Fig. 1

Mediation analysis illustrating the indirect effect of acetylcarnitine on the relationship between IgD⁺ CD24⁺ atypical cells (AC) and ischemic stroke (IS). The path coefficients indicate a significant mediation effect, with 13.6% of the total effect mediated through acetylcarnitine (95% CI: 0.8–26.3%). Statistical significance was observed in the mediation path (p = 0.037)