Chickens are an ideal animal model study tool for developmental biology, and a farm animal with excellent productivity. Researchers have therefore long sought to establish chicken embryonic stem cells (cESCs) to enable the creation of genetically modified chickens. Here, we derived novel cESCs from chicken blastodermal cells (CBCs) cultured with chicken leukemia inhibitory factor (chLIF). These cESCs have the capacity for long-term ( days or more) successive subculture and express both chicken Nanog (chNanog) and chicken vasa homolog (Cvh) mRNAs and proteins. The cESCs showed a capacity for chimeric formation during a transplant experiment that used a fertilized egg. Transfer of the enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) gene to cESCs enabled green fluorescence to be observed among primordial germ cells (PGCs). These results indicate that novel cESCs should have the capacity to di erentiate into germ cells.: chicken embryonic stem cells, chicken Nanog, chicken vasa homolog, leukemia inhibitory factor, primordial germ cells et al., et al.,

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The occurrence of hepatoblastoma is infrequent in children older than 5 years of age. Clinicians need to consider hepatoblastoma in school-aged children or adolescents presenting with multiple masses in the liver. A 10-year-old boy, who had no disease symptoms and malformations, suffered from anorexia and left hypochondrium pain for several weeks. He had a palpable stiff mass up to 5 cm below the right costal margin at the midclavicular line and tenderness in the upper abdomen. Laboratory examinations showed slightly elevated liver enzyme levels (AST/ ALT = 74/38 U/L; GGT = 38 U/L) and markedly elevated serum alpha-fetoprotein level (88 000 ng/mL). Ultrasonography revealed multiple bilobar tumors occupying the left liver and the right anterior section (Figure 1). Computed tomography

The occurrence of hepatoblastoma is infrequent in children older than 5 years. Therefore, clinicians need to consider hepatoblastoma even in school-aged children or adolescents.