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.

There’s a new update in Novo Nordisk Vs Eli Lilly lawsuit over weight loss ads. On Monday, a US judge ruled in favour of Eli Lilly, rejecting Novo Nordisk’s request to block the Zepbound maker’s advertisements. The Danish drugmaker claimed that those advertisements were false and misleading, which affected markets with tens of billions of dollars of annual sales.

Eli Lilly Can Continue Running Ads Amid Novo Nordisk’s Lawsuit

US District Judge Zahid Quraishi in Trenton, New Jersey, said that Novo Nordisk must not receive a preliminary injunction, as they have failed to prove that Eli Lilly's ads threatened their sales, marred its goodwill, or caused irreparable damage to clinical reputation.

Talking about Novo Nordisk's claim of irreparable harm, Quraishi said they were "inadequate to warrant ⁠the extraordinary relief it seeks."

Quraishi also said that Novo Nordisk's case is "less than persuasive" based on a "very preliminary record.” Not considering these merits, the judge passed the ruling after a two-day hearing in August.

In his 25-page decision, Quraishi said that even though Novo Nordisk's witnesses were reliable, Eli Lilly's ads had a negligible market impact between April and July. The judge also said that Novo Nordisk's business remained stable.

The judge also said that monetary compensation could help Novo Nordisk if it faces any "nontrivial harm" due to absence of ⁠injunction.

Novo Nordisk had reported combined sales of about $32 billion for obesity medicines and Ozempic in 2025, according to the court papers. The drugmaker intends to regain market share in the United States for its injectable obesity drugs, a market that could exceed $100 billion by the end of the decade.

According to Reuters, Novo Nordisk said, “While we are disappointed with the court’s decision, today's ruling did not decide the question of whether Lilly's advertising is false and misleading, and this litigation is still ongoing. Everyone deserves clear, accurate and up-to-date information when making decisions about their health.”

Denying any wrongdoing, Eli Lilly said it welcomed the court’s decision.

Also read: GLP-1 Drugs Ozempic, Zepbound Use Rises 24-Fold Among American Women After Childbirth

What Is The Lawsuit About?

In July, Danish drugmaker Novo Nordisk had filed a lawsuit against Eli Lilly in the US District Court in New Jersey, alleging the company violated federal and state false advertising and unfair competition laws, including the Lanham Act, through nationwide advertising campaigns for its obesity drug Zepbound and diabetes treatment Mounjaro, according to media reports.

Alleging that Eli Lilly’s ads used outdated comparisons,Novo claims Lilly's advertisements:

• Compared the highest approved doses of Zepbound and Mounjaro with lower doses of Novo's Wegovy and Ozempic.
• Omitted data on the newer 7.2 mg dose of Wegovy, which, as per Novo, delivers greater weight loss.
• Relied on older clinical trial data that no longer reflects current approved dosing.

Eli Lilly rejected the allegations, saying its advertisements accurately reflect findings from its SURMOUNT-5 clinical trial. According to the company:

• The study, completed in 2024, compared 10 mg and 15 mg doses of Zepbound with 1.7 mg and 2.4 mg doses of Wegovy.
• Novo's 7.2 mg Wegovy received US FDA approval only in March 2026, after the trial had concluded.

More About GLP-1 Therapies

Also read: Eli Lilly's Experimental GLP-1 Pill Shows Promising Weight Loss

In December 2025, the World Health Organization (WHO) issued its first guideline on the use of GLP-1 therapies for obesity, describing the condition as a chronic, relapsing disease affecting more than 1 billion people worldwide.

It recommends GLP-1 therapies may be used for long-term obesity treatment in adults, excluding pregnant women. Treatment should be combined with structured lifestyle interventions, including a healthy diet, regular physical activity, and behavioral support to improve outcomes.

Dr. Vivek Bindal, Principal Director & Head at Max Institute of Minimal Access, Bariatric & Robotic Surgery, said, “Newer anti-obesity medicines, including GLP-1-based and related therapies, have significantly expanded the options available to patients. They can support meaningful weight loss and improve metabolic health when combined with appropriate nutrition, physical activity and behavioural support.”

An experimental cancer drug being developed by pharmaceutical giant Merck has extended survival by almost seven months in women with advanced or recurrent endometrial cancer, according to results from a late-stage clinical trial. The treatment also reduced the risk of cancer progression or death compared to standard chemotherapy.

The findings were presented at the 2026 European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Congress and published in The Lancet. The drug, sacituzumab tirumotecan, also known as sac-TMT, was tested in patients whose cancer had returned or progressed after previous treatment.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted the drug for priority review. Their decision is expected by June 2027, although the company hopes that the drug approval could arrive sooner than expected.

Findings From The Trial

Also read: 'Contraceptive Coil Saved My Life': UK Woman's Persistent Abdominal Pain Led Her To Ovarian Cancer Diagnosis

The Phase 3 TroFuse-005 trial enrolled 776 patients with advanced endometrial cancer that had returned. Participants were randomly assigned to receive either sac-TMT or chemotherapy, consisting doxorubicin or paclitaxel.

Patients receiving sac-TMT had a median overall survival of 19 months, compared to 12.1 months among those receiving chemotherapy. This represents a 6.9-month difference in median survival and a 32% reduction in the risk of death.

The experimental treatment also showed improvement in progression-free survival, which measures how long patients live without their cancer worsening. Median progression-free survival was 7.2 months with sac-TMT, compared to 3.9 months with chemotherapy, representing a 41% reduction in the risk of disease progression or death.

Tumours shrank in 35.1% of patients receiving sac-TMT, compared with 17.3% in the chemotherapy group.

“Sac-TMT demonstrated an improvement in overall survival of almost seven months for women with endometrial cancer who progress following treatment with platinum-based chemotherapy and anti-PD-1 therapy,” said Dean Y. Li, president of Merck Research Laboratories.

The findings are particularly relevant for patients whose disease progresses after platinum-based chemotherapy and immunotherapy, limiting their treatment options.

How Does Sac-TMT Work?

Also read: Women Are Travelling To Mexico For Endometriosis Surgery As Canada Is Doing A 'Poor' Job At Providing Care

Sac-TMT belongs to a class of medicines called antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs). These treatments combine an antibody that recognises a target on cancer cells with a drug designed to kill them.

Sac-TMT targets TROP2, a protein found on the surface of many cancer cells, including endometrial tumours. After binding to its target, the drug delivers a cancer killing payload that damage the tumour cells.

It aims to direct treatment towards cancer cells, but it does not eliminate the possibility of side effects in healthy tissues. Merck is developing sac-TMT in partnership with Chinese biotechnology company Kelun-Biotech, which discovered the drug.

Side Effects Of Sac-TMT

The survival benefit came with a higher rate of severe treatment-related side effects. Grade 3 or higher treatment-related adverse events occurred in 54.4% of patients receiving sac-TMT, compared to 41.4% of those undergoing chemotherapy.

Common serious adverse events included anaemia and neutropenia, a reduction in neutrophils, the white blood cells that help the body fight infections. About 3.1% of patients in the sac-TMT group stopped the treatment because of side effects. The findings highlight the need to weigh the survival benefit against treatment risks.

Endometrial cancer develops in the lining of the uterus and is among the most common gynaecological cancers. Advanced or recurrent disease can be difficult to treat, particularly when it progresses after chemotherapy and immunotherapy.

The researchers believe the trial results could help expand treatment options for this group of patients. “Based on discussions with the FDA, the company is hopeful for an approval before the PDUFA date to bring sac-TMT to patients as quickly as possible,” Li said.

An experimental CAR-T cell treatment has reportedly helped people with stiff person syndrome regain mobility. Some patients even reported not needing walking aids any longer. But new safety concerns have also emerged after Bristol Myers Squibb disclosed a patient's death in a separate early-stage trial of CAR-T therapy for another autoimmune condition, multiple sclerosis.

The developments highlight both the promise and the risks of using these engineered immune cells that are being used to treat autoimmune diseases, rather than cancer.

Science News reported the improvements on October 22, while Reuters reported the death on October 23

CAR-T Therapy Helps Patients With Stiff Person Syndrome Walk Again

Also read: Trump Signs Women’s Health Order: Melania’s 5 Pillars of Innovation Explained

Stiff person syndrome (SPS) is a rare, progressive neurological autoimmune disease that causes severe muscle stiffness, painful spasms and difficulty in walking. Some patients experience sudden spasms that can lead to falls and injuries.

Lynn Montgomery-Haga, who had lived with the condition for about a decade, struggled to walk even short distances and often relied on a walker or wheelchair. After receiving an experimental CAR-T therapy called mivocabtagene autoleucel, or miv-cel, in 2024, her mobility improved significantly.

“I’m just really excited about the future,” Montgomery-Haga told Science News.

Her experience reflects findings from a clinical trial led by neurologist Amanda Piquet at the University of Colorado Anschutz.

One year after treatment, patients continued to show improvements in mobility and disability. Of the 12 participants who needed walking aids during their initial 25-foot walking test, eight completed the follow-up test without one, marking a positive finding.

Piquet told Science News, “You could see that she was walking with a lot more confidence.”

The therapy uses a patient's own T cells, which are modified to recognise and target B cells involved in driving the autoimmune response. The goal is to remove the harmful cells and allow the immune system to rebuild with healthier ones, an approach often described as an “immune reset.”

“It’s revolutionary to think how far things have gone,” said Carl June, a University of Pennsylvania immunologist and oncologist known for his pioneering work on CAR-T cancer treatments.

However, researchers still need longer follow-up and more patient data to understand how reliable the benefits are and what risks may occur.

Bristol Myers Squibb Reports A Patient Death

Also read: 43% Of Women With Autoimmune Diseases Say They Were Told It Was ‘All In Their Head’: Lancet

The safety questions became more pressing after Bristol Myers Squibb disclosed that a patient in its Phase 1 trial of another CAR-T therapy, zolacabtagene autoleucel (zola-cel), died after developing septic pneumonia.

The patient had highly active relapsing multiple sclerosis and developed delayed motor symptoms after receiving the therapy. The symptoms did not respond to treatment. The patient later received high-dose chemotherapy and died from septic pneumonia the following day, 44 days after the CAR-T infusion.

A company spokesperson told Reuters that the patient had “a late onset side effect, a series of other complications and was heavily pretreated prior to CAR T, confounding our ability to determine the root cause of the issue.”

The trial enrolled 66 people with relapsing or progressive forms of multiple sclerosis. Bristol Myers Squibb said most reported side effects were brief and reversible. It also said no additional severe side effects had been reported across its autoimmune CAR-T programmes, which had treated 190 patients in early-stage studies.

The company is working with the US FDA to restart studies, with enrolment targeted to resume in early 2027.

The Findings Need To Be Interpreted Carefully

The two developments involve different CAR-T products and separate clinical trials. The death reported in the zola-cel study does not establish that miv-cel carries the same risk, but it reinforces the need for close safety monitoring.

CAR-T therapy can cause serious complications, including overactive immune system, neurological toxicity and infections. These risks need to be considered when it comes to autoimmune diseases, where patients may otherwise live with their conditions for years and have existing treatment options.

“It’s very important not to oversell it,” said Marc Scherlinger, a rheumatologist at Strasbourg University Hospital, in the Science News report.