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Scopolamine in Brugmansia suaveolens (Solanaceae): defense, allocation, costs, and induced response.

Brugmansia suaveolens (Solanaceae) contains tropane alkaloids (TAs), which can act as chemical defenses. Selective pressures might modulate the allocation of alkaloids within the plant, as postulated by optimal-defense theory. By tracing scopolamine, the most abundant TA in this species, we found that scopolamine in an artificial diet, in concentrations similar to those in leaves of B. suaveolens, increased mortality and prolonged developmental time of the larvae of the generalist noctuid moth Spodoptera frugiperda. A diet of undamaged leaves of B. suaveolens also showed a large negative effect on the growth of larvae of S. frugiperda compared to a diet of leaves of Ricinus communis, a species that did not have negative effects on this moth; more valuable plant parts, such as young leaves, flowers, and unripe fruits with seeds, have higher scopolamine concentrations than other tissues; leaves of B. suaveolens increase their content of scopolamine after artificial damage. The highest induction was found 24 hr after the damage, and after that, scopolamine content decreased to constitutive levels. This increase represented a cost, because in another experiment, a treatment with methyl jasmonate, an elicitor hormone, increased scopolamine production 9.5-fold and decreased leaf growth 2.3-fold; a diet of artificially damaged leaves of B. suaveolens showed a negative effect on the growth of larvae of S. furgiperda compared to undamaged leaves, suggesting that damage by herbivores induces resistance. Our data are in line with the optimal-defense theory, but experiments in the field with herbivores that share an evolutionary history with B. suaveolens must be undertaken to understand the dynamics of TA allocation in response to herbivory.

Acetates↗

Two methods for allocating pharmacy cost per patient case.

The consequences of two different methods of allocating pharmacy costs per patient case were studied. The study was conducted using cost data from Sunnybrook Health Science Centre (SHSC), a 1205-bed teaching hospital in Toronto, Canada. A sample of the 1991-1992 cases for the three case mix groups (CMGs) with the highest total pharmacy cost and the three CMGs with the highest pharmacy cost per case were examined. Information was obtained from patient records and used to produce two sets of data: pharmacy prescription unit costs and pharmacy costs per case using the relative value unit (RVU) method, and pharmacy prescription unit costs and pharmacy costs per case using the workload measurement system (WMS) method. For each case, the difference between the RVU and WMS pharmacy costs was determined. The RVU method consistently produced higher pharmacy costs per case for the CMGs with the highest pharmacy cost per case. If these CMGs are typical of other CMGs with high pharmacy costs per case, then case reimbursement based on the WMS method of cost allocation would result in underfunding of hospitals whose case mix has a high proportion of CMGs with high pharmacy costs per case and overfunding of hospitals whose case mix has a high proportion of CMGs with low pharmacy costs per case. However, the RVU method of cost allocation, although it appears to be more accurate, places a greater data collection burden on pharmacy managers. The RVU and WMS methods of pharmacy cost allocation gave significantly different pharmacy costs per case for the six CMGs studied.

Cost Allocation↗

Using reciprocal allocation of service department costs for decision making.

This article has provided a look into the use of the reciprocal method as an alternative to more conventional methods of hospital service department cost allocation methods. The reciprocal method can be used with readily available software and with data that are largely already known. This method will provide not only appropriate allocation values for financial reporting but data that can be used for hospital decision making. In the highly competitive and sometimes hostile environment in which hospitals now fight to survive, any additional relevant data--especially that generated at almost no additional cost--should be provided to managers to help in the decision-making process.

Accounting↗