Family Business Restructuring:A Review and Research Agenda

Although business restructuring occurs frequently and it is important for the prosperity of family firms across generations, research on family firms has largely evolved separately from research on business restructuring. This is a missed opportunity, since the two domains are complementary, and understanding the context, process, content, and outcome dimensions is relevant to both research streams. We address this by examining the intersection between research on business restructuring and family firms to improve our knowledge of each area and inform future research. To achieve this goal, we review and organize research across different dimensions to create an integrative framework. Building on current research, we focus on 88 studies at the intersection of family firm and business restructuring research to develop a model that identifies research needs and suggests directions for future research

Prostaglandin synthesis by glomeruli isolated from rats with glycerol-induced acute renal failure.

In vitro PG synthesis by glomeruli isolated from rats with glycerol-induced acute renal failure (ARF) was measured by radiometric high performance liquid chromatography after incubation with [14C]arachidonic acid and radioimmunoassay (RIA). The four PGs, 6-keto-PGF1 alpha, TXB2, PGF2 alpha, and PGE2 were each synthesized by glomeruli from both control and treated rats but the synthesis rates were greater after glycerol. This increase was not apparent 1 hour after injection but, at 24 hours, all PGs were produced in greater amounts by glomeruli of treated rats. Thus, we studied PGE2, PGE2 alpha, and TXB2 synthesis by glomeruli at various time intervals after induction of ARF using direct RIA, PGF 2 alpha and TXB2 synthesis were greater only at 24 hours and only in the presence of arachidonic acid, whereas PGE2 synthesis was greater at 24 hours, irrespective of arachidonic acid, but at 48 hours only with arachidonic acid. The stimulatory effect of arachidonic acid was always greater in glycerol-treated than in control rats for these three PGs in the later period, whereas a significant decrease for PGE2 was observed at 1 hour. The late increase in PG synthesis may be due to stimulation of the renin-angiotensin system since it was abolished in rats pretreated for 48 hours with captopril. A late increase in PG synthesis by the papilla of the treated rats also was observed. We concluded that any increase in the glomerular production of vasoconstrictor PGs could contribute to the maintenance of acute renal failure, whereas the early fall in the stimulatory effect of arachidonic acid on PGE2 synthesis could play a role in its initiation.</jats:p

Synthesis of Prostaglandins and Lipoxygenase Products by Rat Glomeruli during Development

In glomeruli isolated from adult rats, arachidonic acid (C20:4) is metabolized through at least two different pathways: the lipoxygenase and the cyclooxygenase pathway, resulting in the synthesis of 12-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid (12-HETE) and four prostaglandins (PG) respectively. Because renal blood flow (RBF) and glomerular filtration rate (GFR) increase during development, and because C20:4 metabolites are implicated in their local regulation, the conversion of &lt;sup&gt;3&lt;/sup&gt;H-C20:4 was studied in 3 groups of rats; group A: 4 days old, 10 g; group B: 10 days old, 25 g; group C: 60 days old, 200 g. Glomeruli mechanically isolated from blanched kidneys were incubated with 5.4 × 10&lt;sup&gt;––&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;sup&gt;8&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;i&gt;M&lt;/i&gt;&lt;sup&gt;3&lt;/sup&gt;H-C20:4. Lipoxygenase and cyclooxygenase products were extracted and resolved by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC); quantitative determination of PGs was performed by radioimmunoassay (RIA). The results are: (1) conversion of C20:4 to lipoxygenase product is predominant in comparison to cyclooxygenase products; (2) conversion of labeled C20:4 into 12-HETE is constant with age; (3) identified cyclooxygenase products, PGE&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt;, and particularly PGF&lt;sub&gt;2α&lt;/sub&gt; are maximum in group B; (4) the variation of C20:4 metabolism during development suggest that these products may be involved in the maturation and the regulation of glomerular functions.</jats:p