Helen Linhong Zhang

Journal article Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol · April 24, 2026 OBJECTIVE: Racial and ethnic disparities in healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) could have significant implications for hospital-based incentive programs. We sought to quantify racial and ethnic disparities in HAIs across inpatients in the United State ... Full text Link to item Cite

Cumulative Tenofovir Exposure Among Patients With HIV/Hepatitis B Coinfection With Differential Viral Suppression.

Journal article Clin Infect Dis · September 26, 2024 This case-control study explored cumulative tenofovir exposure among patients with human immunodeficiency virus/hepatis B virus (HIV/HBV) coinfection with HIV viral suppression. Among patients taking tenofovir disoproxil fumarate, median TFV-DP levels in d ... Full text Link to item Cite

A 7-year analysis of attributable costs of healthcare-associated infections in a network of community hospitals in the southeastern United States.

Journal article Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol · January 2024 We calculated the attributable cost of several healthcare-associated infections in a community hospital network: central-line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSIs), catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTIs), hospital-onset Clostridioides ... Full text Link to item Cite

Risk Factors for Recurrence of Community-Onset Urinary Tract Infections Caused by Extended-Spectrum Cephalosporin-Resistant Enterobacterales.

Journal article Open Forum Infect Dis · December 2023 BACKGROUND: Extended-spectrum cephalosporin-resistant Enterobacterales (ESCrE) are an increasingly important cause of community-onset urinary tract infections (UTIs), including recurrent infections. We evaluated risk factors for recurrence among patients w ... Full text Link to item Cite

Characterization of resistance to newer antimicrobials among carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae in the post-acute-care setting.

Journal article Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol · July 2023 We assessed susceptibility patterns to newer antimicrobial agents among clinical carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (CRKP) isolates from patients in long-term acute-care hospitals (LTACHs) from 2014 to 2015. Meropenem-vaborbactam and imipenem-releb ... Full text Link to item Cite

Severe acute respiratory coronavirus virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) surface contamination in staff common areas and impact on healthcare worker infection: Prospective surveillance during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

Journal article Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol · January 2023 We prospectively surveyed SARS-CoV-2 RNA contamination in staff common areas within an acute-care hospital. An increasing prevalence of surface contamination was detected over time. Adjusting for patient census or community incidence of coronavirus disease ... Full text Link to item Cite

Risk Factors for Colistin-Resistant Carbapenem-Resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae in the Postacute Care Setting.

Journal article Open Forum Infect Dis · September 2022 We assessed risk factors for colistin resistance among carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (CRKP) from 375 patients in long-term acute care hospitals. Recent colistin or polymyxin B exposure was associated with increased odds of colistin resistance ... Full text Link to item Cite

The Impact of Reported β-Lactam Allergy on Clinical Outcomes and Antibiotic Use Among Solid Organ Transplant Recipients.

Journal article Open Forum Infect Dis · August 2022 BACKGROUND: Reported β-lactam allergies (BLAs) are common and frequently inaccurate, but there are limited data on the clinical implications of BLA among solid organ transplant (SOT) recipients. We examined the impact of BLA on clinical outcomes and antibi ... Full text Link to item Cite

SARS-CoV-2 RNA persists on surfaces following terminal disinfection of COVID-19 hospital isolation rooms.

Journal article Am J Infect Control · April 2022 We evaluated the effect of terminal cleaning on SARS-CoV-2 RNA contamination of COVID-19 isolation rooms in an acute care hospital. SARS-CoV-2 RNA was detected on 32.1% of room surfaces after cleaning; the odds of contamination increased with month. The pr ... Full text Link to item Cite

Real-world clinical outcomes of meropenem/vaborbactam for treatment of carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales infections.

Journal article J Glob Antimicrob Resist · December 2021 OBJECTIVES: Real-world data regarding the effectiveness of meropenem/vaborbactam (MVB) in the treatment of carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales (CRE) infections remain limited. In this retrospective case series, we describe the outcomes of patients who re ... Full text Link to item Cite

Knowledge, Perceptions, and Attitudes Regarding Antibiotic Use for Lower Respiratory Tract Infections: Insights from Patients in Sri Lanka.

Journal article Am J Trop Med Hyg · September 27, 2021 Antibiotic resistance is an emerging global public health threat. One of the main drivers of this threat is the inappropriate use of antibiotics. In Sri Lanka, antibiotic consumption is increasing, but little is known locally about how patients perceive an ... Full text Link to item Cite

Point-prevalence survey of outpatient antibiotic prescription at a tertiary medical center in Sri Lanka: opportunities to improve prescribing practices for respiratory illnesses.

Journal article BMC Infect Dis · January 21, 2021 BACKGROUND: Inappropriate antibiotic use is linked to the spread of antimicrobial resistance worldwide, but there are limited systemic data on antibiotic utilization in low- and middle-income countries. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the prevale ... Full text Link to item Cite

Public Awareness of HIV Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis in Durham, North Carolina: Results of a Community Survey.

Journal article N C Med J · 2019 BACKGROUND Adoption of HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) remains limited among populations at greatest risk for HIV acquisition. This study aims to assess awareness of PrEP among individuals in Durham, North Carolina, which has one of the highest rates o ... Full text Link to item Cite

HIV Preexposure Prophylaxis Implementation at Local Health Departments: A Statewide Assessment of Activities and Barriers.

Journal article J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr · January 1, 2018 BACKGROUND: Expanding access to HIV preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP) could help reduce rates of HIV infection in the United States. This study characterizes activities and barriers to PrEP implementation at local health departments (LHDs) in North Carolina ( ... Full text Link to item Cite

Challenges of Maintaining Good Clinical Laboratory Practices in Low-Resource Settings: A Health Program Evaluation Framework Case Study From East Africa.

Journal article Am J Clin Pathol · August 2016 OBJECTIVES: Using a clinical research laboratory as a case study, we sought to characterize barriers to maintaining Good Clinical Laboratory Practice (GCLP) services in a developing world setting. METHODS: Using a US Centers for Disease Control and Prevent ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Mixed Methods Survey of Zoonotic Disease Awareness and Practice among Animal and Human Healthcare Providers in Moshi, Tanzania.

Journal article PLoS Negl Trop Dis · March 2016 BACKGROUND: Zoonoses are common causes of human and livestock illness in Tanzania. Previous studies have shown that brucellosis, leptospirosis, and Q fever account for a large proportion of human febrile illness in northern Tanzania, yet they are infrequen ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Impaired CD8(+) T cell immunity after allogeneic bone marrow transplantation leads to persistent and severe respiratory viral infection.

Journal article Transpl Immunol · January 2015 RATIONALE: Bone marrow transplant (BMT) recipients experience frequent and severe respiratory viral infections (RVIs). However, the immunological mechanisms predisposing to RVIs are uncertain. Therefore, we hypothesized that antiviral T cell immunity is im ... Full text Link to item Cite

Diacetyl induces amphiregulin shedding in pulmonary epithelial cells and in experimental bronchiolitis obliterans.

Journal article Am J Respir Cell Mol Biol · October 2014 Diacetyl (DA), a component of artificial butter flavoring, has been linked to the development of bronchiolitis obliterans (BO), a disease of airway epithelial injury and airway fibrosis. The epidermal growth factor receptor ligand, amphiregulin (AREG), has ... Full text Link to item Cite

Hyaluronan contributes to bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome and stimulates lung allograft rejection through activation of innate immunity.

Journal article Am J Respir Crit Care Med · March 1, 2014 RATIONALE: Although innate immunity is increasingly recognized to contribute to lung allograft rejection, the significance of endogenous innate ligands, such as hyaluronan (HA) fragments, in clinical or experimental lung transplantation is uncertain. OBJEC ... Full text Link to item Cite

Severe airway epithelial injury, aberrant repair and bronchiolitis obliterans develops after diacetyl instillation in rats.

Journal article PLoS One · March 25, 2011 BACKGROUND: Bronchiolitis obliterans (BO) is a fibrotic lung disease that occurs in a variety of clinical settings, including toxin exposures, autoimmunity and lung or bone marrow transplant. Despite its increasing clinical importance, little is known rega ... Full text Link to item Cite