IMPORTANCE Pediatric palliative care treats patients with a wide variety of advanced illness conditions, often with substantial levels of pain and other symptoms. Clinical and research advancements regarding symptom management for these patients are hampered by the scarcity of data on symptoms as well as an overreliance on clinician report. OBJECTIVE To provide a detailed description of the symptoms among patients receiving pediatric palliative care based on parental report via a validated, structured symptom assessment measure. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS Baseline data for this cross-sectional analysis were collected between April 10, 2017, and February 5, 2020, from pediatric palliative care programs in 7 children's hospitals located in Akron

The number of overdose deaths are on the rise all over the world. An estimate of 93,000 drug overdose deaths have been estimated in the United States in 2020. COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the drug crisis. Factors, such as existing health disparities among underserved communities, lack of resources for people of color, lack of belief in available resources, social isolation and economic burden, limited access to treatment, regulatory barriers in telehealth, and stress from the on-going COVID-19 pandemic have been identified as some of the key factors behind the acute health effects of people with substance use disorder. These interrelated factors exacerbate the impact of already existing disparities in the underserved communities. Policy and regulatory changes around telehealth and access of treatment for substance use disorder are warranted. Evidence-based strategies and other safer drug practices should be implemented to mitigate the impact on human health. Investment in programs that increase access to treatment, will be useful for potential future pandemics, where increasing mental health services and overall access to healthcare in disadvantaged communities would lessen the disparities in physical and mental ailments. In this review, we are evaluating and summarizing the acute health effects of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic on individuals with substance use disorder.

Introduction: Substance use disorders (SUDs) are complex interactions between various genetic, environmental, developmental, and social factors. Yoga is recommended as a nonmainstream treatment for many health conditions, including SUDs.Methods: Five databases were searched for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that evaluated yoga as an intervention in adults with any type of substance use disorder. The interventions being studied included Hatha yoga, Sudarshan Kriya yoga, breathing yoga exercises, and meditation. Studies, where yoga was combined with other interventions were excluded. The effect of yoga as an intervention was analyzed using primary outcomes such as anxiety, pain, and craving. Eight RCTs met the eligibility criteria, and quality analysis was conducted using the Cochrane criteria.Results: Among the 8 final studies eligible for quality analysis, 2 had undefined substance use, while the others were focused on tobacco, alcohol, or opioids. Seven out of 8 studies showed significant results and improved primary outcomes such as anxiety, pain, or substance use. Seven out of the 8 studies showed significant positive outcomes using yoga in conjunction with other pharmacological treatment modalities like opioid substitution therapy.Conclusions: Six out of 8 studies showed low concerns, while 2 studies showed some concerns about the risk of bias judgment. Although the results look encouraging, RCTs with larger sample size are needed to better evaluate the effectiveness of yoga as a treatment modality for substance use.