Free Republic

VD for Valentine’s Day? In case you needed a reason to stay celibate this weekend, there’s a sexually transmitted fungus making the rounds and leaving its mark. Experts say the public should be aware of the nation’s “largest known outbreak” of Trichophyton mentagrophytes genotype VII. Known as TMVII, the nasty business is the only known fungal-based sexually transmitted infection. Cases of TMVII have been on the rise in Europe for the past several years, especially among men who have sex with men. In 2024, an NYC man became the first reported US case of TMVII, and it seems the icky...

Published in the medical journal Neurology, researchers found that participants who were more active during a specific window of the day had an increased risk of dementia, a condition characterized by declines in memory, language, reasoning and problem-solving skills. Guided by the brain and influenced by light exposure, circadian rhythm is a roughly 24-hour cycle that determines when we become sleepy and when we’re more alert. In addition to regulating sleep and wake cycles, it also regulates hormones, body temperature and digestion.