Statistical methods
SD
The normality of the continuous data was tested using the Shapiro–Wilk test. Normally distributed data were expressed as a Mean ± SD, while non-normally distributed data were expressed as a Median (interquartile ranges [IQR] xx to yy). Count data were expressed as numbers or percentages. The between-group comparison was performed using an independent t-test for normally distributed measurement data, and the Mann–Whitney U test for non-normally distributed measurement data. For count data, the between-group comparison was performed using chi-square analysis. 