Splenic artery embolization plays an important role in the management of various medical and surgical conditions that are non-traumatic in etiology, in addition to its well-established and widely discussed role in managing splenic trauma. In nontraumatic emergencies of catastrophic bleeding originating from the spleen or splenic artery, splenic artery embolization can be effective in achieving hemostasis as a definitive management, temporary stabilizing measure, or preoperative optimization technique. In addition to emergency clinical conditions, splenic artery embolization can be performed electively as an alternative to splenectomy for managing patients with hypersplenism.Herein, we report 6 cases of splenic artery embolization performed at our center to highlight its various indications. This article aims to demonstrate the role of splenic artery embolization in different clinical scenarios and the considerations behind the techniques employed through illustrative cases.

Although rare, hepatic artery aneurysms are associated with a high morbidity and mortality, necessitating a prompt diagnosis. A significant proportion of hepatic artery aneurysms are pseudoaneurysms, and the major risk factors of which have already been identified in previous literatures. Presentation can be variable, but diagnosis almost relies entirely on computed tomography and digital subtraction angiography. The endovascular approach has progressively become the preferred option due to its better performance when compared to the traditional surgical approach. However, formulation of an endovascular treatment plan for these lesions remains difficult as multiple factors should be considered to identify the best endovascular treatment modality. Five cases of pseudoaneurysm due to recent Whipple operation, hepatobiliary infections, and underlying malignancy are presented in this article to illustrate the effectiveness and complexity of endovascular treatment in this disease entity.

A biosynthetic gene cluster for the bioactive fungal sesterterpenoids variecolin ( 1) and variecolactone ( 2) was identified in Aspergillus aculeatus ATCC 16872. Heterologous production of 1 and 2 was achieved in Aspergillus oryzae by expressing the sesterterpene synthase VrcA and the cytochrome P450 VrcB. Intriguingly, the replacement of VrcB with homologous P450s from other fungal terpenoid pathways yielded three new variecolin analogues ( 5- 7). Analysis of the compounds' anticancer activity in vitro and in vivo revealed that although 5 and 1 had comparable activities, 5 was associated with significantly reduced toxic side effects in cancer-bearing mice, indicating its potentially broader therapeutic window. Our study describes the first tests of variecolin and its analogues in animals and demonstrates the utility of synthetic biology for creating molecules with improved biological activities.