 ± 86.64 µg/kg in 2010(t = 2.98, P < 0.05); the selenium content of hair in Guide County were increased from 142.30 ± 62.02 µg/kg in 2003 to 182.09 ± 78.46 µg/kg in 2010 (t = 3.12, P < 0.05). There was a negative correlation between the prevalence of KBD and selenium contents of hair (r = -0.785). There was a close relationship between selenium content and prevalence of KBD. Selenium could reduce the prevalence of KBD, so it is very necessary to supplement selenium appropriately for KBD prevention.

[Combined Transmission Laser Spectrum of Core-Offset Fiber and BP Neural Network for Temperature Sensing Research].

When studying the wavelength response to the temperature of the single mode fiber interference laser spectrum, a three layer BP neural network model is built to solve the problem of high complexity and low accuracy of temperature measurement system. With the Discussion of the parameters of network model, we obtain the optimal network structure by comparing the data acquisition which is the laser wavelength corresponding to its temperature trained by BP neural network. With network training completed and the wavelength of input laser reached the specified value, the corresponding temperature prediction can be obtained from the output layer. In conclusion, it shows a clear correlation between the predictive value and the actual value, i.e. the former is approximately equal to the latter. The correlation coefficients of the calibration and prediction are 0.999 61 and 0.979 27, respectively; while the standard errors of the calibration and prediction are 0.017 5 and 0.144 0, respectively, and the average relative error of prediction set is 0.17%. The residual predictive deviation (RPD), obtained theoretically, is 5.258 3. RPD>3. It indicates that the calibration effect is good, and the model can be used for practical testing. In addition, the algorithm is also applied to the system of double coupled structure with single-mode core-offset fiber and correction for the temperature measurement. The results show that BP neural network method can deal with the nonlinear relationship between the laser spectral data and the temperature in the optical fiber temperature measurement system. The correlation and the average relative error between the predicted temperature and the true temperature are 0.996 58 and 0.63%, respectively. The precision and stability of the fiber optic temperature sensor are significantly improved. At the same time, the feasibility of the proposed algorithm is verified in the fiber optical sensor system. It also provides a new way for the accurate measurement of pressure, curvature and other physical quantities of the core-offset fiber.

[An Epidemiological Survey on Echinococcosis in Yushu Prefecture of Qinghai Province].

Objective: To investigate the prevalence of echinococcosis in Yushu Prefecture of Qinghai Province in 2012. Methods: Two to three towns were selected in each of Chengduo, Nangqian, Qu malai, Yushu, Zaduo and Zhiduo Counties from June to August in 2012. Ultrasound examination was conducted for residents aged over 1 year, and ELISA was performed to detect serum antibody against Echinococcus. Visceral dissection was performed to detect hydatid infection in rodents and livestock. ELISA was used to detect Echinococcus antigen in collected dog feces. Results: A total of 7 025 residents received ultrasound examination, of whom 319 showed hydatid cysts with a morbidity rate of 4.54%. ELISA showed a serum antibody positive rate of 16.38% （457/2 790）. The mobidity of hydatid disease was highest in Chengduo County （7.41%, 181/2 444）, and the rate of serum antibody was highest in Yushu County （23.18%, 127/548）. The morbidity and serum antibody in males were 3.91% （118/3 018） and 13.93% （172/1 235） respectively, and those in females were 5.02% （201/4 007） and 18.33% （285/1 555）. In terms of age distribution, the morbidity was relatively higher in residents of 60- （8.39%, 38/453） and 40- years （6.61%, 67/1 014）; and the rate of serum antibody was highest in residents over 70 years （33.93%, 19/56）. In terms of occupation, the morbidity was relatively higher in herdsmen （5.28%, 252/4 777）, Herdsmen-peasants （6.52%, 24/368）, and religious workers（3.37%, 11/326）, while the rate of serum antibody was relatively higher in children（24%, 6/25）, religious workers （18.79%, 31/165） and herdsmen（18.34%, 328/1 788）. In terms of education level, the morbidity and the rate of serum antibody were both highest in the uneducated（5.04%, 41/4 779; 18.34%, 359/1 958, respectively）. In terms of residential pattern, the morbidity and the rate of serum antibody were both highest in those who were settled in winter and nomadic in summer （8.25%, 227/2 753; 19.48%, 158/811, respectively）. There were significant differences in the morbidity and the rate of serum antibody in aspects of residential region, sex, age, occupation, education level and residential pattern (P<0.05 or P<0.01). In 872 rodents detected, the Echinococcus hydatid rate was 0.46% （4/872）, while in 809 cattle and sheep detected, the Echinococcus hydatid rate was 10.14% （82/809）. The fecal antigen positive rate in 838 samples of dog feces was 10.74%（90/838）. Conclusion: It shows a high morbidity of hydatid diesease and serum antibody positive rate in residents, a high Echinococcus hydatid rate in cattle and sheep, and a high fecal antigen positive rate in dogs in Yushu Prefecture.

[Survey on Echinococcosis in Maqing County of Qinghai Province].

OBJECTIVE: To understand the status of echinococcosis in Maqing County of Qinghai Province in order to facilitate echinococcosis control in this region. METHODS: Ultrasonic scanning and indirect hemagglutination assay were used to detect echinococcosis infection in residents >1 year old, according to the People's Republic of China Health Industry Standard--Diagnostic Criteria for Hydatid Disease (WS257-2006). Meanwhile, ELISA was used o detect the Echinococcus antigen in dog's feces collected in Youyun, Dangluo and Xiadawu townships. RESULTS: Ultrasonic scanning showed that the prevalence of hydatid disease in the residents was 7.4% (116/1 561), cystic hydatid disease 5.3% (82/1 561), alveolar hydatid disease 2.2% (34/1 561). The serum positive rate in human population was 23.8%(307/1 288). Of the 82 cases of cystic hydatid disease, 23 cases (28.1%) had the hydatid cyst with a diameter of >10 cm. The prevalence in males and females in the county was 5.3% (40/753) and 9.4% (76/808), respectively (P<0.05). Among populations with different occupations, the highest prevalence of hydatid disease fell into houseworkers (11/61, 18.0%), monks (5/41, 12.2%) and herdsmen (84/758, 11.1%). Among the age groups, the groups of >60 years (24/132, 18.2%) and 30-40 years (31/302, 10.3%) had higher prevalence of hydatid disease. The three townships with the higher prevalence were Youyun (29/247, 11.7%), Changmahe (6/63, 9.5%) and Dangluo (54/645, 8.4%). Of the 199 samples of dog's feces, 54 were positive for Echinococcus antigens (27.1%), with a positive rate of 40.4% (23/57) in Youyun towship, being significantly higher than in the other two (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Maqin county is a co-endemic area of cystic echinococcosis and alveolar echinococcosis. The prevalence is higher in females and those over 60 years-old.

[Experimental Investigation of Infrared Spectral Emissivity of Copper at 300~1123 K].

In this study, a new reflective experimental apparatus, which can measure the spectral emissivity of opaque materials accurately and real timely, has been developed based on the Kirchhoff's law by using the GaAs semiconductor laser as the standard radiation source. The spectral emissivity of brass and red copper at wavelength λ=1.55 µm were investigated systematically with the temperatures range from 300 up to 1123 K by using this apparatus and the influence of temperature, oxidation and heating time on the spectral emissivity of two kinds of specimens were also discussed. The experimental data showed that the spectral emissivity increased with increase of temperature and appeared its peak value and valley value when the thickness of oxide film was at some degree. The spectral emissivity of red copper was always greater than that of brass. The formula for calculating the thickness of oxide film was derived from the reflection model composed of a metal and oxide film, then the peak and valley thickness of the red copper were estimated according to this model. The experimental data of constant temperature measurements showed that the spectral emissivity had a slight increase with heating time increasing. Two hours later, the spectral emissivity of two kinds of samples trended to be stable when the thickness of oxide film was at some degree. The values of spectral emissivity at high temperatures were always larger than that of low temperatures. The results of this study will further enrich spectral emissivity data of copper and provide experimental basis for its application.