*2.6. Statistical Analysis*

Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS 22.0 for Windows (IBM Corporation, Armonk, New York, NY, USA). Data are expressed as mean ± SD, median, or percentage. Two-way comparisons were performed using the unpaired t-test for parametric variables and the Mann–Whitney test for nonparametric variables. Categorical variables were compared using the χ<sup>2</sup> test or Fisher's exact test. Spearman correlation analysis were used to determine the relationships between fungi, clinical outcomes, and cytokines. Correlation matrix plot were produced in R using the ggplot2 package. We performed mediation analysis using the SPSS PROCESS macro, version 2.16 (model 4), developed by Hayes [17]. All statistical tests were two-sided, with *p* < 0.05 considered to indicate statistical significance.
