Sharing a smooch means sharing a lot of other things, too — namely, bacteria.

Microbiologists at the Netherlands Organization for Applied Scientific Research looked at how many microbes passed between friends and lovers after a 10-second passionate kiss.

Answer: approximately 80 million bacteria.

And the kisses linger. Scientists found that participants who were intimate (spouses, boyfriend-girlfriend) and kissed regularly (at least nine times a day) were likely to have similar oral microbiomes.

Body of Knowledge

The average American goes to the toilet (for one reason or another) six times a day.

Get Me That, Stat!

Nine in 10 adults who drink too much alcohol are not alcoholics or alcohol-dependent, according to a new study released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

Excessive drinking includes binge drinking (four or more drinks on an occasion for women, five or more drinks on an occasion for men), consuming eight or more drinks a week for women or 15 or more drinks a week for men, or any alcohol use by pregnant women or those under the legal drinking age.

Life in Big Macs

One hour of cleaning out rain gutters burns 340 calories (based on a 150-pound person), or the equivalent of half a Big Mac.

Counts

86: cases, in millions, of prediabetes in the U.S.

22.3: diagnosed cases of diabetes, in millions.

8.1: undiagnosed cases of diabetes, in millions.

222,000: cases of gestational diabetes.

10,970: average annual treatment cost, in dollars, per diagnosed patient.

4,030: average annual treatment cost, in dollars, per undiagnosed patient.

510: average annual treatment cost, in dollars, per prediabetic patient.

322: estimated total annual diabetes-related cost to nation (treatment plus lost productivity because of illness and disability), in billions of dollars.

48: how much higher, as a percentage, the total cost is compared with the same benchmark in 2007.

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Mania of the Week

Infomania: excessive devotion to accumulating facts.

Never Say Diet

The speed-eating record for flautas is 65 in 10 minutes, held by Ben Monson. No word on whether Monson felt up to flaunting his achievement after the fact.

Observation

"I used to think the brain was the most important organ. Then I thought, look what's telling me that." — Anonymous

Medical History

This week in 1982, Dr. William C. DeVries replaced the diseased heart of Barney Clark with the Jarvik-7, the first permanent artificial heart ever used for a human patient. Clark, 61, survived for 112 days. Four more Jarvik-7s were implanted in patients over the next three years, before the device was deemed only a temporary fix for patients awaiting a heart transplant.

Curtain Calls

Clement Vallandigham was an Ohio politician and lawyer defending Thomas McGehan, who had been charged with murder. While demonstrating in court how the victim might have accidentally shot himself, Vallandigham shot himself. McGehan was ultimately cleared of the murder charge, but Vallandigham died from his gunshot wound.

To find out more about Scott LaFee and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.