With all of the talk and concern about injuries caused by contact sports like football, American parents have increasingly turned to a different kind of "futbol" — soccer. Youth soccer leagues have grown steadily in popularity, and so too has the rise in soccer-related injuries, according to a new study in the journal Pediatrics.

Sprains and strains are the most common injuries, followed by fractures and soft-tissue injuries. Older kids (ages 12 to 17) account for most injuries: 72.7 percent. Boys are more often hurt than girls. The leading causes of injury were being struck, either by the ball or another player or by falling.

Can We Talk? Can we Talk to Someone Else?

A survey of 55 studies around the world of sex education courses offered between 1990 and 2015 reveals nothing most folks already didn't know: They tend to be viewed by students as, uh, largely unhelpful.

Researchers found a common theme in the courses was abstinence, but also a pervading sense among students that the lessons were out of touch with reality. "Schools appear to struggle to accept that some young people are sexually active," write the researchers, who will publish their findings soon in the journal BMJ Open.

According to the survey, students said their teachers were often embarrassed or ill-equipped to teach the subject. Many wished an outside health professional could be brought in to do the job.

Body of Knowledge

As babies, we are approximately 75 to 80 percent water, the percentage declining with age. Adult men are 60 to 65 percent water; adult women 50 to 60 percent. The human brain is 85 percent water; our bones between 10 and 15 percent.

Life in Big Macs

One hour of working as a masseuse burns 272 calories (based on a 150-pound person) or the equivalent of 0.4 Big Macs.

Counts

500: Estimated number of for-profit stem cell clinics in the United States

5,000 to 20,000: Range, in dollars, for stem cell treatment

0: Number of FDA-approved stem cell-based products, other than cord blood-derived hematopoietic progenitor cells for certain indications

Source: Food and Drug Administration

Doc Talk

Osteocephaly: boneheaded

Phobia of the Week

Acerophobia: fear of sourness

Never Say Diet

The Major League Eating record for sliced ham is 2 pounds, 10 ounces in 5 minutes, held by Seaver Miller. No word on whether the victorious Miller hammed it up after so much hamming down.

Best Medicine

A patient shows up in a hospital emergency room.

Doctor: "What is it that's brought you here?"

Patient: "An ambulance. Why?"

Observation

"I went to the doctor and he said I had acute appendicitis. I said, 'Compared to whom?'" —Humorist Jay London

Self-exam

Q: What is the maximum number of words a person can read per minute?

A: Normal reading with normal comprehension is around 200-230 words per minute. Skimming can raise this total to 700 wpm with loss in comprehension. Professional speed reading contestants claim routine speeds of 1,000-2,000 wpm (at 50 percent comprehension), with the world record holder Anne Jones once measured at 4,700 wpm (67 percent). There are speedier claims, but none proven. At Jones' rate, she could allegedly read the entire Bible in a little over 2.5 hours.

Sum Body

The five basic human survival needs are:

—Oxygen: Generally speaking, a person deprived of oxygen for more than three to four minutes suffers brain death; after five to six, they are dead. This is the most absolute and fixed of needs.

—Water: How long someone survives without water depends upon the individual and circumstances, but typically in comfortable surroundings, an adult can last roughly a week with little or no water.

—Food: Like water, how long one can live without food depends upon a lot of variables, but is generally measured in a few weeks to a few months.

—Shelter: Again, this is dependent upon the surrounding environment, but hypothermia — a decline in core temperature — can be deadly. A person's normal temperature in 98.7 degrees Fahrenheit. If the core temperature drops to 91.4, a person slips into unconsciousness. At 86 degrees, the body loses the ability to control internal temperature. At 82.4 degrees, complete muscle failure. At other end of the spectrum, a temperature of 107.6 degrees results in central nervous system breakdown. At slightly over 111 degrees, the brain overheats and causes death.

—Sleep: After two nights without sleep, hallucinations begin. After five, serious mental health effects occur. There are estimates that 14 days and nights without sleep will result in death, though some experimenters have survived shorter sleepless periods.

Curtain Calls

In 1975, the Japanese kabuki actor Bando Mitsugoro VIII died of severe food poisoning after consuming four fugu (pufferfish) livers. The livers are considered a great delicacy, but also contain high concentrations of tetrodotoxin, which is poisonous. Mitsugoro claimed to be immune to the poison and the fugu chef felt he could not refuse the celebrated actor. Fugu liver consumption was temporarily banned in Japanese restaurants, but is now permitted under stringent control — in part to protect declining fugu fish populations. Chefs must undergo a three-year apprenticeship to receive a license to prepare the fish. Farm-raised fugu fish are less toxic because they are kept away from contaminating bacteria.

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.