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Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) is the most common pathogen in nontuberculous mycobacterial lung diseases, but vertebral osteomyelitis caused by MAC is rare. We experienced a case of vertebral osteomyelitis with epidural abscess in a rheumatoid arthritis patient who received immunosuppressive agents. Initial assessment was tuberculous vertebral osteomyelitis, and then treated with antituberculous drugs. Fifty-six days later, Mycobacterium intracellulare was identified from abscess culture and drugs were altered to clarithromycin, rifabutin, and ethambutol. After 3 months of M. intracellulare treatment, the radiological findings showed increases of epidural abscess. According to the suseptibility, the patient received intravenous amikacin for four weeks, and then, oral ciprofloxacin in addition to clarithromycin, rifabutin, and ethambutol. The patient is being treated with the medication for 13 months and currently showing slow improvements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: To assess the efficacy and safety of weekly docetaxel plus a fixed-dose rate (FDR) of gemcitabine in metastatic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC)., Methods: A multi-center, open-label, prospective phase II study was designed. Thirty-three esophageal SCC patients with documented progression after fluoropyrimidine/platinum-based first-line chemotherapy were enrolled and treated with docetaxel 35 mg/m(2) and gemcitabine 1000 mg/m(2) iv at a FDR (10 mg/m(2) per minute) on days 1 and 8. Treatment was repeated every twenty-one days until disease progression, unacceptable toxicity, or consent withdrawal. The primary endpoint was response rate (RR), and secondary endpoints were safety, progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS)., Results: Combination of weekly docetaxel and FDR gemcitabine was well tolerated: the most common treatment-related adverse events were anemia (97%), fatigue (64%) and neutropenia (55%). One patient with multiple lung and lymph node metastases died of respiratory failure after receiving four cycles of chemotherapy, and the possibility of drug-induced pneumonitis could not be completely excluded. Disease control (objective response plus stable disease) in the ITT population was achieved in 88% of patients, and the overall RR was 30% (95%CI: 15%-46%). The median PFS and OS were 4.0 (95%CI: 3.4-4.6) and 8.8 mo (95%CI: 7.8-9.8 mo), respectively., Conclusion: A combination of weekly docetaxel and FDR gemcitabine showed promising antitumor activity and tolerability in previously treated, metastatic esophageal SCC.