Provided herein according to some embodiments of the invention are aryl boronate and/or aryl diaminoboryl compounds. Also provided are methods of detecting the presence of hydrogen peroxide (H.sub.2O.sub.2) and/or other reactive oxygen species (ROS) in a cell and/or tissue by contacting the cell and/or tissue with aryl boronate and/or aryl diaminoboryl compounds. Also provided according to embodiments of the invention are methods of producing persulfides in the presence of hydrogen peroxide (H.sub.2O.sub.2) and/or other reactive oxygen species (ROS) in a cell and/or tissue by contacting the cell and/or tissue with aryl boronate and/or aryl diaminoboryl compounds.

Disclosed herein, inter alia, are compositions and methods of modulating macrophage activity. Provided is a method of treating a disease (e.g., a macrophage-associated disease, autoimmune disease, inflammatory disease, or a cancer of an organ in the intraperitoneal cavity), the method including intraperitoneally administering to a subject in need thereof a therapeutically effective amount of a nanoparticle composition or pharmaceutical composition. Provided is a silica nanoparticle non-covalently bound to a plurality of nucleic acids, wherein the silica nanoparticle has a net positive charge in the absence of the plurality of nucleic acids. Provided is a pharmaceutical composition including a nanoparticle composition as described herein, and a pharmaceutically acceptable excipient.

The present disclosure relates to methods of collecting and testing bacteria containing samples from within the gastrointestinal (GI) tract of a subject. The methods may include disposing an ingestible device in the GI tract, collecting a bacteria-containing sample from the GI tract, selectively lysing eukaryotic cells in the sample by combining the sample with a dried reagent, exposing bacteria in the sample to resazurin in the ingestible device to produce resorufin, emitting light from the ingestible device, the emitted light being filtered through an optical filter to control for scatter so that the light interacts with the resorufin to produce fluorescence, and measuring a total fluorescence from the resorufin; or a rate of change of fluorescence from the resorufin as a function of time within the GI tract of the subject; and correlating the measured parameter to a number of viable bacterial cells in the sample.

The instant invention provides near-infrared fluorescent biological contrast agents and methods of using them.

The compounds provided herein are phenoxazines that can be used as far red to near-infrared nerve-sparing fluorescent compounds in medical procedures.

This invention provides novel oxazine-based, water soluble fluorophore compounds useful in in vivo nerve imaging, as well as compositions comprising them and methods for their use.

Nerve-specific fluorophore formulations of Formula (I) for direct or systemic administration are described. The formulations can be used in fluorescence-guided surgery (FGS) to aid in nerve preservation during surgical interventions.

##STR00001##

This invention concerns novel oxazine-based fluorophore compounds useful in in vivo nerve imaging, as well as compositions comprising them and methods for their use.

The invention relates to novel luminescent compositions of matter containing a fluorophore, synthetic methods for making the compositions, macromolecular conjugates of the compositions, and the use of the compositions in various methods of detection. The invention also provides kits containing the compositions and their conjugates for use in the methods of detection.

Certain aspects of the present invention relates to microcapsules comprising a core; and a hydrophobic, cross-linked polymeric shell, as well as method for making and using same. Some embodiments of the present invention relate to microcapsules comprising a core; and a hydrophobic, cross-linked polymeric shell. These microcapsules can be used in a variety of applications, including agriculture, encapsulation of food ingredients, health care, cosmetics (e.g., perfumes, detergents, and sunscreen), coatings (e.g., paints and pigments), additives, catalysis, and oil recovery.