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

U.S. to Publish Prescription Drug Costs

Data comparing the prices of most prescription drugs will soon be available on the U.S. government's Medicare Web site, The New York Times reported Monday.

The information -- often a guarded secret among the drug manufacturers -- will include price comparisons by dosage. Consumers, whether Medicare beneficiaries or not, will be able to view competing brand-name and generic drugs for treating the same condition, like high cholesterol, the newspaper reported.

The information posted on the Medicare Web site, www.Medicare.gov, will include availability of the medications at nearby pharmacies, based on the visitor's zip code. It will offer access to pricing information for more than 60,000 medications sold at nearly 75,000 pharmacies nationwide.

People who don't have access to the Internet or aren't comfortable using it will be able to call a toll-free number, 1-800-MEDICARE, to obtain the information, the Times reported. Both the Internet and phone services are scheduled to debut later this month.

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Gene Isolated for Bowel Disease

The gene that causes a painful bowel condition called Crohn's disease has been isolated by a team of researchers from the University of Toronto, according to the April 11 online edition of the journal Nature Genetics.

The findings should make it easier to readily distinguish between Crohn's and a similar inflammatory bowel disease, ulcerative colitis, the researchers said in a prepared statement.

Crohn's -- most often diagnosed in people 18 to 25 years old, though it's becoming more common in those in their late 50s -- occurs when an inflamed intestinal tract begins to form sores and bleed easily, causing debilitating pain. Repeated flare-ups often lead to long-term use of medication, repeated hospitalizations, and surgery.

According to lead researcher Dr. Katherine Siminovitch, even with the new findings, relatively little is known about the causes of Crohn's. Development of better therapeutic drugs is still years away, she said.

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How Many Carbs Does Your Scotch Contain?

The national obsession with counting carbs may soon extend to your favorite rum, scotch or gin, according to the Associated Press.

Liquor producers have received U.S. government approval to voluntarily include carbohydrate and calorie information on their labels, which could begin in a matter of months, the wire service reported.

In announcing the decision, the U.S. Treasury's Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau said the term "low-carbohydrate" may only be used among alcoholic beverages that contain fewer than 7 grams of carbohydrates per serving. The bureau said it reserved the right to change this standard over time.

The new rules do not permit manufacturers of distilled spirits and other alcoholic beverages to claim that low-carb varieties can play a role in weight maintenance or weight reduction, a bureau spokesman told the AP.

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Ephedra Sales Ban Set to Begin

Sales of the herbal stimulant ephedra become illegal in the United States on Monday, barring a last-minute reprieve from a federal judge.

The Associated Press reports that the maker of one ephedra supplement called Stacker 2, NVE Pharmaceuticals of New Jersey, filed a lawsuit last month seeking to overturn the ban, at least temporarily. The company contends that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has no proof that the stimulant is dangerous when used as directed.

The FDA announced the ban in December and urged consumers to stay away from ephedra, which the agency said was linked to 155 deaths and numerous heart attacks and strokes.

The FDA has a higher standard to meet for supplements than it has for drugs; drugs must be shown to be safe and effective before they are approved, while the government must show that supplements are dangerous before they can be removed from the market.

A judge is expected to issue a ruling Monday on the company's request for a temporary restraining order, the AP reported.

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Airline Passengers Possibly Exposed to Measles

Passengers on flights from Asia to the West Coast may have been exposed to measles from children adopted in China.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that nine of 12 children who were adopted by American families showed signs of measles or a measles-like illness, and three were infectious. The families stayed together while traveling to the United States, the CDC reported.

Specifically, passengers aboard the following flights, all on March 26, may have been exposed: United Airlines flight 862 from Hong Kong to San Francisco, Cathay Pacific flight CX872 from Hong Kong to San Francisco, United Airlines flight 476 from San Francisco to Seattle, and United Airlines flight 794 from San Francisco to Seattle.

Because most Americans have either been vaccinated or have had measles, the risk of getting the disease is low, according to the CDC. However, the agency says that anyone who develops a fever or rash by April 16 should be investigated for measles.

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Experts Worried About Obesity Surgery

Health experts and insurance companies are becoming increasingly concerned about the safety, cost, and effectiveness of surgery to combat obesity.

The Washington Post reports that the so-called "stomach stapling" operations, which are in high demand, are being performed too routinely on people who could and should be losing weight without taking drastic measures.

The operations force people to eat less by reducing the size of their stomachs, but many hospitals and surgeons are performing them without adequate training, experts told the Post.

There is also deep concern about scattered reports of deaths and severe complications from the operations, the newspaper says. The number of surgeries rose from about 16,000 a year in the early 1990s to an estimated 103,000 in 2003, and that figure is expected to rise to 150,000 this year.

Insurance companies are feeling the pinch, the Post reports. The surgery costs about $25,000, and some told the paper that younger people could lose weight through diet and exercise instead.

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