Statistical analysis
Comparisons between continuous variables were evaluated by the Student’st ‑test for independent samples, and proportions were compared with the chi‑squared test or the Fisher’s exact test. Comparisons between baseline and after‑treatment periods were drawn by Repeated Measures of General Linear Model analysis. Outcomes in the CON group and the HCA group were analyzed by the multivariate analysis. ROC curve was used to calculate the cut-off, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of the optimal cut-off value, respectively. All analyses were completed with SPSS version 23 software. All tests for statistical significance were two‑tailed and were calculated under the assumption of a type I error being smaller than 0.05 (p<0.05). Data are presented within one standard deviation of mean.