IL6 and infection: SAI patients had significantly higher IL-6 (Std.MD 2.35; 95%CI 0.82–3.89; P=0.003) and IL-10 (Std.MD 1.08; 95%CI 0.09–2.06; P=0.03) levels compared to stroke patients without infection within 48h after stroke onset (Figure 1a-b).