Extraordinary claims for new stroke treatment . . . and other research

The article addresses two medical studies. The first pragmatic study conducted across five countries compared balanced crystalloids (Ringer's solution, Plasma-Lyte, or Hartmann's solution) with 0.9% saline in children treated for septic shock. The research found higher rates of hyperchloraemia in the 0.9% saline group, however, there was no difference between groups in the primary outcome of major adverse kidney events after 30 days. The second part focuses on neuroprotective and neurorepair drugs such as loberamisal, which could theoretically improve outcomes in acute ischaemic stroke. However, the history is characterized by repeated failures of hundreds of promising agents in clinical trials.