Grumpy Young Men

The medical students cannot figure out what has happened to their favorite gross anatomy professor. He is a 32-year-old man, fit, but his sense of humor has left him. Prior to each lecture, he takes a large swig of Pepto-Bismol, growls, makes a horrible face, then announces “let’s get this over with”. No matter what anatomy structure is the topic that day, he always relates it to his personal travails with burning epigastric pain.  One day he makes the connection quite dramatically:   while discussing the blood supply of the abdomen, he grabs his “belly”, staggers a few steps, and exhibits signs of shock. He yells, “I am suffering from intraabdominal bleeding”.  Prior to losing consciousness, he relates to the class president that he has a history of ulcers in the posterior wall of the first part of the duodenum.

 Question: Which of the following blood vessels may have been subject to erosion by the ulcer?

Postscript: The class president updates the class that their humorless professor survived the bleeding episode and urges them to bone up on peptic ulcers for the final.