Do trypanosoma cruzi strains cause different myocarditis patterns in infected mice?
This study supports parasite variability as a cause for the diverse cardiac outcomes observed in Chagas disease, and suggests that endothelial cells could be involved in heart infection during the acute phase.
Nicotine is a potent inhibitor of cardiac A-type K(+) channels, with blockade probably due to block of closed and open channels. This action may contribute to the ability of nicotine to affect cardiac electrophysiology and induce arrhythmias.