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

Baldness Remedy May Lie in Stem Cells

Scientists have figured out how to use stem cells to make bald mice grow hair, which they say could ultimately lead to a similar treatment for people.

University of Pennsylvania researchers, reporting in the April issue of the journal Nature Biotechnology, say they used so-called "blank-slate" stem cells. This type of stem cell differs from embryonic cells -- harvested from live human embryos that are destroyed in the process -- that have sparked a political debate in the United States.

In this experiment, by contrast, "blank-slate" stem cells were taken from the hair follicles of other adult mice and implanted into the bald mice, the Associated Press reports. The study appears to confirm what scientists had suspected for years -- that the "blank-slate" stem cells give most people a full head of hair for life, the wire service says.

About $1 billion a year is spent in the United States combating baldness, the AP reports. But even with their latest research, a cure for people may still be several years away, the scientists caution.

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Americans Go Abroad for Banned Fertility Procedure

An experimental fertility procedure in which part of one woman's egg is implanted into another is banned in the United States, forcing infertile couples who want to try the treatment to travel overseas, CNN reports.

Cytoplasmic transfer involves taking the cytoplasm -- a jelly-like substance that holds a cell's contents -- from a healthy donor egg and implanting it into an infertile woman's egg. The donor portion gives the egg the properties it needs to survive, but doesn't determine any physical traits, CNN reports.

Some doctors expressed concern that three pieces of human DNA in one embryo could cause birth defects, leading to a U.S. government ban of the procedure in 2001. While many U.S. fertility experts say the ramifications of the treatment remain a mystery, others say openly that they've tried it in countries where it's still legal.

The network cites fertility specialist Dr. Michael Fakih, who says he's delivered seven healthy babies from the procedure. The report didn't specify how many times Fakih had attempted the treatment.

CNN cited a couple who wanted a second child after previously conceiving a healthy baby by the treatment in the United States before the ban. The couple reportedly spent $10,000 to try again -- this time at Fakih's clinic in Lebanon. The second attempt proved unsuccessful.

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Obesity Drug May Inhibit Prostate Cancer

The anti-obesity drug Xenical (orlistat) appears to inhibit the growth of cancerous prostate tumors, according to researchers at the Burnham Institute in La Jolla, Calif.

Prostate cancer cells appear to be spurred by fatty acid synthase, an enzyme that converts dietary carbohydrates to fat, the scientists say. Xenical inhibits production of fatty acid synthase, and also appears to inhibit tumor growth in lab mice. Additional experiments found that the drug had no detectable effects on normal prostate cells and no apparent side effects, according to a media statement provided by the nonprofit institute.

Preliminary research indicates the drug may have a similar role in preventing cancers of the breast and colon, the researchers report.

Results of their findings appear in the March 15 edition of the journal Cancer Research.

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Ashcroft Sent Home from Hospital

U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft was released from George Washington University on Sunday, 10 days after he was admitted with a case of gallstone pancreatitis.

Ashcroft, 61, left the hospital about noon, according to a Justice Department statement. While he recovers at home, Deputy Attorney General James Comey will continue to run the Department, the statement said.

Ashcroft entered the hospital with severe abdominal pain. On March 9, doctors removed his gall bladder, which contained several gallstones that had doctors worried that his pancreatitis would return.

After the stones are removed and inflammation goes away, the pancreas usually returns to normal, according to the National Institutes of Health. Some people have more than one attack and recover completely after each attack.

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Critics: U.S. Fight Against Obesity Under-funded

The U.S. government declared war on obesity last week, releasing a study finding that the nation's girth was on its way to becoming the top preventable cause of death and unveiling a campaign to get Americans more active.

Critics see the plan, however, as having more bark than bite, the Chicago Tribune reports. That's because, they say, the campaign is grossly under-funded -- especially when compared to the advertisements of companies that promote less-than-healthy eating.

For instance, the Tribune notes, the campaign has messages urging Americans to get rid of their love handles by exercising more and eating better. But they are not commercials but public service announcements, and as such rely on the good will of broadcasters and advertisers; there's no guarantee that they will air.

"This administration talks a lot about obesity and physical inactivity," Margo Wootan, director of nutrition policy at the Center for Science in the Public Interest, told the Tribune. "But it's all talk and very little action. They're not putting money towards programs."

The paper says that it's hard to state exactly what the U.S. government spends on fighting obesity since the campaign is spread throughout many agencies. Still, critics say it comes nowhere near what private industry spends. "The education campaign, whatever it is, goes up against $34 billion in food industry advertising a year," Marion Nestle, a New York University nutritionist, told the paper. "One million dollars or $2 million isn't even the ad budget for Altoids mints."

Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson, who is spearheading the campaign, makes no apologies for asking for free media exposure. "It's tight times," he said.

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Companies Vie to Create Cholesterol 'Superpill'

Researchers are close to a breakthrough pill that would both raise "good" cholesterol, and hope to create a "superpill" that, at the same time, would also lower the "bad" cholesterol.

The Boston Globe reports that Pfizer, Inc., is in late-stage clinical trials on a medicine that would raise high-density lipoprotein (HDL), the "good" cholesterol that helps clear the arteries and rid the body of low-density lipoprotein (LDL), the "bad" cholesterol. The drug giant has spent $1 billion on the drug since the early 1990s, the Globe reports.

Pfizer makes Lipitor, the world's top-selling prescription drug, which lowers LDL. The company hopes to capitalize on its success and that of the HDL-raising medication and combine them into one "superpill," the Globe reports.

Pfizer isn't alone, though. The newspaper says that a Japanese company is also working on a drug that would raise HDL, and a Massachusetts firm is trying to develop a vaccine that would turn the trick.

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