Statistical Analysis
Dates were analyzed using SPSS (version 25.0) software. Normality tests were conducted for measurement data, where normal data were expressed as the mean and standard deviation, while the t-test was used for comparison between two groups. Data that did not conform to normality were expressed as the median and interquartile, and the Wilcoxon rank sum test was used to compare the differences in serum MMP3 levels between the 2 groups. Statistical significance was set at P < 0.05.