Statistical analysis
Continuous variables were expressed as mean ± standard deviation (SD). Differences within groups were compared using paired t-test. An independent sample t-test was used to compare the differences between the two groups. Non-normally distributed parameters were expressed as the median with an interquartile range (IQR) and compared by Mann-Whitney U-tests. Categorical variables were expressed as numbers and percentage values, and compared using chi-square or Fisher’s exact test. A 2-tailed P-value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS version 25.0 software (IBMCorp., Armonk, NY, US).