Birthdays are exciting for everyone. There's celebration, a cake, and balloons. But what if it goes wrong? This is what happened with Giang Pham, from Vietnam, who was celebrating her 33rd birthday on February 14, when a hydrogen balloon in her hand touched the flame from the candle on the cake and exploded on her face.

This incident was also captured on camera. The footage clearly shows how the balloon blew up as soon as it touched the flame. Her friends were shocked and can be heard gasping in the background as they saw this.

In the days following the incident, she also shared photos on her Instagram showing her bandaged face, and revealed the first-degree burns on her hand and second-degree burns on her face. However, the good news was that her vision was unaffected, though for her face to recover, it would take months.

She is now also warning others about the risks of using highly inflammable hydrogen balloons. The other alternative could be a helium balloon, which you could fly higher and they remain on the ceiling.

Health Update

She revealed that her doctor estimated up to six months for her skin to recover. She would still have to go to the hospital for dressing and treatment. Another such case happened with a woman named Tine from Australia, when on her son's 7th birthday, the balloon exploded and "shook her house". Her son was burned in the forearm.

Such incidents happen because decorators want to save the cost by replacing helium with hydrogen, which is highly inflammable.

In Healing

Giang shared that she experienced second-degree burn on her face and first-degree burn on her hands. As per John Hopkins Medicine, first degree burns affect only the epidermis, or the outer layer of skin. The burn site becomes red, painful, dry, however, there are no blisters. A mild sunburn could be an example of such a burn. This is also called superficial burns.

Whereas, second degree burns involve the epidermis and part of the dermis layer of the skin. The burn site appears red, blistered and could also be swollen and painful. This is also known as partial thickness burn.

Then comes the third degree burns, also known as full thickness burn. This destroys the epidermis and dermis and could also damage the underlying bones, muscles, and tendons. However, when the bones and muscles are burned, it could be referred to as a fourth degree burn. The burn sit appears white or charred and there is no feeling in the area since the nerve endings are destroyed.

How burns are treated?

The right way to treat a burn depends on its depth and how much of the body it covers. While minor, superficial burns can be managed at home, deeper or larger burns may need medical attention. Keep these essential guidelines in mind:

Do:

• Remove the source of the burn immediately – For example, take off clothing soaked in hot liquid to prevent further damage.
• Run cool water over the burn – This helps soothe the skin, except in cases of certain chemical burns.
• Keep the burn clean and protected – Cover it with a clean, non-stick bandage when possible.
• Seek medical help – If the burn is deeper than a superficial layer, larger than your hand, or full-thickness, see a doctor.

Don’t:

• Use home remedies like bleach or butter – These can make the burn worse.
• Apply ointments or creams on deep burns – They can trap heat and worsen the injury.
• Put ice on the burn – It can cause more damage to the skin.
• Pop blisters – This increases the risk of infection.

Knowing these simple steps can make a big difference in burn care and healing.

Low levels of vitamin D during pregnancy could be linked with a higher risk of preterm birth. The strongest link were seen among women who delivered very prematurely, according to a recent study.

Researchers from the Medical University of South Carolina studied health data from 15,506 pregnancies in which the vitamin D levels of expectant mothers measured during pregnancy.

The study, published in the Journal of Perinatology, found that women with lower levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D, the main blood marker used to assess vitamin D status, were more likely to deliver before 37 weeks.

The association was even more pronounced among women who delivered before 32 weeks, a group which is considered very preterm.

What Did The Study Find?

Of the 15,506 deliveries, 13,451 were at term, while 1,652 were moderately preterm and 385 occurred before 32 weeks. The researchers found that women who delivered preterm had lower average vitamin D concentrations than those who delivered at term. The lowest vitamin D levels were seen among women who delivered before 32 weeks.

Nearly 45% of women had a vitamin D level below 30 ng/mL at some point during pregnancy, while about 66% had levels below 40 ng/mL.

The researchers adjusted their analysis for maternal age, race and ethnicity and insurance status, and the association between higher vitamin D levels and lower odds of preterm birth remained same.

But, this was a retrospective observational study, meaning it can identify an association but cannot prove that low vitamin D itself caused an early delivery. Other factors that influence both vitamin D levels and pregnancy outcomes may also play a role.

Also read: Ferritin Face: Can Pale Skin Signal Iron Deficiency?

Vitamin D And Pregnancy

Vitamin D is best known for its role in calcium absorption and bone health, but it also plays a role in immune function, placental development and other processes involved in pregnancy.

Researchers say several biological mechanisms could potentially explain the association with preterm birth, including effects on inflammatory pathways, placental function and fetal growth.

The findings also add to previous research. A 2025 NIH-funded study involving 351 first-time mothers found that women with vitamin D levels below 40 nmol/L during the first trimester had 4.35 times the risk of preterm birth compared with women whose levels were above 80 nmol/L.

Another import aspect is that the new study shows that lower vitamin D levels are associated with earlier delivery, but it does not show that raising vitamin D levels will prevent preterm birth.

A Cochrane review found the evidence for vitamin D supplements reducing preterm birth is not certain or confirmed. The NIH's current guidance notes also state that there is insufficient evidence to recommend routine vitamin D supplementation specifically to prevent preterm birth.

The researchers say randomised clinical trials are needed to determine whether optimising vitamin D levels during pregnancy can actually reduce the risk of preterm birth.

Biotechnology company Grail's vision of detecting more than 50 cancers with one blood test may soon become a reality after it showed promise of a positive outcome with the US Food and Drug Administration staff reviewers.

According to Reuters, FDA has not raised any major concerns yet about the accuracy and of the blood test, Galleri, which is designed to capture signals from more than 50 types of cancer. The promising biomedical technology seems to be closer to a positive regulatory decision.

FDA's Stance On Galleri

Ahead of an advisory committee meeting on September 23, FDA briefing documents were released which said that reviewers had no outstanding questions regarding its accuracy, safety, overall analytical performance, and study design.

However, this does not mean the FDA has approved Galleri. External advisers will now examine whether the available evidence is sufficient to back it and approve the multi-cancer early detection test.

More About Galleri

Also read: From Remdesivir To Ventilators: COVID Patients Died Due To Hospital Protocols, Claims Whistleblower Nurse

Galleri is a type of multi-cancer early detection (MCED) test. Instead of searching for one specific cancer, it examines and analyses DNA fragments circulating in the blood for chemical patterns linked with various cancers.

If the test detects a cancer signal, it also attempts to predict where in the body that signal originated, helping doctors decide which diagnostic tests may be needed next.

The test is not meant to replace to existing cancer screening tests such as mammograms, colon cancer screening and cervical cancer screening. It is supposed to be used with existing screening methods for faster and more accurate diagnoses.

One Question Still Remains

Also read: LSD-Based Treatment Clears Second Phase 3 Trial: Could It Be The First New GAD Drug In 2 Decades?

No multi-cancer detection test is currently FDA-authorised in the US. Some are available as laboratory-developed tests, but they do not undergo the same premarket approval process.

Grail submitted Galleri for FDA premarket approval in January 2026. The application includes data from PATHFINDER 2, a US study involving more than 25,000 participants, as well as data from the large NHS-Galleri trial in the UK.

The FDA's latest briefing documents describe the test as having a favourable benefit-risk profile, but advisers have been asked to consider an important question before making their decision.

The question is does detecting a cancer signal translate into meaningful clinical benefit for patients? It's important as finding more cancers is not automatically the same as saving more lives.

Galleri Has Also Faced Questions About Early Detection

In February, Grail reported that its large UK NHS-Galleri trial did not significantly reduce the combined rate of stage III and IV cancers, the study's primary endpoint, across three screening rounds.

Later analyses reported by Grail found reductions in stage IV diagnoses during screening rounds that were held later, but the company also acknowledged that the trial did not show a statistically significant reduction in the combined primary endpoint of stage III and IV cancers.

This is why the FDA's question about whether Galleri should be considered an “early detection” test is particularly crucial.

The FDA's Molecular and Clinical Genetics Panel of the Medical Devices Advisory Committee is scheduled to review the application on September 23. The panel's recommendation will help inform the FDA. If authorised, Galleri could become the first FDA-authorised multi-cancer detection test in the US.

The COVID-19 pandemic may have ended, but memories of overwhelmed hospitals, medicine shortages, overworked healthcare workers and deaths remain fresh for many who lost loved ones.

US-registered nurse and whistleblower Kimberly Overton has claimed that some COVID-19 patients died because of hospital treatment protocols, including the use of remdesivir and ventilators.

“Patients did not die of COVID. They were killed by hospital protocols — remdesivir, ventilators, and the denial of life-saving treatments,” Overton claimed on several podcasts.

Nurses Claims Patients Died From Hospital Protocols

Overton has also described what she says she witnessed while working in an ICU during the pandemic.

“Ventilators are the new gas chambers." "I worked ICU during the pandemic... I could not watch one more of my patients needlessly die due to deadly hospital protocols."

“No bodies piling up at homes or on streets — they were dying inside hospitals from medical mismanagement and a corrupt system. This wasn't a virus. It was protocol murder”.

Overton founded the Nurse Freedom Network, a US-based organization that advocates for nurses, patients and informed consent and has amplified criticism of COVID-era hospital protocols.

Also read: Natural Origin or Lab Leak? Gabbard Reignites COVID Origins Debate, Claims Fauci Funded Wuhan Lab Research

Overton is not the first nurse to make such claims.

In 2023, Gail McCrae, who worked at a hospital in California's Bay Area, also criticized COVID-era hospital protocols and the use of remdesivir.

McCrae said remdesivir was the main medication nurses at her hospital were allowed to administer to hospitalized COVID-19 patients. She also questioned the timing of treatment, claiming patients were receiving the drug 10 to 12 days after symptoms began.

During one double shift, McCrae said she noticed an increase in “code blue” calls, referring to emergencies requiring resuscitation or immediate medical intervention.

“And nine out of 10 times those code blues were to the lower level, down to the clinic, where they were injecting people. [Two of] my colleagues did in fact go into anaphylaxis, after receiving their shots.”

What Was The Remdesivir Controversy?

Remdesivir became one of the first widely used antiviral treatments for hospitalized COVID-19 patients in the US.

Read More: COVID Hearing: US Senate Panel Votes to Hold Fauci in Contempt; Phone Records Under Review

The NIH-backed ACTT-1 trial found that remdesivir shortened recovery time, with patients recovering in a median of 10 days compared with 15 days in the placebo group. However, the WHO-led Solidarity trial found little or no effect on mortality, need for ventilation or hospital stay.

In November 2020, WHO issued a conditional recommendation against using remdesivir in hospitalized COVID-19 patients, citing insufficient evidence that it improved survival or other important outcomes.

The US FDA, meanwhile, granted full approval to remdesivir in October 2020 for certain hospitalized COVID-19 patients.

Trump Also Received Remdesivir

Read More: COVID Hearing: US Senate Panel Votes to Hold Fauci in Contempt; Phone Records Under Review

Then-US President Donald Trump was hospitalized at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center after testing positive for COVID-19 in October 2020. His treatment included remdesivir.

Dr Anthony Fauci, who led the US response to the pandemic, had earlier described remdesivir as a potential “standard of care” after early trial results showed that it reduced recovery time.

COVID Origins and Deaths

According to the WHO, more than 7.1 million COVID-19 deaths have been officially reported worldwide since the pandemic began.

However, WHO cautions that the reported figure does not necessarily reflect the actual number of deaths because countries differ in testing, definitions and reporting practices, and many have reduced or stopped reporting COVID-19 deaths.

According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than 1.2 million COVID-19 deaths have been recorded in the United States since the pandemic began.

WHO's latest data also show that COVID-19 deaths continue to be reported globally, although surveillance and reporting have declined significantly.

The origins of SARS-CoV-2 also remain under investigation. The major hypotheses include zoonotic spillover and a possible laboratory-related incident, with scientific assessments continuing to evolve.