Daneshmand, M. A. | Search bioRxiv

bioRxiv2026

TernTables: A Statistical Analysis and Table Generation Web Interface for Clinical and Biomedical Research

Clinical research dissemination is frequently hindered by administrative friction and methodological inconsistency. To address these barriers, we developed TernTables, a freely available, open-source web application (https://www.tern-tables.com/) and R package (https://cran.r-project.org/package=TernTables) that streamlines the transition from raw data to formatted results for descriptive and univariate clinical reporting. The system integrates a client-side screening protocol for protected health information (PHI) with a rule-based decision tree that selects and executes appropriate frequency-based, parametric, or non-parametric statistical tests based on data distribution and class. TernTables generates publication-ready summary tables in Microsoft Word format, complemented by dynamically generated methods text and the underlying R code to ensure complete transparency and reproducibility. Validation using a landmark clinical trial dataset demonstrated concordance with established biostatistical approaches for descriptive and univariate analyses. TernTables is designed to supplement, not replace, formal statistical consultation by standardizing routine descriptive and univariate workflows, allowing biostatistical expertise to be focused on complex analyses and study design. By lowering technical and financial barriers, the platform democratizes access to rigorous statistical workflows while maintaining methodological excellence and reducing "researcher degrees of freedom."

bioinformatics↗

bioRxiv2023

Beyond Alternans: Detection of Higher-Order Periodicity in Ex-Vivo Human Ventricles Before Induction of Ventricular Fibrillation

BackgroundRepolarization alternans, defined as period-2 oscillation in the repolarization phase of the action potentials, is one of the cornerstones of cardiac electrophysiology as it provides a mechanistic link between cellular dynamics and ventricular fibrillation (VF). Theoretically, higher-order periodicities (e.g., period-4, period-8,...) are expected but have very limited experimental evidence. MethodsWe studied explanted human hearts, obtained from the recipients of heart transplantation at the time of surgery, using optical mapping technique with transmembrane voltage-sensitive fluorescent dyes. The hearts were stimulated at an increasing rate until VF was induced. The signals recorded from the right ventricle endocardial surface just before the induction of VF and in the presence of 1:1 conduction were processed using the Principal Component Analysis and a combinatorial algorithm to detect and quantify higher-order dynamics. ResultsA prominent and statistically significant 1:4 peak (corresponding to period-4 dynamics) was seen in three of the six studied hearts. Local analysis revealed the spatiotemporal distribution of higher-order periods. Period-4 was localized to temporally stable islands. Higher-order oscillations (period-5, 6, and 8) were transient and primarily occurred in arcs parallel to the activation isochrones. DiscussionWe present evidence of higher-order periodicities and the co-existence of such regions with stable non-chaotic areas in ex-vivo human hearts before VF induction. This result is consistent with the period-doubling route to chaos as a possible mechanism of VF initiation, which complements the concordant to discordant alternans mechanism. The presence of higher-order regions may act as niduses of instability that can degenerate into chaotic fibrillation.

biophysics↗