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The article presents a criticism on the thoughts and thinking of Antonio Candido, the Brazilian sociologist. Some years ago Candido suggested that a necessary stage in an underdeveloped country's effort to overcome intellectual dependence lay it the ability of its people to produce first-class works influenced by national, rather than foreign, models. This would enrich the process of borrowing from abroad itself. Candido is not, and was not, the only one to do a hidden anthropology. But he is an excellent example because of the quality and timeliness of his work, in addition to always having been very near, even flirting with, anthropology. Candido confesses that among the social sciences, anthropology always fascinated him more than sociology. Perhaps, then, intellectual "pluralism," or what is known as interdisciplinary----can be properly realized in the long run only when disciplines are so solidly declined the barriers can be transgressed. That is, when the banner of inter--or transdisciplinarity is raised as a progressive move in contemporary Brazil, one should not forget that this proposal has a genesis: in Brazilian social thought which goes back to, if it does not antecede, the institutionalization of the social sciences in Brazil.

The article presents comments on sociology of India from a Brazilian perspective. The first four years, beginning in 1957, were characterised by a discussion about India which took place in Europe. The main protagonists then were Louis Dumont and David Pocock, founders of the journal and authors of the first "For a Sociology of India," essay, and F.G. Bailey, all of them having filled, what seem retrospectively, expected roles. Starting in 1967, the Indian period was initially marked by a polemical article by J.P.S. Uberoi, who became the challenger of both European and Indian viewpoints. One of the important lessons which the debate "For a Sociology of India," teaches is that it is only through difficult dialogues that a project of true cosmopolitanism may be achieved, it is by facing challenges correcting routes, adjusting viewpoints, that one's identity becomes more solid and sound. The situation of Indians appear different from Brazilians--in stark contrast to the cosmopolitan imprint which they project in their works, a conspicuous silence blankets the existence of "castes" within the academic community.

: Objectives The aim of this study was to characterize the KPC-type carbapenem-hydrolysing β-lactamase, extended-spectrum β-lactamases (ESBLs) and class 1 integrons among nosocomial Klebsiella pneumoniae isolated in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. : Methods MICs were determined and isolates were screened for ESBLs, metallo-β-lactamases (MBLs) and class A carbapenemase-producing phenotypes. The main β-lactamases resistance genes (blaTEM, blaSHV, blaCTX-M, blaKPC, blaIMP and blaVIM) and class 1 integrons were detected by PCR followed by DNA sequencing. The genetic relatedness of isolates was determined by PFGE. : Results All K. pneumoniae isolates were positive for ESBL and class A carbapenemase production and negative for MBL production. All isolates were resistant to all β-lactam antibiotics, ciprofloxacin and gentamicin, being susceptible only to tigecycline and polymyxin B. The blaKPC-2, blaCTX-M-1, blaCTX-M-2, blaCTX-M-8 and blaSHV-11 genes were detected. PFGE analysis revealed two clonal types among KPC-producing isolates, both identified in the same hospital. : Conclusions Our findings should alert medical authorities to implement stringent methods for the detection and spread control of emerging KPC-2 carbapenemases in the hospital setting in Brazil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The present study reports the dissemination of multidrug-resistant (MDR) OXA-23-producing Acinetobacter baumannii clones throughout hospitals in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. A total of 110 imipenem-resistant A. baumannii isolates were obtained from January 2006 to September 2007 in eight hospitals. The modified Hodge test was performed to screen for carbapenemase production. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and DNA sequencing were performed for the detection of bla IMP, bla VIM, bla OXA-23-like, bla OXA-24-like, bla OXA-58 and the class 1 integron. Isolates were typed by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) following digestion with ApaI. All the isolates were MDR and 96 (87.3%) produced the carbapenemase OXA-23. No isolates produced OXA-24, OXA-58 or the metallo-β-lactamases IMP and VIM. The class 1 integron was absent in all isolates. The A. baumannii isolates were separated into five genotypes, with the highest prevalence of genotype A (71.8%) followed by genotype B (22.7%). Genotype A was present in seven hospitals, whilst genotype B had spread in five hospitals. The OXA-23-producing isolates belonged to all genotypes. The presence of MDR OXA-23-producing A. baumannii in different hospitals in Rio de Janeiro emphasises the need to control the use of carbapenems and to prevent the spread of these organisms in Rio de Janeiro. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]