Ethics approval and consent to participate
The study protocol was approved by the Ethical Committee of Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (JEP-2020–620). The study was conducted as a single-masked randomized controlled trial. Prior to inclusion, participating patients read and signed the informed consent after the investigators had provided a thorough explanation of the study procedure and its associated risks and benefits. All methods were carried out in accordance with relevant guidelines and regulations.