New research has found that people living with HIV have a higher risk of sudden cardiac death than those who are not living with HIV, according to the American Heart Association.

The findings, published Wednesday in the group’s Journal of the American Heart Association, examined more than 120,000 veterans in the U.S. living and not living with HIV. Those with HIV had a 14 percent higher risk of sudden cardiac death.

That number shot to 57 percent or 70 percent for veterans with high viral loads of HIV. The 70 percent came from people with HIV whose blood tests showed antiretroviral drugs were not suppressing the virus. It increased another 50 percent for each additional heart disease risk factor — such as smoking, anemia, high blood pressure, and hepatitis C.

“People living with HIV are already known to have a higher risk of heart attack, stroke, heart failure, blood clots in the lungs and peripheral artery disease,” said Dr. Matthew Freiberg, the lead author of the study and professor of medicine at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in Nashville, Tenn.

“We know that among people with HIV, those who have a compromised immune system, for example a low total CD4+ T cell count, they seem to have a higher risk of cardiovascular disease than those who have high CD4+ T cell counts,” Freiberg added, according to a press release. “It is unclear if a compromised immune system is a risk factor for sudden cardiac death.”

Sudden cardiac death happens after the heart suddenly stops beating. This prevents blood flow to the brain and to the body’s organs, according to the American Heart Association. Death can occur in minutes if not treated.

A previous study from 2012 out of an HIV clinic in San Francisco found that sudden cardiac death was four times higher in those with HIV. This is a national study that takes into account viral loads and heart disease risk factors.

Participants were part of the Veterans Aging Cohort Study, which is a long-term, national study focusing on veterans. They were followed from 2003-2014. During that time sudden cardiac death was the cause of death for about 3,000 veterans, with 777 having HIV.

“Addressing risk factors related to both cardiovascular disease and HIV is essential to prevent the higher rates of sudden cardiac death in people with HIV,” said Dr. Zian Tseng, senior author of the study and a professor of medicine in residence at the University of California, San Francisco. “Clinicians should consider screening for specific warning signs of sudden cardiac death such as fainting or heart palpitations. And, if indicated, clinicians should request additional testing such as echocardiograms or continuous rhythm monitoring.”

The results, the researchers noted, are heavily male-focused, so it may not be as applicable to women. Moreover, the cause of death could also be due to drug overdoses, blood clots, or a stroke since the study only had a limited number of autopsies available. Autopsies, according to the researchers, are the best way to confirm the cause of death is cardiac arrest.

“In addition to HIV and cardiovascular risk factors, it is important for health care professionals to screen for and treat substance use disorders especially in people with HIV because they have a three times higher rate of overdose deaths presenting as cardiac arrest in our previous research,” Tseng said./agencies

In English, ducks say "quack quack," while they say "cua cua" in Spanish. French ducks say "coin coin."

But an Australian duck named Ripper is a little different: He calls you a "bloody fool."

Carel ten Cate, a researcher at the Institute of Biology Leiden at Leiden University in the Netherlands, began studying the vocalization abilities of musk ducks after stumbling upon a reference in a book to one of the ducks that could mimic the words "you bloody fool." Ten Cate told The Guardian he thought the story was a hoax until he heard a recording.

Ripper's "potty bill" was recorded in 1987 by Australian birder Peter Fullagar. Ripper was hatched from an egg and hand-reared, and he likely heard the phrase when he was a duckling. He can also mimic the sound of a door slamming shut.

Ten Cate speculated that, though Ripper seems to say "fool" in the recording, he could also be saying "food."

"I can imagine that the caretaker would jokingly say, ‘OK, here is your bloody food’,” he said.

Ripper is not the only musk duck known to "parrot" the sounds in his environment. A duck at Pensthorpe Natural Park in England reportedly imitated the snorting noises of a pony, and another at the Slimbridge Wetland Centre in England could mimic his keeper's distinctive cough.

The ability to recreate unfamiliar sounds is rare among animals. Only three classifications of birds are known to do so: songbirds, parrots and hummingbirds. The musk duck is the first of its species known to mimic.

"It really fascinates me because up until this point, we only thought that very specific groups of birds could mimic, and ducks were not included in that," Maria Goller, who researched the evolution of vocal mimicry in songbirds at the University of Nebraska, told USA TODAY. "Because ducks generally don't learn their vocalizations. They just kind of hatch knowing what sounds to produce."

In ten Cate's peer-reviewed study published in Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society, he argued the musk duck may have developed its ability because the ducklings are more reliant on their mothers than other species. Therefore, their development is heavily impacted by environmental factors.

Without their mothers, ducks raised in captivity form close attachments to their caretakers and begin to mimic the sounds they make.

Vocalization, which can include mimicked sounds, is also part of musk duck mating rituals.

“Males of a certain area, they come together and then they perform their displays, including the vocalization,” ten Cate told The Guardian. “The females go there and select males to mate with.”

Goller said that mating is often a driving force behind the evolution of vocal mimicry in other bird species.

"Songbirds will use mimic sounds to broaden the bandwidth of their songs, to be able to produce sounds that are maybe higher pitch or lower pitch than any of the regular sounds that species produces," she said. "That makes them more attractive to females, because it's generally harder to produce."

Ten Cate also writes in his study that the discovery may change scientists' understanding of vocal evolution.

"The findings presented here call for a more extensive and systematic study...and demonstrate the need and usefulness for a much wider and more systematic search for examples of vocal learning among [birds]," ten Cate said in the study. "In combination with [other] parameters, this will provide a basis for understanding why and how vocal production learning has evolved in certain species or groups and not in others."/US TODAY

Turkish security forces have neutralized 1,926 terrorists in domestic and cross-border operations in north of Iraq and Syria since the beginning of 2021, the Turkish national defense minister said on Saturday.

Hulusi Akar, together with the military chief and commanders of troops stationed across the border, held a meeting at the Turkish-Syrian borderline.

He wished God's mercy to all martyrs, and two Turkish soldiers killed earlier in the day in the Idlib de-escalation zone, where acts of aggression are prohibited. It was formed after an agreement between Turkey and Russia.

Akar said Turkey did not remain silent over developments in the north of Syria, and launched operations Euphrates Shield, Olive Branch and Peace Spring for the safety of its citizens and its borders.

Underlining that the military operations respects the borders and sovereign rights of Iraq and Syria, Akar said Turkey’s only target are terrorists. "It is out of the question for us to allow any formation in the south of our borders, whether it be called a ‘terror corridor’ or something else," he said.

"Had Mehmetcik (Turkish soldiers) not destroyed this terror corridor, we would have been dealing with much more multifaceted problems. The value of this must be understood very well."

Touching upon the activities in the Idlib de-escalation zone after Operation Spring Shield, Akar said: "There are agreements signed after our negotiations with the Russian Federation. We abide by these agreements. We have fulfilled our responsibilities and we continue to do so."

"We expect our interlocutors to comply with these agreements and their responsibilities here," he added. "The cease-fire here must continue, stability must be ensured as soon as possible."

A safe environment must be created for Syrians there to live in comfort and security, the defense minister said.

Syria has been mired in a vicious civil war since early 2011 when the Assad regime cracked down on pro-democracy protests with unexpected ferocity. Since then, hundreds of thousands of people have been killed and millions displaced.

On migrants, he said: "Turkey cannot tolerate a new wave of migration. We must do our best to prevent immigration. The basis of this lies in making the region safe and stable. We strive for this."/aa

Brazilian football legend Pele said he is recovering after a recent surgery to remove a tumor in his right colon.

"My friends, with each passing day I feel a little better. I'm looking forward to playing again, but I'm still going to recover for a few more days," the 80-year-old said on Instagram late Friday.

"While I'm here, I take the opportunity to talk a lot with my family and to rest. Thanks again for all the loving messages. We'll be together again soon!"

He underwent the operation on Sept. 4 after being admitted to Sao Paulo’s Albert Einstein Hospital on Aug. 31 for routine annual checkups.

One of the football greats, Pele helped Brazil win the FIFA World Cup three times in 1958, 1962, and 1970. He still has the most World Cup wins as a player./agencies

Ayman Odeh, an Arab member of Knesset ([Israel's] parliament), said Saturday the escape of six Palestinian inmates from a high-security “Israeli” prison indicates that millions of Palestinians can liberate themselves from the decades-long Israeli occupation.

"If the six prisoners can escape the narrow, crowded prison, then millions of Palestinians can stop the occupation," Odeh said in a Facebook post.

On Monday, six Palestinian inmates tunneled out of the high-security Gilboa prison in northern Israel. Israeli forces, however, have managed to capture four of them after a manhunt.

Odeh, who heads the Arab Joint List, which has six seats in the 120-member Knesset, said the jailbreak has put the issue of Palestinian prisoners in “Israeli” jails in the forefront again.

Palestinians have hailed the jailbreak as a “big victory”, while “Israelis” decried it as a major security and intelligence failure.

There are nearly 4,850 Palestinian detainees in “Israeli” jails, including 41 women and 225 children along with 540 Palestinians held without charges or trials under Israel’s administrative detention policy./agencies

Ayman Odeh, an Arab member of Knesset ([Israel's] parliament), said Saturday the escape of six Palestinian inmates from a high-security “Israeli” prison indicates that millions of Palestinians can liberate themselves from the decades-long Israeli occupation.

"If the six prisoners can escape the narrow, crowded prison, then millions of Palestinians can stop the occupation," Odeh said in a Facebook post.

On Monday, six Palestinian inmates tunneled out of the high-security Gilboa prison in northern Israel. Israeli forces, however, have managed to capture four of them after a manhunt.

Odeh, who heads the Arab Joint List, which has six seats in the 120-member Knesset, said the jailbreak has put the issue of Palestinian prisoners in “Israeli” jails in the forefront again.

Palestinians have hailed the jailbreak as a “big victory”, while “Israelis” decried it as a major security and intelligence failure.

There are nearly 4,850 Palestinian detainees in “Israeli” jails, including 41 women and 225 children along with 540 Palestinians held without charges or trials under Israel’s administrative detention policy./agencies

Three Iraqis were injured, including two policemen, in three bomb explosions in the southern Karbala province on Saturday, according to a local police officer.

Two devices exploded at a police patrol and a civilian vehicle in al-Khanafesa district, northwest of Karbala, said the officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to brief the media.

Another roadside bomb exploded on a highway in the district, he added.

There was no comment from the Iraqi authorities on the attacks, for which no group has yet claimed responsibility.

A religious city for Shia Muslims, Karbala was struck by a series of suicide bombings in past years, killing hundreds of people.

In recent months, ISIS terrorists have escalated their attacks in Iraq, especially in the area between Kirkuk, Salahuddin, and Diyala, known as the Triangle of Death.

In 2017, Iraq declared victory over ISIS by reclaiming all territories the terrorist group controlled since the summer of 2014, which was estimated to be about a third of the country’s territory. The group, however, still maintains sleeper cells in large areas in Iraq and occasionally launches sporadic attacks./agencies

The international community has displayed a “desire for engagement” with the Taliban, Pakistan’s foreign minister said on Friday.

“There is recognition of a new reality (in Afghanistan). There is awareness that engagement and dialogue are required for a better understanding that will be useful,” Shah Mahmood Qureshi said at a news conference in the capital Islamabad along with visiting Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares.

“There is desire for engagement, not a rush to recognize. People are not in a hurry; they are watching, waiting, looking at the unfolding events in Afghanistan and they have not shut their minds,” he said.

He stressed that “the world must recognize the new reality in Afghanistan and engage with it,” warning that isolation will not be helpful for Afghanistan, the region, or the world.

Qureshi urged the international community to focus on averting a humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan, while reiterating his appeal for the US to release Afghan assets frozen after the Taliban takeover on Aug. 15.

“Economic collapse in Afghanistan will not suit anyone,” he said.

Albares said Spain and the EU recognize the need to coordinate with Pakistan on the Afghan issue.

“We acknowledge the knowledge and leverage Pakistan has over Afghanistan,” said the top Spanish diplomat, terming Islamabad a “very important partner for the EU.”

“We want to work closely with Pakistan and try to shape the best future for Afghanistan,” he added.

He asserted that Spain will not leave Afghanistan and its people alone in their hour of need, and wants humanitarian assistance to reach the country provided “conditions are met.”

Albares emphasized that freedom of movement for people seeking to leave Afghanistan, particularly those who worked for international agencies, must be ensured./agencies