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Article History

Received: 26 January 2025

Accepted: 1 May 2025

First Online: 9 May 2025

Declarations

:

: This study was conducted in accordance with the ethical principles outlined in the Declaration of Helsinki and was approved by the Research Ethics Committee of Tehran University of Medical Sciences (TUMS) (Ethical code: IR. TUMS.VCR.REC. 1399.446 updated 1403.446). Written and verbal informed consent was obtained from all participants prior to their enrollment in the study.

: Written informed consent for publication was obtained from all participants in this study.

: The authors declare no competing interests.

: Not applicable.

: During the preparation of this work, the authors utilized DeepSeek—an AI-powered editing tool designed to assist with language refinement—exclusively for non-substantive copy editing. This included minor adjustments to sentence structure, grammar, punctuation, and readability to align with formal academic standards. DeepSeek was not employed at any stage for conceptual content generation, data analysis, interpretation of results, or formulation of conclusions. The tool’s role was strictly limited to enhancing clarity and coherence of pre-existing, human-authored text. All AI-assisted edits were reviewed, modified where necessary, and approved by the authors to ensure fidelity to the original scientific content, accuracy of terminology, and preservation of the study’s intent. This use complies with BMC’s guidelines for AI-assisted editing and does not involve generative AI applications.