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).