Should I cut the dried leaves at the bottom?

If the problem was fixed, the blotching and yellowing stopped spreading, and the plant started to grow again then you could remove any dead (little to no green left on it) foliage! Since the chlorophyll is gone (which is responsible for the green color and for photosynthesis) there's no real reason to keep that leaf. It's also best to remove those leaves to prevent any pest/fungi damage (like powdery mildew or fungus gnats). *About topping the same goes for it, if there's no more stress/problems with the plant growth then you can top her, if not I'd suggest avoid any stress to the plant until it is solved. Hope this helps! Good luck and happy growing :)