*2.9. Statistical Analyses*

Data were recorded onto data collection work sheets and then entered into an InForm collection and trial managemen<sup>t</sup> online platform. Descriptive statistics were used. Means (standard deviation) and medians (interquartile range) were calculated for quantitative variables and the non-parametric Friedman test was used to assess differences between measures repeated at each visit. Wilcoxon signed-rank test was used to compare paired repeated measurements between two visits. GraphPad Prism Software (version 9.0.0, San Diego, CA, USA) was used for statistical analyses.
