Health Highlights: Nov. 21, 2008

Nov. 22 -- Here are some of the latest health and medical news developments, compiled by editors of HealthDay:

N.P.R. Radio Host Has Ties to Drug Makers: Report

Between 2000 and 2007, the psychiatrist who hosts National Public Radio's "The Infinite Mind" received at least $1.3 million giving lectures for drug makers, a connection that wasn't mentioned on the program.

In his shows, Dr. Frederick K. Goodwin often discussed topics linked to the commercial interests of the companies for which he consults, The New York Times reported. For example, in a Sept. 20, 2005, program he told his audience that untreated bipolar disorder in children could lead to brain damage, a controversial opinion. Goodwin then told his audience that "modern treatments -- mood stabilizers in particular -- have been proven both safe and effective in bipolar children," the newspaper said.

On the same day, drug maker GlaxoSmithKline paid Goodwin $2,500 to give a promotional lecture for a mood stabilizer drug. In 2005, Goodwin made more than $329,000 promoting that drug, the Times said.

National Public Radio wouldn't have aired Goodwin's program if his ties to drug companies were known, Margaret Low Smith, vice president of N.P.R., told the Times. She said "The Infinite Mind" will be removed from N.P.R.'s satellite service next week, the earliest possible date.

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Forward-Facing Strollers Stress Babies

Using forward-facing strollers may cause babies emotional distress because they aren't getting face-to-face contact with their parents, according to researchers at Dundee University in Scotland.

The researchers studied nearly 3,000 parent-infant pairs and found that 25 percent of parents using rear-facing strollers spoke to their babies, more than twice as many as parents using forward-facing strollers. The researchers also found that babies in rear-facing strollers had lower heart rates and were twice as likely to fall asleep than those in forward-facing ones, Agence France Presse reported.