Bayesian Nonparametric Dimensionality Reduction of Categorical Data for Predicting Severity of COVID-19 in Pregnant Women

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has rapidly spread throughout the world and while pregnant women present the same adverse outcome rates, they are underrepresented in clinical research. We collected clinical data of 155 test-positive COVID-19 pregnant women at Stony Brook University Hospital. Many of these collected data are of multivariate categorical type, where the number of possible outcomes grows exponentially as the dimension of data increases. We modeled the data within the unsupervised Bayesian framework and mapped them into a lower dimensional space using latent Gaussian processes. The latent features in the lower dimensional space were further used for predicting if a pregnant woman would be admitted to a hospital due to COVID-19 or would remain with mild symptoms. We compared the prediction accuracy with the dummy/one-hot encoding of categorical data and found that the latent Gaussian process had better accuracy.

The impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on birth satisfaction in a prospective cohort of 2,341 U.S. women.

PROBLEM: Birth satisfaction is an important health outcome that is related to postpartum mood, infant caretaking, and future pregnancy intention. BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic profoundly affected antenatal care and intrapartum practices that may reduce birth satisfaction. AIM: To investigate the extent to which pandemic-related factors predicted lower birth satisfaction. METHODS: 2341 women who were recruited prenatally in April-May 2020 and reported a live birth between April-October 2020 were included in the current analysis. Hierarchical linear regression to predict birth satisfaction from well-established predictors of birth satisfaction (step 1) and from pandemic-related factors (step 2) was conducted. Additionally, the indirect associations of pandemic-related stress with birth satisfaction were investigated. FINDINGS: The first step of the regression explained 35% of variance in birth satisfaction. In the second step, pandemic-related factors explained an additional 3% of variance in birth satisfaction. Maternal stress about feeling unprepared for birth due to the pandemic and restrictions on companions during birth independently predicted lower birth satisfaction beyond the non-pandemic variables. Pandemic-related unpreparedness stress was associated with more medicalized birth and greater incongruence with birth preference, thus also indirectly influencing birth satisfaction through a mediation process. DISCUSSION: Well-established contributors to birth satisfaction remained potent during the pandemic. In addition, maternal stress and restriction on accompaniment to birth were associated with a small but significant reduction in birth satisfaction. CONCLUSION: Study findings suggest that helping women set flexible and reasonable expectations for birth and allowing at least one intrapartum support person can improve birth satisfaction.

Adverse Perinatal Outcomes Predicted by Prenatal Maternal Stress Among U.S. Women at the COVID-19 Pandemic Onset.

BACKGROUND: High stress prenatally contributes to poor maternal and infant well-being. The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has created substantial stress for pregnant women. PURPOSE: To understand whether stress experienced by women pregnant at the beginning of the pandemic was associated with a greater prevalence of adverse perinatal outcomes. METHODS: Pregnant women across the USA aged ≥18 years old enrolled in a prospective cohort study during the pandemic onset (T1) in April-May 2020. This report focuses on the 1,367 participants who gave birth prior to July-August 2020 (T2). Hierarchical logistic regression models predicted preterm birth, small for gestational age infants, and unplanned operative delivery from T1 stress, sociodemographic, and medical factors. RESULTS: After controlling for sociodemographic and medical factors, preterm birth was predicted by high prenatal maternal stress, delivering an infant small for gestational age was predicted by interpersonal violence and by stress related to being unprepared for birth due to the pandemic, and unplanned cesarean or operative vaginal delivery was predicted by prenatal appointment alterations, experiencing a major stressful life event, and by stress related to being unprepared for birth due to the pandemic. Independent of these associations, African American women were more likely than other groups to deliver preterm. CONCLUSION: Pregnant women who are experiencing high stress during the COVID-19 pandemic are at risk of poorer perinatal outcomes. A longitudinal investigation is critical to determine whether prenatal maternal stress and resulting outcomes have longer-term consequences for the health and well-being of children born in the midst of the current pandemic.

A case report of co-infection with rhinovirus and SARS-CoV-2 in pregnancy

A novel betacoronavirus, SARV-COV-2, was first reported in China on December 31, 2019. Since that time, the number of cases worldwide has grown exponentially. Because this coronavirus was newly described in the human population, strategies to combat spread, to test appropriately, and to identify those at higher risk for severe disease changed frequently as understanding evolved.This is a report of a case that demonstrate that coinfection with SARS-CoV-2 is possible and likely more common than initially projected. The patient is a 28-year-old G2P1001 at 31 weeks and four days gestation that presented with a 5-day history of high fevers, cough, myalgias, malaise and headache. Patient was diagnosed with Rhinovirus/Enterovirus, admitted for supportive care, and no longer considered a person under investigation for COVID19 because of her positive respiratory panel. Patient’s SARS-CoV-2 screen came back positive two days after her discharge from the hospital. Patient required readmission for worsening symptoms later that night, presenting with tachypnea, hypotension, and pneumonia. Patient was successfully discharged home on hospital day six.Co-infection with other respiratory viruses happens more than originally thought, therefore going forward protocols should be cognizant of this. When patients present with symptoms suspicious of COVID-19, he or she should be tested regardless of the status of the respiratory viral panel, including influenza.

Vulnerability and resilience to pandemic-related stress among U.S. women pregnant at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

RATIONALE: Women pregnant during the COVID-19 pandemic are experiencing moderate to high levels of emotional distress, which has previously been shown to be attributable to two types of pandemic-related pregnancy stress: stress associated with feeling unprepared for birth due to the pandemic (Preparedness Stress) and stress related to fears of perinatal COVID-19 infection (Perinatal Infection Stress). OBJECTIVE: Given the well-documented harms associated with elevated prenatal stress and the critical importance of developing appropriately targeted interventions, we investigated factors predictive of pandemic-related pregnancy stress. METHOD: Between April 25 and May 15, 2020, 4,451 pregnant women in the U.S. were recruited via social media to complete an online questionnaire that included sociodemographic, medical, and COVID-19 situational factors, as well as the Pandemic-Related Pregnancy Stress Scale (PREPS). Binary logistic regression was used to calculate odds ratios for high stress. RESULTS: Nearly 30% of participants reported high Preparedness Stress; a similar proportion reported high Perinatal Infection Stress. Abuse history, chronic illness, income loss due to the pandemic, perceived risk of having had COVID-19, alterations to prenatal appointments, high-risk pregnancy, and being a woman of color were associated with greater levels of one or both types of stress. Access to outdoor space, older age, and engagement in healthy behaviors were protective against stress. CONCLUSIONS: Practices that may alleviate pandemic-related stress such as minimizing disruptions to prenatal care, ensuring access to outdoor space, and motivating engagement in health behaviors are of vital importance. Particular attention is needed for more vulnerable populations including women of color, women with a history of abuse, and those with high-risk pregnancy. Research focused on the short and longer-term impact of pandemic-related pregnancy stress on maternal mental and physical health, perinatal outcomes, and child development is critical to identify these effects and marshal appropriate resources to reduce them.