Statistical analysis
The continuous variables were expressed as means±standard errors in Figure 4, otherwise as means±standard deviation. Categorical variables were summarized as proportions. The differences in the categorical variables across the patient groups were examined with the use of the Pearson Chi-Square test. A one-way analysis of variance was used to compare the normally distributed variables across the groups, and it was followed by a post hoc pairwise comparison with a Tukey–Kramer test. A two-way analysis of variance for repeated measures was used to compare the time-course curves of the ACT. All statistical analyses were performed with the use of JMP software version 13.0 (SAS Institute, Cary, NC, USA). A P value of <0.05 was considered significant.