Unraveling implicit human behavioral effects on dynamic characteristics of Covid-19 daily infection rates in Taiwan

by Ting-Li Chen, Elizabeth P. Chou, Min-Yi Chen, Fushing Hsieh

We investigate the dynamic characteristics of Covid-19 daily infection rates in Taiwan during its initial surge period, focusing on 79 districts within the seven largest cities. By employing computational techniques, we extract 18 features from each district-specific curve, transforming unstructured data into structured data. Our analysis reveals distinct patterns of asymmetric growth and decline among the curves. Utilizing theoretical information measurements such as conditional entropy and mutual information, we identify major factors of order-1 and order-2 that influence the peak value and curvature at the peak of the curves, crucial features characterizing the infection rates. Additionally, we examine the impact of geographic and socioeconomic factors on the curves by encoding each of the 79 districts with two binary characteristics: North-vs-South and Urban-vs-Suburban. Furthermore, leveraging this data-driven understanding at the district level, we explore the fine-scale behavioral effects on disease spread by examining the similarity among 96 age-group-specific curves within urban districts of Taipei and suburban districts of New Taipei City, which collectively represent a substantial portion of the nation’s population. Our findings highlight the implicit influence of human behaviors related to living, traveling, and working on the dynamics of Covid-19 transmission in Taiwan.

Risk factors of ectopic pregnancy after in vitro fertilization-embryo transfer in Chinese population: A meta-analysis

by Yanbo Wang, Li Chen, Yuan Tao, Mengqian Luo

Background

The prevalence of ectopic pregnancy after assisted reproduction is notably high, posing a significant threat to the life safety of pregnant women. Discrepancies in published results and the lack of a comprehensive description of all risk factors have led to ongoing uncertainties concerning ectopic pregnancy after assisted reproduction.

Objective

This study aimed to understand the risk factors for ectopic pregnancy after in vitro fertilization-embryo transfer in the Chinese population and provide a reference for targeted prevention and treatment.

Methods

A comprehensive search of the China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wang fang Database, China Science Technology Journal Database, Chinese Biomedical Literature Database, PubMed, Web of Science, and Embase was conducted to identify relevant literature on the risk factors for ectopic pregnancy in Chinese women after assisted reproductive technology in Chinese women. A meta-analysis of the included studies was performed using Stata17.

Results

Overall, 34 articles were included in the analysis. The risk factors for ectopic pregnancy after in vitro fertilization-embryo transfer in the Chinese population included a thin endometrium on the day of HCG administration and embryo transplantation, a history of ectopic pregnancy, secondary infertility, a history of induced abortion, polycystic ovary syndrome, decreased ovarian reserve, tubal factor infertility, cleavage stage embryo transfer, fresh embryo transfer, artificial cycle protocols, elevated estradiol levels on the day of human chorionic gonadotropin administration, a history of tubal surgery, two or more number of embryo transfers, previous pregnancy history, and a history of pelvic surgery.

Conclusion

This study clarified the factors influencing ectopic pregnancy after in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer in the Chinese population, focusing on high-risk groups. Targeted and personalized intervention measures should be adopted to prevent and detect the disease early to reduce its incidence and harm.

Trial registration

The protocol for this view was registered in PROSPERO (CRD42023414710).