Immunological evaluations were performed in 59 children with at least five episodes of parotid swelling. Autoantibody(ies) was transiently or persistently detected in 12 (20%) of 59 patients with recurrent parotitis. Three of the 12 children with autoantibodies were diagnosed as having Sjögren's syndrome. The mean age at onset of parotid swelling in Sjögren's syndrome was significantly higher than that of recurrent parotitis of unknown etiology. The present study and the review of the literature suggest that patients with the onset of parotid swelling at age five years or over deserve screening for underlying systemic immune disorders.

Cellulose, a main component of cell walls, generally makes materials hard and brittle. However, an ultratough, cellulosic material is found in nature: cherry bark. Surprisingly, it elongates by more than twice of its initial length and behaves as a plastic film during stretching. This amazing mechanical property is achieved by a well-designed cell wall structure; cellulose fibers are folded like helical springs, covered by multiple flexible layers of lipid polymers.

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A 3-year-old boy developed idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) and Perthes' disease concurrently. Antiphospholipid antibodies were detected in the serum of the patient. Therefore, it is possible that Perthes' disease in this patient might be one of the manifestations of ITP-associated antiphospholipid syndrome.

T cell activation and T cell receptor variable (V) regions were studied with monoclonal antibodies in peripheral blood lymphocytes from 22 patients with measles. Increased (> 5%) activated T cells (HLA‐DR+ CD3+ cells) were noted in 14 of the 22 patients. Elevations of Vβ5+ and Vβ8 + T cells were observed in two and four patients, respectively, and appeared to be associated with T cell activation. The duration of fever was significantly prolonged in those with increased (> 10%) activated T cells (p < 0.01). These results suggest that T cell activation and the preferential expansion of Vβ8+ and Vβ5+ T cells are associated with the pathogenic process of measles.