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New camera can see through human body

Graphic showing male digestive system illuminatedImage copyrightGETTY IMAGES
Image captionThe new camera works by detecting individual photons within the human body
Scientists have developed a camera that can see through the human body.
The device has been designed to help doctors track medical tools, known as endoscopes, during internal examinations.
Until now, medics have had to rely on expensive scans, such as X-rays, to trace their progress.
The new camera works by detecting light sources inside the body, such as the illuminated tip of the endoscope's long flexible tube.
Prof Kev Dhaliwal, of the University of Edinburgh, said: "It has immense potential for diverse applications, such as the one described in this work.
"The ability to see a device's location is crucial for many applications in healthcare, as we move forwards with minimally invasive approaches to treating disease."

'Tissues and organs'

Early tests have shown the prototype device can track a point light source through 20cm of tissue under normal conditions.
Beams from the endoscope can pass through the body, but usually scatter or bounce off tissues and organs rather than travelling straight through.
That makes it problematic to get a clear picture of where the tool is.
Doctor testing light probe used for endoscopyImage copyrightGETTY IMAGES
Image captionThe device has been designed to help doctors track medical tools known as endoscopes within the body
The new camera can detect individual particles, called photons, and is so sensitive it can catch tiny traces of light passing through tissue.
It can also record the time taken for light to pass through the body, meaning the device is able to work out exactly where the endoscope is.
Researchers have developed the new camera so it can be used at the patient's bedside.
The project - led by the University of Edinburgh and Heriot-Watt University - is part of the Proteus Interdisciplinary Research Collaboration, which is developing a range of new technologies for diagnosing and treating lung diseases.
Dr Michael Tanner, of Heriot-Watt University, said: "My favourite element of this work was the ability to work with clinicians to understand a practical healthcare challenge, then tailor advanced technologies and principles that would not normally make it out of a physics lab to solve real problems.
"I hope we can continue this interdisciplinary approach to make a real difference in healthcare technology."
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Trouble flares at Birmingham Prison

HMP Birmingham
Trouble broke out at HMP Birmingham after inmates refused to return to their cells.
The disorder was confined to one wing and involved a "small number of prisoners", according to the Prison Service.
It began just after 17:00 BST on Sunday and was resolved at 23:45. No staff or prisoners were injured.
The Prison Service said the incident did not pose a threat to the public.
HMP Birmingham, operated by G4S, was the scene of 12 hours of disorder in December 2016, which required riot teams to be deployed.
A G4S spokesman said trouble flared "after a group of prisoners refused to return to their cells" at the end of evening association.
He said: "Staff have successfully resolved disorder on one wing at HM Prison Birmingham.
"No staff or prisoners were injured during the incident and the rest of the establishment was unaffected."
One inmate, believed to be in his 20s, was taken to hospital for an unrelated medical matter.
HMP Birmingham is a Category B and C prison in the Winson Green area of the city. G4S took over running the jail from the Prison Service in 2011.
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No rate rise until 2019, economists say

Bank of EnglandImage copyrightGETTY IMAGES
Most economists do not expect UK interest rates to rise until 2019 despite inflation remaining above target, according to a BBC snapshot survey.
Most of those surveyed think the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) will be reluctant to raise rates during Brexit negotiations.
The base rate has stood at a record low of 0.25% since August 2016.
That was the first cut since March 2009, when it was reduced to 0.5%.
Last week, one MPC member, Michael Saunders, said a "modest rise" in rates was needed to curb high inflation, which stood at 2.6% in July.
In June, three of the MPC's eight members voted for a rise - the first time since May 2011 that so many had wanted to tighten policy.
The same month the Bank's chief economist, Andy Haldane, also made a call for a rate rise this year.
However, Mark Carney, the Bank governor, said in his Mansion House speech in late June that "now is not yet the time" to start raising rates once more.
Mark CarneyImage copyrightGETTY IMAGES
Image captionBank of England Governor Mark Carney has cast doubt on an imminent interest rate rise
Stuart Green, of Santander Global Corporate Banking, told the BBC he did not expect a rate hike to happen before 2019.
"We believe that policymakers will be reluctant to tighten monetary policy until greater clarity emerges around the UK's post-EU trading framework, and our expectation of declining inflation through 2018 should also reduce the pressure for an interest rate rise," he said.
Others expect it to be even longer, with economists at Morgan Stanley not expecting any movement until March 2019 at the earliest, with Andrew Goodwin at Oxford Economics suggesting it would not happen until the third quarter of that year.
Similarly, Fabrice Montagne, at Barclays, expects rates to stay on hold until "at least 2019".
But there are those who argue that the Bank will raise rates sooner. Howard Archer, chief economic adviser at the EY ITEM Club, said he had one increase, to 0.5%, pencilled in for late 2018, adding: "I would not be at all surprised if it was delayed until 2019."
Michael Lee, at Cambridge Econometrics, expects a rise to come in either the second or third quarter of next year as he thinks inflation will stay above the Bank's 2% target for the next two to three years.
Philip Rush, at Heteronomica, is more specific, settling on May 2018.
The one outlier is George Buckley at Nomura, who expects the MPC to jump in November.

Inflation

The BBC also asked the economists when they expect inflation to peak in the UK. Both Mr Rush and Mr Archer think it will hit 2.9% in October, with the latter predicting it will then start to fall back "as the impact of the sharp drop in sterling following the June 2016 Brexit vote increasingly wanes".
Several others, such as Mr Green, Mr Lee and Mr Goodwin, expect inflation to hit 3% in the final three months of the year before starting to retreat.
Morgan Stanley is more pessimistic, however, predicting a peak of 3.2% in Spring 2018.
Cash

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Trump administration sued over transgender military ban

A sign is pictured with picketers outside the White House on Saturday "gay vet supporting trans rights"Image copyrightAFP
Image captionThe US President said transgender people should not serve in the military 'in an capacity'
The American Civil Liberties Union has filed a legal challenge to US President Donald Trump's directive banning transgender service personnel.
The case was filed on behalf of six serving transgender members of the armed forces.
Mr Trump signed a memo to reinstate a ban on transgender people serving on Friday, after announcing it on Twitter last month.
The policy was lifted by Barack Obama's administration last year.
The ACLU argues that the ban is discriminatory and violates constitutional guarantees of equal protection.
It described the ban as "cruel" and being based on "myths and stereotypes" and a "desire to harm transgender people".
It was the second lawsuit announced on Monday, after a separate complaint was filed on behalf of LGBT groups and three other transgender individuals. Two sought to join the armed forces, and a third is already a serving member.
Between 4,000 and 10,000 US active-duty and reserve service members are believed to be transgender.
On a statement on the ACLU website, Joe Block, a senior staff lawyer for the ACLU's LGBT & HIV Project said: "Each and every claim made by President Trump to justify this ban can be easily debunked by the conclusions drawn from the Department of Defence's own review process.
"Allowing men and women who are transgender to serve openly and providing them with necessary health care does nothing to harm military readiness or unit cohesion."
a protestor holds a Image copyrightAFP
Image captionLGBT activists have held a number of demonstrations against the military ban
One of the listed plaintiffs in the case has served in the US navy for 11 years, including a stint in Afghanistan.
She, like thousands of others, has been left in limbo after President Trump left Defence Secretary Jim Mattis to decide whether to retain existing transgender recruits.
The recruitment ban was justified on grounds of cost and the memo halts the use of government funds for sex-reassignment surgery for active personnel.
The justification was heavily criticised when it was revealed the US military spent ten times as much on erectile dysfunction medication as it does on transgender healthcare.
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