Statistical Analysis
Continuous characteristics were analyzed using the two-sample t-test or the Mann-Whitney U test, whereas categorical characteristics were examined using the chi-square test or Fisher's exact test. R (version 4.0.0) and Python were utilized to conduct statistical analyses (version 3.6). Normally distributed data are expressed as the mean ± SD, and non-normally distributed data are presented as the mean and standard deviation, which are used to describe data that follow a normal distribution, while the median is used to describe data that do not (interquartile range). The significance value for all tests was set at p<0.05, and all tests were conducted using a two-tailed approach.