Indeed, there is a large body of evidence that, in experimental models, over-expression of TNF-α in the myocardium is related to adverse cardiac effects such as postinfarct remodelling and ventricular dilatation [4], transition from hypertrophic to dilated cardiomyopathy due to apoptosis [5] and impaired postischaemic functional recovery [6]. Here, TNF is linked to dilated cardiomyopathy.