Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) is a highly contagious and severe infectious disease caused by the PRRS virus (PRRSV). PRRS is characterized by reproductive disorders in sows and respiratory dysfunction in pigs. Non-structural protein 7 (NSP7) is one of the most conserved functional proteins in PRRSV, and it plays an important role in viral replication and humoral immune responses in infected hosts. This review discusses the biological characteristics of NSP7 to provide theoretical support for its application in PRRS diagnosis, novel vaccine design, and therapeutic drug development.

Introduction: Neuropathic pain severely affects patients' quality of life. Limited treatments offer relief but often involve long-term use and side effects. Objectives: This study aimed to explore the electroacupuncture (EA) and subanesthetic alfaxalone (ALF) combination as a novel therapeutic substitute for the treatment of neuropathic pain in a spared nerve injury (SNI) mouse model. Methods: Sixty healthy C57BL/6 male mice were randomized into 5 equal-sized groups: sham (n = 12) group, spared nerve injury (SNI; n = 12) group, SNI-ALF (n = 12), SNI-EA (n = 12), and SNI-EA-ALF (n = 12). The SNI mice received the treatment regimens at 8 days postoperatively once every 2 days for 7 treatments in total. The mechanical and thermal pain thresholds were tested after each treatment. Spinal cord samples were collected after the fourth and seventh treatments for detection of diazepam-binding inhibitor (DBI) and γ-aminobutyrate A1 isoform receptor (GABAA1). Results: Mice in the SNI-EA-ALF group showed a significant increase in mechanical and thermal pain thresholds as compared to those in the SNI-ALF and SNI-EA groups during the treatment period (P < 0.05). A significant increase in GABAA1 expression was observed after the fourth and seventh treatments in the SNI-EA-ALF group compared to the SNI-ALF and SNI-EA groups (P < 0.05). In addition, the DBI expression level was significantly lower in the SNI-ALF-EA group than the SNI, SNI-ALF, and SNI-EA groups (P < 0.05). Conclusion: Our results support the use of EA, combined with ALF, to synergistically relieve pain in preclinical models of NP.