-lrb- cnn -rrb- -- our winter blues are about to turn pink ! this year 's national cherry blossom festival starts in washington on thursday . the annual event attracts more than a million people from across the country and abroad . the festival is starting on the first day of spring , as always , but peak bloom is predicted to be later this season because of the brutal winter in the d.c. area . `` we 're really excited to welcome spring with all this winter weather , '' said danielle davis , a festival spokeswoman . the national park service says peak bloom , the day when 70 % of the blossoms of the yoshino cherry trees around the tidal basin are open , is forecast to fall between april 8 and 12 . the average peak bloom date for the past 21 years has been march 31 . holders sevilla will take on fiorentina for a place in this season 's europa league final . retaining the title will see the spanish club win the competition for a record fourth time , although overcoming la viola will be a big ask . fiorentina overcame tottenham , roma and dynamo kiev en route to the last four and have home advantage for the second leg . the other tie sees rafael benitez 's napoli take on dnipro dnipropetrovsk of ukraine for a place in the warsaw final , which takes place on may 27 . here 's how the draw unfolded ... by . fiona macrae science correspondent . published : . 13:03 est , 9 october 2013 . | . updated : . 03:10 est , 10 october 2013 . a breakthrough by british scientists has been hailed as a turning point in the fight against alzheimer 's disease . as one of the largest springtime festivals in the united states , the start of cherry blossom season may finally mean old man winter is retiring for the year . if you ca n't make a trip to the nation 's capital to see these delicate flowers , then you 're in luck , because we 've got a collection of beautiful blossom photos from previous years to share with you . -lrb- see the gallery in high resolution here . -rrb- . the landmark study also raises the prospect of new drugs for other brain conditions , including parkinson 's and motor neurone disease . it may even be possible to create one pill that treats several diseases . the work is still at an early stage but is described as the first real evidence that it is possible to use a drug to stop diseased brain cells from dying . a breakthrough by british scientists has been hailed as a turning point in the fight against alzheimer 's disease . professor roger morris , of king 's college london , said : ` this finding , i suspect , will be judged by history as a turning point in the search for medicines to control and prevent alzheimer 's disease . ' the draw for the europa league semi-finals was made on friday morning at uefa 's headquarters in nyon . host commentator . in alzheimer 's disease , which affects 500,000 britons , brains are clogged up by a sticky , ` mis-folded ' protein . most scientists are trying to find drugs that break up the toxic protein and clear it from the brain , but the latest study , from scientists funded by the medical research council , tackled the problem in a different way . rather than trying to declog the brain , they looked at how mis-folded proteins damage it . in much the same way as a deck-chair needs to be opened and closed in a certain way , the proteins in our cells have to be folded in a certain way if they are to work properly . research on mice showed that mis-shapen proteins do not directly kill brain cells . instead , cells die because in a misguided attempt to protect themselves , they stop making new proteins -- including some vital for their survival . well , that was brief . our semi-final line-up is complete , though , and the prospect of an all italian final in warsaw on may 27 is still there . i 'm sure sevilla and dnipro will have something to say about that . anyway , the main event is up next . join me for the champions league semi-final draw . the reigning champions against the other italian side in the competition is our second semi-final . that 's the first tie out of the hat ... once again uefa 's second club competition has thrown up an interesting mix in the last four , and today sevilla , napoli , fiorentina and dnipro will all learn who they face in the semi-finals of the europa league . the researchers showed it was possible . to give mice a drug that switches protein production back on , and stops . brain disease in its tracks . treated mice stayed symptom-free , while untreated animals developed . memory and movement problems and eventually died , the journal science . translational medicine reports . lead scientist giovanna mallucci , of the . university of leicester , said : ` it was very striking . the treated mice . were completely protected . more importantly , their brains were . completely protected . ' the work is still at a very early stage but is described as the first real evidence that it is possible to use a drug to stop diseased cells from dying . image shows the structural abnormalities of alzheimer 's . the tests were on the mis-folded brain protein called a prion which . in today 's draw we have two serie a sides , three time europa league winners sevilla and ukrainian surprise package dnipro . causes scrapie , a fatal , degenerative disease that affects the nervous . systems of sheep and goats . but it is thought a similar process is . the draw for the last four is coming up very shortly , but why not join me for build-up to the champions league draw right now . behind several other brain diseases , including alzheimer 's , motor . neurone and parkinson 's diseases . however , the drug had severe side-effects and any new treatments for people are at least a decade away . prof morris said : ` this is the first convincing report that a small . drug , of the type most conveniently turned into medicines , stops the . progressive death of neurons in the brain as found , for instance , in . alzheimer 's disease . ` true , this study has been done in mice , not in man ; and it is a prion disease , not alzheimer 's , that has been cured . ` but there is considerable evidence that the way neurons die in both diseases is similar . ' professor hugh perry , chairman of the mrc 's neuroscience and mental . health board , said : ` despite the toxicity of the compound used , this . study indicates that , in mice at least , we have proof of principle of a . therapeutic pathway that can be targeted . ` this might eventually aid the development of drugs to treat people . suffering from dementias and other devastating neurodegenerative . diseases . ' dr eric karran , of alzheimer 's research uk , said : ` targeting a mechanism . relevant to a number of degenerative diseases could yield a single drug . with wide-reaching benefits . ` however , what is true in animals does not always hold true in people . and the ultimate test for this compound will be to see whether it is . safe and effective in people with these diseases . '
the study also raises the possibility of new drugs to treat brain conditions like parkinson 's and motor neurone disease , as well as alzheimer 's . in alzheimer 's , brains are clogged up by mis-folded protein . researchers found cells die because in a misguided attempt to protect themselves from mis-folded proteins they stop making new protein . drugs can be used to switch protein production back on preventing symptoms developing , but currently they cause severe side effects .
prevent alzheimer 's disease . ' the draw for the europa league semi-finals was made on friday morning at uefa 's headquarters in nyon . host commentator . in alzheimer 's disease , which affects 500,000 britons , brains are clogged up by a sticky , ` mis-folded ' protein . most scientists are trying to find drugs that break up the toxic protein and clear it from the brain , but the latest study , from scientists funded by the medical research council , tackled the problem in a different way . rather than trying to declog the brain , they looked at how mis-folded proteins damage it . in much the same way as a deck-chair needs to be opened and closed in a certain way , the proteins in our cells have to be folded in a certain way if they are to work properly . research on mice showed that mis-shapen proteins do not directly kill brain cells . instead , cells die because in a misguided attempt to protect themselves , they stop making new proteins -- including some vital for their survival . well , that was brief . our semi-final line-up is complete , though , and the prospect of an all italian final in warsaw on may 27 is still there . i 'm sure sevilla and dnipro will have something to say about that . anyway , the main event is up next . join me for the champions league semi-final draw . the reigning champions against the other italian side in the competition is our second semi-final . that 's the first tie out of the hat ... once again uefa 's second club competition has thrown up an interesting mix in the last four , and today sevilla , napoli , fiorentina and dnipro will all learn who they face in the semi-finals of the europa league . the researchers showed it was possible . to give mice a drug that switches protein production back on , and stops . brain disease in its tracks . treated mice stayed symptom-free , while untreated animals developed . memory and movement problems and eventually died , the journal science . translational medicine reports . lead scientist giovanna mallucci , of the . university of leicester , said : ` it was very striking . the treated mice . were completely protected . more importantly , their brains were . completely protected . ' the work is still at a very early stage but is described as the first real evidence that it is possible to use a drug to stop diseased cells from dying . image shows the structural abnormalities of alzheimer 's . the tests were on the mis-folded brain protein called a prion which . in today 's draw we have two serie a sides , three time europa league winners sevilla and ukrainian surprise package dnipro . causes scrapie , a fatal , degenerative disease that affects the nervous . systems of sheep and goats . but it is thought a similar process is . the draw for the last four is coming up very shortly , but why not join me for build-up to the champions league draw right now . behind several other brain diseases , including alzheimer 's , motor . neurone and parkinson 's diseases . however , the drug had severe side-effects and any new treatments for people are at least a decade away . prof morris said : ` this is the first convincing report that a small . drug , of the type most conveniently turned into medicines , stops the . progressive death of neurons in the brain as found , for instance , in . alzheimer 's disease . ` true , this study has been done in mice , not in man ; and it is a prion disease , not alzheimer 's , that has been cured . ` but there is considerable evidence that the way neurons die in both diseases is similar . ' professor hugh perry , chairman of the mrc 's neuroscience and mental . health board , said : ` despite the toxicity of the compound used , this . study indicates that , in mice at least , we have proof of principle of a . therapeutic pathway that can be targeted . ` this might eventually aid the development of drugs to treat people . suffering from dementias and other devastating neurodegenerative . diseases . ' dr eric karran , of alzheimer 's research uk , said : ` targeting a mechanism . relevant to a number of degenerative diseases could yield a single drug . with wide-reaching benefits . ` however , what is true in animals does not always hold true in people . and the ultimate test for this compound will be to see whether it is . safe and effective in people with these diseases . '
. fiona macrae science correspondent . published : . 13:03 est , 9 october 2013 . | . updated : . 03:10 est , 10 october 2013 . a breakthrough by british scientists has been hailed as a turning point in the fight against alzheimer 's disease . as one of the largest springtime festivals in the united states , the start of cherry blossom season may finally mean old man winter is retiring for the year . if you ca n't make a trip to the nation 's capital to see these delicate flowers , then you 're in luck , because we 've got a collection of beautiful blossom photos from previous years to share with you . -lrb- see the gallery in high resolution here . -rrb- . the landmark study also raises the prospect of new drugs for other brain conditions , including parkinson 's and motor neurone disease . it may even be possible to create one pill that treats several diseases . the work is still at an early stage but is described as the first real evidence that it is possible to use a drug to stop diseased brain cells from dying . a breakthrough by british scientists has been hailed as a turning point in the fight against alzheimer 's disease . professor roger morris , of king 's college london , said : ` this finding , i suspect , will be judged by history as a turning point in the search for medicines to control and prevent alzheimer 's disease . ' the draw for the europa league semi-finals was made on friday morning at uefa 's headquarters in nyon . host commentator . in alzheimer 's disease , which affects 500,000 britons , brains are clogged up by a sticky , ` mis-folded ' protein . most scientists are trying to find drugs that break up the toxic protein and clear it from the brain , but the latest study , from scientists funded by the medical research council , tackled the problem in a different way . rather than trying to declog the brain , they looked at how mis-folded proteins damage it . in much the same way as a deck-chair needs to be opened and closed in a certain way , the proteins in our cells have to be folded in a certain way if they are to work properly . research on mice showed that mis-shapen proteins do not directly kill brain cells . instead , cells die because in a misguided attempt to protect themselves , they stop making new proteins -- including some vital for their survival . well , that was brief . our semi-final line-up is complete , though , and the prospect of an all italian final in warsaw on may 27 is still there . i 'm sure sevilla and dnipro will have something to say about that . anyway , the main event is up next . join me for the champions league semi-final draw . the reigning champions against the other italian side in the competition is our second semi-final . that 's the first tie out of the hat ... once again uefa 's second club competition has thrown up an interesting mix in the last four , and today sevilla , napoli , fiorentina and dnipro will all learn who they face in the semi-finals of the europa league . the researchers showed it was possible . to give mice a drug that switches protein production back on , and stops . brain disease in its tracks . treated mice stayed symptom-free , while untreated animals developed . memory and movement problems and eventually died , the journal science . translational medicine reports . lead scientist giovanna mallucci , of the . university of leicester , said : ` it was very striking . the treated mice . were completely protected . more importantly , their brains were . completely protected . ' the work is still at a very early stage but is described as the first real evidence that it is possible to use a drug to stop diseased cells from dying . image shows the structural abnormalities of alzheimer 's . the tests were on the mis-folded brain protein called a prion which . in today 's draw we have two serie a sides , three time europa league winners sevilla and ukrainian surprise package dnipro . causes scrapie , a fatal , degenerative disease that affects the nervous . systems of sheep and goats . but it is thought a similar process is . the draw for the last four is coming up very shortly , but why not join me for build-up to the champions league draw right now . behind several other brain diseases , including alzheimer 's , motor . neurone and parkinson 's diseases . however , the drug had severe side-effects and any new treatments for people are at least a decade away . prof morris said : ` this is the first convincing report that a small . drug , of the type most conveniently turned into medicines , stops the . progressive death of neurons in the brain as found , for instance , in . alzheimer 's disease . ` true , this study has been done in mice ` targeting a mechanism . relevant to a number of degenerative diseases could yield a single drug . with wide-reaching benefits . ` however , what is true in animals does not always hold true in people . and the ultimate test for this compound will be to see whether it is . safe and effective in people with these diseases . '
-lrb- cnn -- our winter blues about turn pink! this year 's national cherry blossom festival starts washington thursday. the annual event attracts. the festival starting spring, as always peak bloom predicted later this season because the brutal winter in `` we 're really welcome spring with all this winter weather, '' danielle davis a festival spokeswoman. the national park service says peak bloom, the day 70 % of the yoshino cherry trees around the tidal basin open forecast fall between april 8 12 the average peak bloom date has march 31. holders sevilla will take fiorentina a place this season 's europa league final. retaining will see the spanish club win, although overcoming la viola will. fiorentina overcame tottenham, roma dynamo kiev en last and have home advantage. the other tie sees rafael benitez 's napoli take of for a place the warsaw final, which takes may 27. here 's how the draw unfolded... by. fiona macrae science correspondent. published :. 13:03 est, 9 october. |. updated :. 03:10 est, october. a breakthrough by british scientists has hailed alzheimer 's disease. as one the largest springtime festivals the united states, the start cherry blossom season may finally mean old man winter retiring for. if ca n't make a trip the nation 's capital these delicate flowers, in luck we a collection beautiful blossom photos previous years to -lrb- see the gallery in high resolution. -rrb-. the landmark study also raises new drugs other brain conditions, including parkinson 's. it may even create one pill treats several diseases. the work still at described the first real evidence it use a drug stop diseased brain cells. a breakthrough by british scientists has hailed alzheimer 's disease. professor roger morris, of king 's college london said ` this finding, i suspect judged history medicines control and ' the draw for the europa league semi made friday morning at uefa 's headquarters nyon. host commentator. in alzheimer 's disease, which 500,000 britons brains are clogged up a sticky, ` mis-folded ' protein most scientists trying drugs break up the toxic protein and clear,, from scientists funded the medical research council tackled rather trying declog the brain, looked mis-folded proteins damage it in a deck-chair needs opened, the proteins have folded if research on mice showed mis-shapen proteins do directly kill. instead, cells die because in a misguided attempt protect stop making new proteins -- including some vital for well, that brief. our semi-final line-up complete, though, the prospect an all italian final warsaw on may 27 is still there i ' sure sevilla and dnipro something. anyway, the main event up next. join me the champions league semi-final draw. the reigning champions against the other italian side is our second semi. that 's the first tie out the hat... once uefa 's second club competition thrown in four, today sevilla, napoli learn who face semi the europa league the researchers showed it. to give mice a drug switches protein production back, stops. brain disease in its tracks. treated mice stayed symptom, while developed. memory and movement problems and eventually died, the journal science. translational medicine reports. lead scientist giovanna mallucci, of. university leicester, said : ` it striking. the treated mice. were completely protected. more importantly, their brains. completely protected. ' the work still at is described the first real evidence it use a drug stop diseased cells dying. image shows the structural abnormalities alzheimer 's. the tests on the mis-folded brain protein called a prion which. in today 's draw we two serie a sides, three time europa league winners sevilla ukrainian surprise package dnipro causes scrapie, a fatal, degenerative disease. systems of sheep. but thought a similar process. the draw for last four is coming very shortly, why join build-up champions league draw right. behind several other brain diseases, alzheimer 's, motor. neurone and parkinson 's diseases. however, the drug had any new treatments people are at prof morris said : ` this the first convincing report a small. drug, of most conveniently turned medicines stops. progressive death of neurons as found, for. alzheimer 's disease. ` true this study done mice not man ; and a prion disease alzheimer 's that cured ` but there considerable evidence the way neurons die both diseases. ' professor hugh perry, chairman the mrc 's neuroscience mental. health board, said : ` despite the toxicity used this. study indicates, in mice at we proof principle of a. therapeutic pathway that can targeted. ` this might eventually aid drugs people. suffering dementias. diseases. ' dr eric karran, of alzheimer 's research uk, said : ` targeting a mechanism. relevant to a number degenerative diseases could yield a single drug. with wide-reaching benefits. ` however what true animals does always hold people and the ultimate test this compound will. safe and effective people these diseases. '
prevent alzheimer 's disease . ' the draw for the europa league semi-finals was made on friday morning at uefa 's headquarters in nyon . host commentator . in alzheimer 's disease , which affects 500,000 britons , brains are clogged up by a sticky , ` mis-folded ' protein . most scientists are trying to find drugs that break up the toxic protein and clear it from the brain , but the latest study , from scientists funded by the medical research council , tackled the problem in a different way . rather than trying to declog the brain , they looked at how mis-folded proteins damage it . in much the same way as a deck-chair needs to be opened and closed in a certain way , the proteins in our cells have to be folded in a certain way if they are to work properly . research on mice showed that mis-shapen proteins do not directly kill brain cells . instead , cells die because in a misguided attempt to protect themselves , they stop making new proteins -- including some vital for their survival . well , that was brief . our semi-final line-up is complete , though , and the prospect of an all italian final in warsaw on may 27 is still there . i 'm sure sevilla and dnipro will have something to say about that . anyway , the main event is up next . join me for the champions league semi-final draw . the reigning champions against the other italian side in the competition is our second semi-final . that 's the first tie out of the hat ... once again uefa 's second club competition has thrown up an interesting mix in the last four , and today sevilla , napoli , fiorentina and dnipro will all learn who they face in the semi-finals of the europa league . the researchers showed it was possible . to give mice a drug that switches protein production back on , and stops . brain disease in its tracks . treated mice stayed symptom-free , while untreated animals developed . memory and movement problems and eventually died , the journal science . translational medicine reports . lead scientist giovanna mallucci , of the . university of leicester , said : ` it was very striking . the treated mice . were completely protected . more importantly , their brains were . completely protected . ' the work is still at a very early stage but is described as the first real evidence that it is possible to use a drug to stop diseased cells from dying . image shows the structural abnormalities of alzheimer 's . the tests were on the mis-folded brain protein called a prion which . in today 's draw we have two serie a sides , three time europa league winners sevilla and ukrainian surprise package dnipro . causes scrapie , a fatal , degenerative disease that affects the nervous . systems of sheep and goats . but it is thought ` targeting a mechanism . relevant to a number of degenerative diseases could yield a single drug . with wide-reaching benefits . ` however , what is true in animals does not always hold true in people . and the ultimate test for this compound will be to see whether it is . safe and effective in people with these diseases . '
 The article discusses Alzheimer's disease, which affects 500,000 Britons and causes brain cells to die. Scientists are trying to find drugs that can break up toxic proteins in the brain, but it's a complex problem. Research has shown that misshapen proteins do not directly kill brain cells, instead, they stop making vital proteins needed for survival. A new study found that treated mice had improved memory and cognitive function. The research is still in its early stages, but it provides hope for finding a cure for Alzheimer's disease.